Catherine Catanzaro Koenig was a highly respected artist in our region. Born, raised and educated in Buffalo, Koenig’s style evolved over the course of her career, from an initial representational abstraction that might be compared to Ben Shahn’s work to a sharply delineated, yet evocative, symbolism that moves beyond realism to be more akin to European Surrealism, particularly with references to the Belgian artist René Magritte. She excelled in pastel drawing and acrylic painting and received national acclaim for mastering the Renaissance method of egg tempera painting. Messages that lay beneath the seductive surfaces of many of her drawings and paintings reflect a critique of contemporary American attitudes about women, sexuality and power. Other works convey personally coded yet universal thoughts about loss. Frequently a sense of humor cuts through the seriousness, making them accessible. Nineteen works and three studio props selected by the artist’s daughter and son, Becky and David, provided a retrospective window on the artist’s life in this memorial exhibition.
Memorial program: January 15.