This article is not just about words to skim and move on from; it is about pictures that invite us to look closer, think deeply and feel more. It is also a reminder for when you are bored studying for your midterm in the library and need a brain break, head upstairs to the third floor in Anderson Academic Commons and discover the Hidden and Revealed exhibit.

You will be amazed by the paintings, colors and hidden words beyond every single painting of Julia Rymer. Moreover, if you are excited about understanding more about what is beyond Rymer’s paintings, make sure to read the exhibit’s entry while you are visiting.

Rymer is the artist of the exhibit, who chose to express her identity, heritage, culture, language and sense of belonging through art. In each piece she creates, there’s a hidden meaning — a reflection of the complexities faced by those of us in the United States. 

“We assimilate into American society as a whole, speak only English, and act like Americans,” Rymer said in an exhibit entry. 

Based on her observations and conversations, Rymer believes many people in the U.S. feel lost within the melting pot of American society. Eager to learn more about her family’s history and Jewish heritage, she chose to use art as a way to express her feelings and explorations. 

“The visual language created for this work, the Bildsprache, conveys that sense with Hebrew grammar and Czech novel book pages and German newspaper selections layered within gestural brushstrokes, colorful forms, and expressive lines of oil and watercolor crayons, and charcoal,” Rymer said in an exhibit entry.

Through her art, she discovered a magical way to express her feelings and, beyond that, to shed light on hidden truths we often understand yet seldom consider. 

“This is not only my story; it is a universal story, and the act of creating art is a means to understand, process, and find meaning in what feels obscure, esoteric and hidden, ultimately culminating in enlightenment and revealment,” Rymer said in an exhibit entry. 

If you get to visit the exhibit, you are sure to have a nice study break. If you are an artist, I am sure you will get inspired. If you cannot make it to the exhibit, I leave you with some pictures of the exhibit to enjoy.