Mt. Katahdin – November Afternoon

Posted by Maverick ~ on November 16, 2019
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Mt. Katahdin—November Afternoon (1942)
Marsden Hartley
American, 1877–1943
Oil on Masonite

After years of travel, Marsden Hartley proclaimed himself “the Painter from Maine.” This painting of Mt. Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak, belongs to a series focused on the mountain. Following a visit there in October 1939, Hartley painted multiple canvases over a three-year period. He modified his palette to suggest different seasons in each painting. In Mt. Katahdin—November Afternoon, the contrast between the blue sky, purple mountains, and auburn woods evokes an early-winter day. Hartley identified with the remote peak, seeing it as an emblem of his own lonely resilience.

Fallen Angel

Posted by Maverick ~ on November 9, 2019
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Fallen Angel (1959)
Oil on canvas
Byron Browne
American (1907-1961)

“A prime example of Abstract Expressionism, Fallen Angel (1959) features a gestural scene of an abstracted angel-like figure.  This work showcases his signature style of organic abstract shapes with his studies from nature.  Byron Browne was a founding member of the American Abstract Artist, an association to promote and understand Abstract art.  Browne and Willem de Kooning (American, 1904-1997), another founder, whose work is also featured in this exhibition, use a range of techniques, from gestural mark making to more detailed brushstrokes and figural abstraction.  Jansen echoes both Browne and de Kooning’s painterly gestural strokes in the collaged squares and pavement in Streets, attesting to Jansen’s contemporary conversations with Abstract Expressionism.”

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Corner of Studio

Posted by Maverick ~ on October 5, 2019
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Corner of Studio (1973)
Jane Freilicher
(American)
Oil on canvas

Jane Freilicher began her career as an abstract painter and later turned to representational paintings of still lifes and landscapes.  Corner of Studio depicts the Long Island landscape as seen from the windows of her art studio.  She uses minimal details o identify the interior space.  At the far left, a drawing or unfinished painting is attached to the wall, and a section of a painted landscape leans against the wall’s surface.  Both scenes, the landscape in the painting-within-the-painting and the landscape viewed through the set of windows, share the same sense of flatness, or lack of implied distance.

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Untitled (Malcolm X)

Posted by Maverick ~ on October 3, 2019
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Untitled (Malcolm X) – 2008
Glenn Ligon – American
Acrylic, vinyl based paint, and graphite on paper mounted on fiberboard

Untitled (Malcolm X) is the result of a workshop Glenn Ligon conducted.  He presented children with 1970s-era coloring books that had an agenda — to “normalize images of Black Americans to make them part of history.  But to a 3-year-old, none of that matters,” he recalls.  Eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick on the man once deemed the most dangerous in America by the New York City Police Department may seem transgressive, but the irreverence intrigued Ligon.  He silkscreened the image onto canvas, then faithfully painted the Muslim minister, activist, and black nationalist leader just as the child colored him.

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The Mirror

Posted by Maverick ~ on September 29, 2019
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The Mirror (1966)
Fairfield Porter (1907-1975)
American, oil on canvas

Fairfield Porter’s The Mirror explores the complex relationship between reality and illusion.  In this image, the artist depicts himself painting a portrait of his ten-year-old daughter, Elizabeth.  Her gaze, from within the illusionistic space of the canvas, acknowledges the viewer’s presence in “real space”.  Simultaneously, the artist’s reflection in the mirror establishes another level of space that is neither ours nor Elizabeth’s.

Porter entered the art world just as the Abstract Expressionists were gaining international recognition.  Yet he retained a commitment to the figure and to the traditional painting subjects: landscapes, interiors, still lifes, and portraits.

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Soldier with Death before a Carousel

Posted by Maverick ~ on September 15, 2019
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Soldier with Death before a Carousel
Arthur Kraft
American (1922-1977)
Graphite and oil on poster board

‘Artist Arthur Kraft’s experience in World War II influenced Soldier with Death before a Carousel (ca. 1947-51). In this painting, a skeleton wearing a helmet and boots holds a champagne flute. This image likely symbolizes the alcohol abuse many veterans face as a result of their traumatic experiences at war. Both Kraft and the artist Marcus Jansen utilize symbolism in their works. Kraft uses the champagne flutes, figures representing death, and white doves; Jansen depicts empty dishes and a few coins in Empty Plates (2007) to emphasize the economic effects of war on communities, families, and individuals. These signs and symbols reveal personal and universal reflections on war across generations.’

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