The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach recently unveiled a duo of evocative exhibitions: “Between Drawing and Painting: Pastels from the Collection,” on view to October 29, and “Reflecting the Gaze: Jillian Mayer and Abigail Reyes,” on view to September 17. The former highlights the versatility and expressive nature of pastel as a drawing medium that artists have been experimenting with since the late-sixteenth century. From pastel’s origins to its popularity among Impressionist and Postimpressionist painters, the exhibit highlights its diverse use across genres, featuring works by Mary Cassatt, Paul Klee, Edgar Degas, and Pablo Picasso.
In “Reflecting the Gaze,” contemporary artists Jillian Mayer and Abigail Reyes chronicle an evolution of their own. Their video works offer thoughtful and funny revisionist takes on women’s stereotyped places in history, reclaiming agency and inserting (and asserting) themselves in snapshots of culture, from high art to telenovelas.
