Naperville artists reinvent masterpieces

In Europe in the late 1930s and early 1940s, a Dutch painter decided to make money by selling his own work as early originals of the 17th-century master Jan Vermeer.

He fooled none other than Hitler's deputy, Hermann Goering.

Naperville resident Chris Hughes isn't trying to claim his “The Lacemaker” is Vermeer's work, but he's stayed close to the original in the piece he's entered in Naperville Art League's “Fabulous Fakes” exhibit.

It's the fifth year for the popular show in which local artists re-create well-known works but give them their own twist. The exhibit opened Wednesday and continues through March 5 at the Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery, 508 N. Center St., Naperville. The public is invited to meet the artists at a reception from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20.

Forty-three works are included in this year's show including 3-D pieces and photos as well as paintings, said Laura Rivas, fine art director with the Naperville Art League.

“There's so much cleverness, talent and skill,” she said. “They're all wonderful in their own way.”

Hughes said he was attracted to Vermeer because the artist's small body of work now ranks him along with Rembrandt as a notable Dutch painter.

“His works are among the most rare,” Hughes said.

Hughes, whose earlier entries to the exhibit included a rendition of Leonardo da Vinci's “Mona Lisa,” said copying the work of a famous painter is one technique artists use when they face a creative block and want to expand on their own style.

“It's very creative of the Naperville Art League to make this format for artists,” he said.

Naperville artist Sally Sharp recreated Claude Monet's “La Japonaise” in a mosaic made of polymer clay pieces.

“I thought it was interesting,” she said. “It's a painting of his wife in a Japanese robe and there's a little man in the design of the robe.”

Angela Graefenhain, president of the Naperville Art League, draws inspiration from both Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera for her piece, “Altered State of the Dream.” Graefenhain said she was attracted to Picasso's “The Dream” because it shows a woman sleeping in a red chair.

“The woman looked so peaceful and restful,” she said. “This is something I really don't get enough of many times.”

Graefenhain also put in her work the calla lilies that Rivera so often included in his paintings of working class people.

“It's like someone at rest and someone working,” she said. “I took different elements and formed my own piece.”

Both Picasso and Rivera express a lot of emotion in their paintings, Graefenhain said.

“I know I've been influenced by both these artists and I'm really attracted to the colors they use,” she said.

The work she did for last year's show, “van Gogh on Roscoe,” was purchased by Edward Hospital, Graefenhain said.

“It's so much fun to try to study the style of another artist,” she said. “People who come to the gallery every year love it.”

If you go

What: “Fabulous Fakes” art exhibit

When: Artists reception 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20; exhibit hours noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through March 20

Where: Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery, 508 N. Center St., Naperville

Cost: Free

Info: (630) 355-2530, <a href="http://napervilleartleague.com">naperville artleague.com</a>