Hot Chicks at Silver Circle

Bigger is Better

by J. Fatima Martins

With cheeky intelligence, witty bravado, and a balance of innocence and sensuality, Silver Circle Art Center presents “Big Chicks,” a collaborative exhibition — featuring the contemporary traditionalist painter Alecia Underhill and the expressive and diverse sculptor, painter and illustrator Jean-Paul Jacquet — that addresses the contentious meaning of the word “chick.” In a preview of the show, Silver Circle noted, “After all, some people like chickens, some people like chicks.”

Jacquet, who is a highly respected visual arts instructor at the prestigious Pomfret School in Pomfret, Conn. and one of the most intriguing visual artists working in New England today, is showing large-scale paper and fiberglass sculptures, some created specifically for “Big Chicks,” of highly stylized, voluptuous nude women (and one man) that are whimsical, powerful and physically aware while exploring the idea of the “sexy chick.”

Underhill, who is known for her sassy paintings of nature subjects and animals, is presenting big portraits of actual avian chicks — fluffy and cute baby chickens and ducks in a style that documents actual animal features while presenting them with a captivating undertone. Though both artists engage the subject in different manners, they are united in their focus on exploring the narrative power of anatomy with a sense of humor and absolute joy.

For Jacquet, human anatomy, particularly the female form, contains a story waiting to be told. In all his work, Jacquet takes the figure and exaggerates the features to reveal the subject’s interior emotionality and personality. He said he draws and paints people not in the manner in which they look physically, but in the manner that he reads them. Jacquet is recreating how the person has made him feel as well as exposing nuances that are often ignored in daily interaction.

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