Karin Broker, fat chance, 2014, conte on formica, drawing of flowers with text

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Karin Broker
Karin Broker, fat chance, 2014, conte on formica, drawing of flowers with text
2014

About the Item

Karin Broker's "fat chance," 2014, is a drawing of flowers using conté on formica mounted to a plywood panel with text in the background. The work was included in a 2014 exhibition entitled "damn girls," which presented a selection of drawings and monoprints as well as hand-etched steel furniture. This exhibition presented the best of the artist's characteristic style, and revealed her growing interest in women's history as well as her steadfast commitment to drawing. Continuing in the tradition of her work, throughout damn girls Karin wove themes of femininity, beauty, and optimism with severity, gender stereotypes, tragedy, and loss. Using conté on formica panels, Broker depicts, large-scale bouquets of lush, overripe blooms and singular flowers in the manner of early Dutch masters. Here, the artist's descriptive skill is highlighted through the realistic quality of the flora and rich tonal values, while the incorporation of text, new to her work, forges connections with poetry and the lyricism of script, but also provides a nebulous armature to support the central core of each drawing. The subject matter of the text was obsessively compiled by the artist through researching the names of women and significant events that span centuries. In re-transcribing factual accounts, Broker questions established hierarchies within popular history, and offers a unique perspective that pays homage to these women. The severity of presenting these histories creates a stark contrast to the more romantic elements of her drawings. The transcription of these names and various details has been compiled into a limited-edition small leather-bound book with seven chapters, each with a forward penned by the artist that directly relates to each drawing. Karin Broker was the subject of a solo museum exhibition in 2014 entitled: "Karin Broker: wired, drawn, and nailed" at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont. Karin Broker has served previous terms as the Department of Visual Arts Chair for Rice University and has been teaching at Rice since 1980. Originally from Pennsylvania, Broker moved to Houston shortly after earning her MFA from the University of Wisconsin and has been living and working in Houston for the past 30 years. Her artwork is in public collections nationwide including Brooklyn Museum of Art, McNay Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution, New York Public Library, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Blanton Museum of Art and many others.

Creator:
Karin Broker (1950, American)
Creation Year:
2014
Dimensions:
Height: 96 in (243.84 cm)Width: 60 in (152.4 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)
Medium:
Plywood,Conté,Panel,Graphite
Movement & Style:
Contemporary
Period:
2010-
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Houston, TX
Reference Number:
Seller: KB-1811stDibs: LU122017664412