That's right, DOGS! Some of us love them, and some of us love to hate them. Historically the religious traditions of Hindus, Jews and Christians have abhorred dogs, while Ethiopians elected dogs as their kings, Egyptians shaved their heads when a dog died, and Pythagoras was said to have held a dog to the mouth of a dying disciple because he thought that a dog, better than any other animal, could perpetuate his friend's virtues. Whether absorbing our curses or affections, dogs perform a unique kind of shadowing role, a (mostly) silent chorus for our daily dramas. Northampton-based artist Frances Kidder knows about painting and knows about dogs. Her last dog, a large black poodle, was an exuberant creature whose liveliness supplied the juice for a series of paintings begun in 1999. During a month spent in Rome, Kidder's paintings of dogs became paintings of wolves in honor of the legend of Romulus and Remus who were suckled by a she-wolf. The wolf paintings resulting since then will be shown in a solo exhibition in Central gallery. Most of the wolf images relate either to the Wolf, a 500 B.C. Etruscan sculpture in Rome, (whose suckling human babies were added in the Renaissance and supposedly separated during recent restoration), or to an imaginary dancing wolf that harks back to Kidder's childhood memories. In her artist statement Kidder speaks of the Etruscan Wolf image which served as a starting point for her new work: "The more I looked at her, the more open to interpretation she seemed. Her bared teeth suggest a growl; but she could also just be panting from exhaustion. She appears more worried than fierce. She doesn't much resemble any contemporary wolves. Her head, in particular, looks like a cross between a terrier's and a cat's. The hair on her head, neck and back is wonderfully stylized into s-shaped curls. Although the body and pose are quite true to nature, the sculptor's various departures from realism give the Etruscan Wolf the kind of power that belongs to beasts from our myths and dreams....As my versions of the Etruscan wolf have multiplied, I have begun to think of her as a beleaguered great nurturer." Frances Kidder’s new work can be seen at Central Gallery from November 15 through December 12 with an opening reception on November 15 from 4-6pm. Central Galleries hours are Monday to Thursday 3pm-6pm and Sundays 2pm-5pm while the University is in session.