Medina artist creates ‘Images of Beauty’ exhibit at Hometown Fitness Center

‘This is what inspired the many renditions of what might be considered an expression of beauty today – tattoos, androgyny, piercings or embracing of individuality.’ – Pat Greene

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (left) Artist Patricia Greene hangs a picture she painted of Jared Thurber in her exhibit titled “Images of Beauty,” which is hanging at Hometown Fitness Center, 119 Pearl St., Medina. (Right) Patricia Greene received a GO Art! Ripple grant for her exhibit. Here she holds a painting titled “Fabulous in Faux Fur,” which inspired her to do an androgynous exhibit.

MEDINA – The decision to do a painting of a person posing for a previous painting by Franz Von Stuck, a German artist from the early 20th century, inspired local artist Patricia Green to apply for a Ripple grant from GO Art! and create an androgynous exhibit.

The painting she copied was a female, but Greene chose to use a male model for her pose.

“This is what inspired the many renditions of what might be considered an expression of beauty today – tattoos, androgyny, piercings or embracing of individuality,” she said.

She remembered Jared Thurber with his piercing and ear gauge and asked if he would allow her to paint him. He agreed.

“Images of Beauty” is a look at modern day images of physical beauty and adornment, Greene explained. “My intention was to explore contemporary variations of what is considered ‘beautiful’. Body image has evolved dramatically in recent decades.

“Physicality, body alterations via surgical enhancement, tattooing, piercing and expressions of femininity and masculinity are all practices that have been in flux in recent times. Without judgment, but rather to document, I have drawn correlations to past images of beauty found in fine art and unearthed history.”

Greene continued to say while some individuals have chosen to alter their bodies, others have embraced their individuality – whether through grey hair or their physique.

“I find these dichotomies intriguing,” she said.

Greene approached Hometown Wellness Center at 119 Pearl St., asking to hang her exhibit there.

“Pam Eaton is proprietor and enthusiastically hosted the show,” Greene said. “’Images of Beauty’ was paired with the fitness venue to correlate with the theme.”

The exhibit is hung mostly in the cycle room and is available for viewing during various fitness sessions until the end of August.

“The New Odalisque” is a painting artist Patricia Greene reworked from a painting by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, depicting a woman who is embracing her gray hair.