{"id":104392,"date":"2026-07-13T15:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T22:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=104392"},"modified":"2026-07-15T15:50:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T22:50:07","slug":"appearances-and-revelations-align-in-works-by-fuhst-and-mattina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/appearances-and-revelations-align-in-works-by-fuhst-and-mattina\/","title":{"rendered":"Appearances and Revelations Align in Works by Fuhst and Mattina"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Grant Fuhst, “Carny”<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s probably a good thing that so many sales galleries are going into smaller spaces and, especially, spaces with scaled-back rooms, hallways, and other narrow spaces. One reason is that this gives viewers a chance to see how well they work in similar spaces they may have at home: spaces where there\u2019s not enough room to back up and bump into a sculpture.<\/p>\n

Consider \u201cCarny,\u201d a mixed media painting by Grant Fuhst<\/a>. This close-up face, constricted into a severe triangle, is done in bright, white paint with an almost dry brush. The result creates the illusion of high contrast: light and dark making strongly-lit shapes in what is really a smooth and evenly illuminated surface. The skin may also seem wrinkled, while the hollow eyes form tunnels that seem to converge on the viewer\u2019s point of view. In the hallway at Align Real Estate, one of eight venues participating in the Sugarhouse Art Walk, the countenance is so close and so powerful, while the background is reduced to a pattern of brown and gold, that at first the isolated face may be all that is seen.<\/p>\n

Align Real Estate is one of several places where a cellphone camera, which has substantial powers to alter the apparent distance to things, may come in handy. Using one here caused quite a change. Of a sudden, the overall figure is seen to be wearing a stovepipe hat and a black jacket with a white collar, against both of which the face, painted on a triangle of cardboard, comes forward in dramatic perspective. Further, the background is revealed to be carnival scenes done in tarnished gilt: a carousel horse, an ornamentally costumed lion, a saddled zebra, and other animals encouraging further interpretation. Most viewers probably know that a \u201ccarny\u201d is someone who works in a traveling show, but may not know that as an adjective, it means \u201csly\u201d or \u201cartful.\u201d So this carny, with his mask-like face, nose like a racy graffiti, and immaculately shaped and tinted lips becomes a meticulously depicted narrative character: one declines to accept his one-dimensional, assigned role. After centuries of trying to reveal the essence of the subjects they portray, artists have turned instead to capturing the ambiguity and uncertainty of how much we can actually know.<\/p>\n

Possibly Fuhst\u2019s largest body of work, at least here, is the consecutively numbered portraits labeled \u201cAnthroposcopy.\u201d The five-syllable title combines two Greek words, \u201canthropic,\u201d which refers to the existence of human life, especially as it constrains theories about the universe, and the suffix \u201c\u2013scopy,\u201d akin to \u201cscope,\u201d indicating viewing, observation, or examination. These freely modeled, mask-like portraits are paradoxically made of soft-looking, approachable media even as they build entire heads from antagonistic geometry and errant mark-making. They tend to low and heavy brows, widely-spaced eyes, and full lips. Each conveys a single mood or affect, though they aren\u2019t titled with it. “#3” seems modest or complacent, “#6” might be self-conscious, and “#2” melancholy or even sad. Many have a large feature centered in the face, which seems to push the eyes apart. While it might be a nose, it might not represent any actual feature. “#12” recalls Cubist Picasso, with both a full face and a profile, one like a shadow to the other, along with a question mark, all in black and white. One set of four hung together on the wall demonstrates a variety of open-mouthed expressions.<\/p>\n