Austin
Russell Collection Fine Art Gallery
Every art historian knows that art is born from art, and yet critics and curators persist in celebrating the lone genius, seemingly sprung from nowhere and preferably having already succumbed to a tragic death. So it is a special pleasure to review this legacy exhibition of Charles Umlauf (1911–94) and four of his children – his sons, Arthur and Karl, and two daughters, Madelon and Lynn. ambiguities. Wall, paper, and canvas become multiple layers of skin, adhering to and peeling away from each other and constantly reforming. Light is a critical factor in her work. In her drawings, she creates light with bronze powders and translucency. Her sculptures are drawings in space, structurally employing wire, wire mesh, rubber, transparent Plexiglas, and occasionally electric motors and lights. They can hang from the ceiling or wall, thrust up from the floor, or stand outdoors. Umlauf is conscious of the relation of the work to its environment: “In particular the light, walls, and people interacting with it. It has been my ambition to create work that explores my metaphysical self [thus the central importance of light] to discover meaningful new relationships…see the entire review in the print version of March’s Sculpture magazine.
