While trying to find an art piece for the first assignment, my attention was brought to the statue called “The Family Group” by John Geise. The statue is located outside of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on campus. The art piece was originally dedicated to Karl Onthank for his numerous years of service as a staff member at the University of Oregon.The artist originally meant for the statue to be a representation for Onthank’s love for everyone he encountered, but I thank it has a more impactful influence on campus. The figures in the art piece are embracing and supporting one another. Their camaraderie shows the strength provided by friendships and family which are two values found at the university. The piece was completed in 1974 and has worn with time. However, I believe that the nicks in the stone and the moss on the tops of the heads and arms gives the sculpture more dimension.

The sculpture reminds me of the same qualities that Pablo Picasso used in many of his portraits. The strange, almost unrecognizable shapes are used by both artists. Some of Picasso’s pieces and Geise’s sculpture are both deformed and hard to make out, but in my opinion, that just makes the art more interesting. It allows the viewer to incorporate their own perspective.