Nathaniel Sanchez

If you are bored and have nothing to do in between your Macroeconomics class and Religion 101, paying a visit to the George Segal Gallery may be beneficial and entertaining. Perhaps you have writer’s block and can’t think of what to write for your next term paper, a perfect way to be inspired is to take a stroll through an art gallery that reflects an artist who had a major impact in 20th century art. The Gallery boasts works from the collections of the George and Helen Segal Foundation, Carroll Janis, Inc., the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. As a first time staff writer for The Montclarion, visiting Montclair State University’s George Segal Gallery was a perfect way to be inspired with creativity. Upon walking in and taking a brief but careful look at all the art pieces, drama, abstraction, realism and modernism are ubiquitous. Although every art piece and painting is different, they all seem to share a common thread of progressivism and modernity.

Lara Alcantra-Lansberg’s Kiss is one of the first pieces that intrigued me. A digital picture of a girl kissing a mirror which reflect another girl seems controversial and mysterious. Staring at the picture, you begin to ask yourself what the artist meant with this particular piece. Is there a message? Is the girl kissing another girl a subliminal message? Why is her reflection not of herself, but clearly that of another girl? The audience of the exhibit creates various answers for these questions, but the truth is that no one except the artist knows.

As you walk deeper into the gallery, the colors seem to increase in vibrancy. All the abstract colors and hues led me to a stunningly realistic close-up painting called Spaghetti by Laura Alexander. Immediately, I marked it down as one of my favorites. The painting consists of a close-up face of a young, beautiful girl with puckered lips attempting to eat spaghetti string. The painting is vivid and drew two major emotions from me; happiness and innocence.

Finally at the end of the gallery are mind-blowing works of epic proportions. The exhibit consists of massive drawings of faces with different and interesting facial expressions. Stare at the faces for a long time and you become lost and enamored with the individuality in each drawing. Each drawing is black and white and offers a distinct characteristic and personality. The face of Marisol II, which according to Segal exudes “morbidity,” seems sad, malignant and dangerous to me, while the face of Helen IV seems restrained and offers very little emotion.

Although at first one might rethink attending an art exhibition and stare at art all day, it is a short but worthwhile trip that anyone can make during a break between classes. The next time you’re feeling writer’s block or can’t seem to find anything to do in between classes, take a walk over to the George Segal Gallery and immerse yourself in the art and history of our university.

Visit the George

Segal Gallery for yourself. It is located on the fourth floor of the Red Hawk Deck.