The Red and Black

Issue date: 2/5/04 Section: Variety

Eight paintings remain.

THE GIFT OF SIGHT When: Through Feb. 15 Where: The Georgia Museum of Art

Despite spending more than half a century devoted to his art, Frank Ruzicka destroyed much of his work before his death last fall.

The subsisting paintings -- or the "family of eight," as Ruzicka considered them -- are on display at the Georgia Museum of Art as part of an exhibit titled "The Gift of Sight."

Ruzicka, the chairman of the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University from 1976 until 1989, was known to be an intense editor of his own work.

"These eight paintings represent the struggles of an artist and are the building blocks of art," said Dennis Harper, the curator of exhibitions at the Georgia Museum of Art.

Greg Benson, an employee at the museum, was a student of Ruzicka and a colleague and assistant to him.

Benson said the exhibit's name is appropriate because Ruzicka believed that his art was "a gift bestowed upon him by his teachers."

"(Ruzicka's gift) was learning to see what was out there and translating it into a painting," Harper said.

The paintings were prepared during the '50s and '60s when Ruzicka studied at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The earliest painting on display, "Still Life with Wax Fruit," was painted in 1951. Influences from the artist Paul Cezanne are evident in the space and volume of the still life.

During the progression of his work, Ruzicka's style shifted and developed. This progression can be seen in "Night Fisherman," "Tyrrhenian Harbor," "The Black Mug," and "Night Facades," "Paris," and "Sea Wall."

Through the use of deep, dark colors, Ruzicka attempts to entice viewers to consider the mysteriousness behind each painting.

The eighth painting, "Christine," portrays a woman's figure. Unlike the other paintings on exhibit, "Christine" is a work of peach pastels and calmness.

"The model was tired," Harper said. "(Ruzicka felt) the mood set within the room by the draped fabric and the model should be reflected within the painting."

A reception and memorial celebration honoring Frank Ruzicka will be held Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. at the GMA.

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