By Cara Helfand
Those without a passion for window treatments might not find drapery all that interesting, but a BYU senior set out to change the way people look at fabric.
'I wanted to give a tribute to the drapery because it is such a significant tool for expression,' said Beau Brady, 27, a senior from Kirtland, N.M., majoring in printmaking.
Brady created new works of art by replicating the fabrics and drapery found in more than 25 different famous paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
'I have taken the drapery and tried to elevate it up to the main subject,' Brady said. 'I wanted to let it be on its own and display its expressive and symbolic qualities.'
According to Brady, all traditional art up until the late 1800s used drapery as the main visual effect of their work. In some cases, drapery filled up two-thirds of an artist''s painting.
'In the 1900s a new modern art form came about and drapery kind of faded out,' Brady said. 'I wanted to bring it back.'
Brady is the artist behind the 'Drapery in Revival' exhibit found in gallery 303 in the Harris Fine Arts Center. The display is his Bachelor of Fine Arts final project and can be viewed through July 31.
All BFA students, at the conclusion of their studies, come up with a proposal for an art show, said Gary Barton, professor in the department of visual arts, painting, drawing and printmaking. The faculty members then review the culmination of that project.
'If you get approved, you graduate, and if not, you get to do the show again and start all over,' said Barton.
The potential of expressive qualities Brady thinks drapery has are what motivated him to center his project on it.
'When drapery is arranged by itself and taken out of context, it takes on an abstract quality and allows me to express my beliefs on a personal level,' Brady said.
The display comprises numerous prints and large oil paintings that viewers say leave an impression on those who see it.
'I think that this is one of the best final shows that I have seen all year,' said Laurie Mackey, 21, a senior from Salt Lake City majoring in visual arts. 'The paint quality is amazing, and it is something that a fellow artist can really be inspired by.'
Students not majoring in art agree.
'''Drapery in Revival'' is the touch of divinity working through a man''s hands,' said Wing Province, 24, from Franklin, Ind. majoring in nutritional science. 'It''s exquisite, it''s divine, it''s breathtaking. What more can I say?'
Those who know Brady best aren''t surprised by the responses to the show.
'We recognized Beau''s ability as an artist early on; he was drawing things before he could even talk,' said Brady''s father. 'No one else could make drapery look this good.'
Although Brady''s father is a businessman, he said he fully supports his son''s chosen career path.
'I don''t even want him to even think about taking over my business,' he said. 'He has a God-given talent for art, and I really don''t want that to be wasted.'
Before transferring from Utah Valley State College''s business program to BYU''s fine arts program, Brady had no formal art training.
'I guess that I have always been an artist; it''s just something that came natural,' Brady said. 'I decided to switch and do art because it has always been my passion.'
The show took nearly five months to complete. Brady spent almost two of those months in Europe with BYU''s studio art program where he was able to research how drapery influenced art.
'It''s such a significant tool of expression, and being able to see the original artworks up close helped increase my appreciation of the impact that fabric has had on art,' Brady said.
With his show completed and graduation looming on the horizon, Brady looks to the future. He hopes to attend graduate school in January, and then eventually teach at a university and sell art professionally.
'I am so proud that I could burst the buttons on my shirt,' Brady''s father said. 'If he can make fabric come alive like this, there is no doubt in my mind that he is going to be a great artist someday.'