Sentimental and Specific: An Exhibit by John Shimon and Julie Lindemann

January 29, 2008

The Wriston Art Center at Lawrence University is currently hosting the exhibition "Sentimental and Specific" by John Shimon and Julie Lindemann, two long time artistic collaborators. The exhibit features large color prints of Wisconsinites in their places of work.. and the sheer size of these prints reminded me of how small my computer screen really is. No matter how much I enjoy Flickr or other means of viewing photos online, it is no comparison to seeing a large beautifully detailed print.

Most of the prints resemble in tone the one shown above (taken from the promotional material for the exhibition). We find a man standing proudly by his bottling machine—if you look carefully you can see the tops of orange pop bottles. The photo is not critical in intent. The subject is not undercut by any details that mean something to us but of which he is unaware. It is a kind portrait that allows one person's world to stand crisply before the viewer. The formal details from the red legs of the table to the intricacies of the machine impress, but do not overwhelm the man in the center. The photo is carried by his facial expression and the easy arm rest over his bottling machine.

With no overt attempt to "get to the bottom" of a character like this man.. and with the acceptance of his own view of himself and his work.. we are in a sentimental world. Maybe because we all hold sentimental views of ourselves? The mass of details in the photo convey something of a counterpoise to this acceptance of the sentimental.. and thus the "specific" part of the title. My attention was often caught by these unexpected details of a Wisconsin setting: from a tanning salon to the exteriors of large family-run farms.

Shimon and Lindemann effectively use a series of large prints linked together into a panorama. Since each photo is taken successively it is possible to have subjects move around in the various photos.. creating the appearance of movement within a single landscape. This technique is most strikingly used in the work "Brad and Amber in their Memphis Clothes", featuring the couple dressed snazzily and looking serious in the middle print.. but then engaged in more everyday and playful activities just to the side. The work is enhanced by the presence of a second image of Amber nearby.. this time standing in work clothes at a Papa John's pizza place!

I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition.. and I keep trying to figure out why. The images are not emotional investigations, nor are they really documentary in nature. What they show is an unfailing sense of admiration for rural and small town characters. No bank managers or university professors are mixed into the group. We come away from these prints with a stronger appreciation for the way everyday people create their worlds and at the same time are fitted into various worlds.