By MAUREEN JONES
An artist who specializes in realism through illustration and painting will speak today at 7 p.m. in 143 BRMB.
Burton Silverman, the guest speaker, will present a slide show of his work as part of the lecture sponsored by the visual arts department.
Silverman’s training has been in the fine arts, and he has worked in illustration and color painting, said Campbell Gray, director of the Museum of Art.
“His work has moved away from straight illustration into art that is metaphoric,” Gray said.
The artist explores the border that exists between illustration and art, Gray said. His work raises questions in the viewer’s mind about how to determine the difference between illustration and art.
“To Silverman, realism isn’t merely the style of oils and watercolors but the mode (one uses) in examining the world and asking questions,” said Robert Barrett, a professor of illustration.
Appearance and reality are not the same thing in Silverman’s work and his art represents how creative work allows the viewer to question what they really mean, Barrett said.
According to a news release, Silverman won awards from the National Academy of Design, the American Watercolor Society and the Butler Institute.
He has been an illustrator and gallery artist for the past 40 years.
His work has been displayed in “Sports Illustrated,” “Time,” “Life,” “Newsweek,” and “National Geographic.”
