Gail Wegodsky Exhibition Explores Libraries as Sanctuaries

A body of photo-realistic paintings by Gail Wegodsky focused on libraries portrayed as homes of  knowledge, reflection, and quiet contemplation opens at The Morris Museum of Art tomorrow.

Running through April 12, Gail Wegodsky: Recent Paintings shows how her paintings center on people within spaces. In recent years, libraries have emerged as a central subject. “In today’s digital world where  everything is going a mile a minute,” she said, “I choose to depict, more often than not, single figures within big dramatic bastions of knowledge and history. The library is a safe, nearly soundless place."

The Atlanta-based artist's library paintings take four to five months to complete, extending a lifelong devotion to patience and careful making. 

Wegodsky’s work often carries a note of quiet playfulness. In the final days of a painting, she often adds what she calls “hidden-in-plain-sight curios” suchg as a fly or a reflection as a subtle visual counterweight. “These little unexpected counterweights are like thumbtacks,” she said, “holding the viewer’s eye, before releasing it to continue through the rest of the piece.”