I thought more deeply about the color yellow at Studio Art Professor Luca Molnar’s artist talk in the Hand Art Center than I think I ever have in my life. For instance, have you ever thought about the fact that yellow cannot be darkened? It becomes gold or brown, but there is no ‘dark yellow’ as there is a dark blue or green. Too much yellow is psychologically off-putting for viewers, and “commercially, the color yellow makes you hungry,” she explained.

         “I’d say we should all just sit for an hour and exist in the yellow,” Dr. Molnar said, “But I can’t do that. So instead, I will speak to you while we exist in the yellow.” Yellow is a color that has always spoken to her, and is a color she finds herself revisiting often, just as she revisits the concept of falling, shallow depth, and domestic violence.

         Coming into this talk, Dr. Molnar knew she did not want to simply speak about her paintings. She wanted to do something different, so she read 10 concepts that guided her art and her vision, most accompanied by prose and poetry pulled from different sources. As she spoke, the audience meticulously scanned her two pieces in the Hand Art Center. Every blotch, border, and pattern made more and more sense the further she read. So, while she did not explicitly explain any meaning behind her paintings, everything came perfectly into view for us by the time she finished reading. This process, while simply an artist talk, felt personal and exposing. It was a calm and earnest experience, and one that I will remember.

         Dr. Molnar’s art will be taken down from the Hand Art Center after Oct. 14, and it is strongly encouraged that you go check it out!