CHRISTA SCHROEDEL / THE DEPAUW
One work of artist Caleb Weintraub depicts knights riding ostriches, and another depicts a bear and a baboon tying their master to a post. Both are on display in the Richard E. Peeler Center for Contemporary Art at DePauw University.
Weintraub creates mesmerizing abstract works of art that explore societal issues such as technology's influence on the world and the idea of power over others.
“I am exploring the fabric of cultural, religious, and political forces and commenting on the nature of influence,” Weintraub said. “I question the exercise of ideology, the role of mythology. I am dreaming up a place that is the result of our current civilization--saturated with information but devoid of answers.”
In the same way that Weintraub views his work as an expression of his anxiety about new societal ideas, Director and Curator of Exhibitions and University Collections Craig Hadley believes that Weintraub’s work expresses the modern state of mind through multiple forms of media in one of the most skillful manners possible.
“Professor Weintraub does a masterful job blending his formal training in painting with newer techniques, such as 3D modeling and sculpting with computer controlled cutting (CNC),” Hadley said. “As an artist, he spends much of his time experimenting with new techniques and materials in his studio. His work is visually appealing and at times overwhelming and overstimulating, but it certainly does the job of engaging viewers in thinking about some of the critical issues in his work.”
CHRISTA SCHROEDEL / THE DEPAUW
Weintraub is no stranger to the world of art exhibits. According to his curriculum vitae, or artist’s resume, the exhibit in Peeler marks his 75th exhibit either on his own or with a group.
Weintraub started his Post-Secondary Education at the Boston University of Fine Arts in 1996 and achieved a master’s degree in 2003 from the University of Pennsylvania.
Art critics have said Weintraub’s artwork tells a sort of narrative, though not a particularly linear one.
“More of an overarching idea that I hope anyone could walk away with after seeing an one or any collection of my works, at least the recent ones,” Weintraub said. “The works are more like episodes of a show that could be understood without having to watch the series in any order.”
Weintraub prefers his work to be viewed as a whole, each piece side by side. He’s been using a variety of materials such as oil paint, foam, epoxy, fabric, digital prints in order to create the vivid world depicted in his artwork.
“I was never really interested in making art work about personal struggles or relationships or my political position,” Weintraub said. “Art for me is not an exorcism or a form of therapy. It is way of communicating. Speaking with pictures. I like spectacle and I like metaphor.”
Weintraub said his favorite pieces “of spectacle and metaphor” spring up in about a week, but everything else he creates over months, working on several projects simultaneously.
“I have many burners going at the same time, that way I don’t get too stuck on anything,” Weintraub said. “But with that said, with all the burners on, there are bound to some that overcook and some that don’t cook enough. It is important to leave room for failure. Editing is an under-appreciated aspect of studio practice.”
CHRISTA SCHROEDEL / THE DEPAUW
“Treelians” is Weintraub's current favorite piece-in-progress.
“Partly because I am attached to the way that one came about,” Weintraub said. “It was sort of a breakthrough work for me. Before that one, I had been modeling trees and forms to look much like they do in nature, but at some point I decided to see what would happen if I exaggerated naturalistic forms.”
Weintraub’s unique blend of sculpture, 3-D design and paintings make his overarching dystopian story something to be remembered. Each piece of art is distinct, yet somehow belongs to the same self-contained world. Students can check out his exhibit in Peeler before it leaves campus on Oct. 6.