The Narrative Impulse: Lamont Gallery’s New Exhibition

Portraits are only representations of reality. So why does one find oneself intrigued in the expressions displayed in pictures and paintings? Why does one get caught up in the history and background of the people staring back? At first, one may be drawn in by the deep contrast of photographs or vibrant colors of oil paintings, but as one continues to admire the portrait, one may draw personal connections to the art piece. In a way, portraits allow one to go beyond just the surface of connection in order to truly engage in the artwork through inquiry and emotion. This is exactly what the Lamont Gallery’s new exhibition, “The Narrative Impulse: Portraits and Their Stories,” has attempted to accomplish as it brings artists from all corners to share a piece of their narrative with the Exeter community through portraiture.

From Sept. 8 to Oct. 17, the Lamont Art Gallery welcomes the Exeter community to explore the new exhibit featuring the work of six artists, Keliy Anderson-Staley, Kate Gridley ‘74, Nancy Grace Horton, W. Case Jernigan, Diane Sullivan and Itay Ziv.

These artists each have a unique way of conveying their own narrative through their artwork. Ziv uses photography to explore notions of personal identity, social and historical memory and national ideology. Anderson-Staley uses tintype photos to express different aspects of the American culture. Gridley attempts to capture the transition of adolescence through portraiture. Nancy Horton is interested in utilizing photography to capture different aspects of controversy and inequality within our society. Jerigan creates mythic drawings and paper cuts to inspire ambiguity and speculation. Finally, Sullivan shows the many faces one can take in public and private with her sculptures. Each of these artists is able to show a unique narrative through their varying styles and artistic backgrounds.

“The diversity of media, scale, style and subjects makes the show inclusive, but each portrait—and person—is distinct.” said Lauren O’Neal, Director of the Lamont Gallery. “Whether the portrait has a literal story (such as in Gridley’s work or in the videos of Itay Ziv), or the portrait just seems to inspire narrative flights of fancy, the works together create a polyphony of voices, styles, histories and attitudes. They all seem to have something to say.”

As we begin to hear more and more about finding our own identity throughout our years here at Exeter, many believe that it is fitting to explore the artistic expression of identity. Upper Antigone Clark expressed how the exhibit helped her to realize that identity is more than just appearance.

“It was interesting to see the contrast between the true background of the work and the preconceptions that I made by looking at the picture. The exhibit was able to further my belief that you cannot judge a book by its cover,” Clark said. English Instructor Christine Knapp added onto this point, saying that “[The exhibit] helped her students to consider the ways that we make assumptions about others.” 

Identity is, of course, impacted by current events and problems within our society. Therefore, in many of the works of art, we see the artists trying to tackle broader controversial issues. Horton, for instance, attempts to address aspects of inequality among women.

“My work is intended to spur discussions and I’d hope that the Phillips Exeter Academy community will be able to ignite change as it considers what I am speaking towards in my images, specifically my Ms. Behavior series, with regard to our culture’s objectification of women and how that may translate within your own micro culture,” Horton said.

When we look at portraits we see bits and pieces of our personal identity and through that experience, we become more familiar with ourselves. In the end, this exhibit is meant to inspire people to contemplate identity and understand the factors that impact it, but most importantly, it is meant to teach people how to shape their own identity. As O’Neal said, “The exhibition considers how we present ourselves. If you could show your “aspirational” self, what would you wear? How would you pose? How would you write your own story?”