Bill Ronalds retired from his post as professor in the
Department of Fine Arts at St. John’s University in 2004. Since
then, he has completed a body of work, including prints, drawings
and watercolors. From his initial training in printmaking, as an
undergraduate art student in 1964, Bill has continued working with
the print medium, marshaling years of experience to create this
masterful exhibit. Included are a number of graphite drawings on
Mylar. Each work is at once both a graphic meditation and an
exercise in sublimated content. Ronalds describes these artworks as
having a “purposeful busyness,” following a long graphic tradition;
dating as far back as Egyptian tomb decoration.
Regarding content, Ronald’s prints, drawings and paintings are
truly the product of an American hand. Taking the iconography found
in pinball machines, neon lights, amusement parks and advertising,
Bill explores, in each artwork, the visual poetics held within the
imagery of American pop culture. Ronalds cajoles us with his
consummate technique, disarming the viewer so that another layer of
meaning can be culled from each image. One that prompts us to
contrast the inviting pop cultural references to other, more
personal inventions, each time conveying deeper, sometimes sinister
connotations. Neon signs struggle against wire fences, a pinball
rolls towards infinite space with no score to be made or end in
sight. Each of the 63 artworks Ronalds has provided for this show
inquires and satisfies, a rare and rewarding combination.
Lecture and Reception
A lecture by Bill Ronalds about his work will be given at the Dr.
Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery in Sun Yat Sen Hall on March 5th during
common hour. An artist’s reception and closing will follow at 4:30
p.m.
Curated by Prof. Thomas Kerr.
This exhibition is free of charge and accessible to the
handicapped.