The Art of William Woodward

The Katzen – The Seven Deadly Sins

“William Woodward: The Seven Deadly Sins”

American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

(Sept 5 – Dec 17, 2017)

Exhibition Overview

For the past two decades, William Woodward has delved into the rich history and aesthetic possibilities of the seven deadly sins. The master drawings and narrative paintings in this exhibition owe a great deal to the films of Federico Fellini, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and the commedia dell’arte tradition. The artist tries to imagine, had these directors and actors been painters, how they might have depicted their subjects in whimsical and elusive ways rather than strident and explicit interpretations. In creating The Seven Deadly Sins, Woodward is not preaching about sin. Rather, he wanted to paint pictures that no one, including himself, had ever seen before.

William Woodward, Detail of Envy, 2014. Oil on linen, 62 x 51 in.