In the catalogue for Why Draw?, she explains that “[t]hese stories and drawings reflect my interests in storytelling, my focus on women, their bodies, and the ways in which their narratives intersect with cruelty, sexuality, and perversion.” Frank doesn’t shy away from the violence of the original Grimm stories and finds value in the fact that the stories were originally orally passed down by women. Her drawings display an interest in the human figure and feature strong, fairy-tale like distortions. While fully realized works on paper, Frank’s drawings convey a sense of spontaneity. They relate to the stories, but don’t specifically illustrate them. Frank will deliver the keynote address at the May 2 opening of Why Draw?
Frank’s drawings are some of the most recent works in the exhibition. Frank sees her work in dialogue with the art of the past. Her focus on the figure and representation is a striking example of the creative possibilities of the medium of pastel and gouache.
William Schweller, class of 2017.
