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Spring 2025 Exhibition
The Language of Color
February 13 - April 12, 2025
This exhibition is a study of color featuring works from the Sacramento State Art Collection. Spanning from the 1950's through the early 2000's, the exhibition presents a range of art movements. From Pop Art to the powerful activist posters of the Chicano Movement, color is an important tool artists use to evoke emotion and generate meaning.
The exhibition is divided into four sections; each explores the ways color plays a role in understanding the artists' intentions. Starting with Wayne Thiebaud, a Sacramento State alumnus, his Lipstick and Neapolitan Pie prints. show the impact color has on the feeling of an image while also demonstrating the lithograph print making process. Next, we explore artists who use color to create an idealized America, using motifs like baseball and comic book heroes. In tandem with the colors red white, and blue the works produce a nostalgic patriotism. Moving into a broader and more realistic narrative of America, we present works connected to the Royal Chicano Air Force (RCAF). The RCAF is a coalition of activists and artists established in the 1970's, many of whom were art students or professors at Sacramento State. In this exhibition we explore RCAF posters designed for the Chicano Movement, specifically focusing on the artist's intentional use of color to strengthen their message.
Lastly, we present a study of color theory, looking at the ways artists use color combinations as a compositional strategy. As you enter this exhibition, pay attention to the way you respond to the colors in each artwork, what do they evoke in you?
—Dulce López Ocegueuda and Taliah Sofaer, Curators
Gallery Talk with the Curators
Thursday, February 13, 5PM
Join us for an exhibition walk-through with student curators Dulce Lopez Ocegueda and Taliah Sofaer.Followed by a reception 5-7PM
University Library Gallery
