Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Richard Marks/Greyhound The exhibit is part of the Humanities Symposium, which focused on Shakespeare's play "Measure for Measure" this year

The current exhibition on display in the Julio Fine Arts Gallery, "Illustrating Measure for Measure- Historic and Contemporary Representations," serves as a complement to this year's Humanities Symposium text, Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure." For those who are unfamiliar with the play, it is an interaction of various characters involved in a pregnancy scandal where Angelo, the Duke's deputy, sentences the nobleman, Claudio, to death for impregnating his lover. His sister, Isabella, is then forced to contemplate sacrificing her chastity in order to secure his release. Eventually, Claudio is saved without Isabella's sacrifice. The story is quite simple, but as the images in the show reveal, the story can be interpreted in a number of ways.

This exhibit, which features the work of Loyola College students, as well as distinguished artists, boasts thirty-eight works altogether. The majority of these illustrations are digital prints accredited to students previously enrolled in the fall semester's two-dimensional digital design (alpha course) and digital image course. The remaining images are prints attributed to the artists John Boydell, Edwin Austin Abbey, and Rockwell Kent. While the students' artwork was completed in 2007, the historical representations date as far back as the late 18th century.

Upon entering the gallery, viewers are offered a pamphlet that clearly outlines the main focus of each student's digital artwork. It guides viewers through the exhibition, allowing them to pause for a moment at each work and recognize how it relates to the overall themes present in "Measure for Measure." Walking through the exhibit viewers can find examples of frequently recurring images of corruption, struggle, faith/purity and deceit. For instance, a number of the prints incorporate flowers as a representation of Isabella, and handcuffs or chains to symbolize Claudio's fate. One print that utilizes both of these symbols is Robert Rezin's "Untitled." In his scannogram he depicts a flower to signify Isabella's purity, but pairs it with a constricting chain that he claims represents the impurity of Angelo asking Isabella to act against her will.

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