Jean Albus | “Rapture on the Plains”
Published: February 24, 2011
The title for Jean Albus’s exhibit, “Rapture on the Plains,” on display through June 4 at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls, borrows from the idea of being caught up or carried away, an idea expressed explicitly in Christian theology.
When one encounters the work of Albus – a photographic artist and Montana native who currently resides in Bridger – there is an immediate sense that she finds rapturous or imminently joyful moments in the austerity of her surroundings, living on the northern plains in southeastern Montana.
Indeed, her photographs exalt the rural condition through layering icons of contemporary life over images of the Montana landscape.
Though Albus has created a broad body of photographic work that shares a similar point of view about urban settings, The Square’s exhibition focuses on subjects that emanate from her most immediate surroundings, directly viewed from her rural home. Her photographic compositions add to the historical documentation of the northern plains while infusing it with contemporary narratives.
“We built my new studio this year,” says the artist. “When it reaches completion I hope to move out of the frame into other media to explore the same ideas that my photographic work explores. But photographic art will remain my primary means of expression.”
Largely self-taught, Albus has been devoting time to her artwork for six years. In addition to her show at Paris Gibson, she also had a solo exhibition at the Holter Museum in Helena during the past year. “It’s important to me to connect with viewers. When my work resonates with people, helps them see the landscape of their lives in a new way, that’s when the process is complete,” she says.
Albus will also share her work Oct. 14-Dec. 31 at the Holter Museum in Helena in "What Else Is There To Say About Land?"
Learn more about the artist at www.jeanalbus.com.
