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I ARCHIVES
| 8ORD GA
N6337
S6426A4
1998
�ANTHONY SORGE
�Copyright
' l998Si»rdoni Ait < i.ilh ip, Will.'■ ! ■ ..i
All tight-, reserved
1600 copn were pi inted
by I 'nigraphu Color Corporation
Photographic Credits. ('olor Plan s
Gary Mainat i I (•. 1 I
and ...
I In Spi ed Ah Musriiin y"’ i
Mii hacl 1 huni.v. , S iV HP
Set in Adobe Monotype Centaur
ISBN 0 0429 b 13 1
HOSH SORt I
I OCR DEC AI)
�I
ANTHONY SORCE: FOUR DECADES
Exhibition cnr.HcJ by
-
Stanley 1 Grand
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Mr. » I V \pf,t
Essays bv
Stanley I Grand
John Yau
E.S. FARLEY LIBRARY
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PROGRESS AND INNOVATION: THE ART OF ANTHONY SORCE
Stanley I Grand
3
�his exhibition and accompanying catalogue
represent the first in-depth survey of An
thony Sorcc’s protean artistic career. At times
an innovator, at times a developer, Sorce has consis
tently experimented with new processes, materials, and
aesthetic possibilities.These investigations have mani
fested themselves in a multiplicity of stylistic expres
sions linked together by his commitment to such
Modernist concerns as formal invention and artistic
progress.
Born in 1937, Sorce was raised in a family that
valued the arts. As a youngster he frequently visited
the galleries of the Art Institute of Chicago, where
he developed his lifelong love of the Old Masters
and admiration for the avant-garde. In 1955, Sorce
won a citywide competition and enrolled at the
American Academy of Art, Chicago, where he fol
lowed a strict academic curriculum concentrating on
drawing from the nude and employing line and value
to express three-dimensional forms. His early figure
drawings in which units are strung together to form
the whole, where the underlying structure, or skel
eton, is gradually obscured, but never obliterated, by
succeeding layers of muscle, and where the entire sum
is governed by a rational, logical, additive approach
remain key factors in his subsequent works [Fig. I .
At the Academy he also received extensive instruc
tion in color theory and the techniques of oil, water
color, tempera, and casein painting. This very tradi
tional training has formed the basis for his lifelong
devotion to craft and to expanding and investigating
the physical aspects of process.
After receiving his diploma from the American
Academy of Art, Sorce was awarded a scholarship to
study with the sculptor Ivan Mestrovic at X'otre
Dame, where he earned his B.F.A. degree in 1961
and his M.F.A. degree a year later. Typical of Sorce's
early work, EmHoino, 1961. shows his preoccupation
with religious themes Tig. 2 , A subject whose pa
thos has inspired countless artists, but few as mov
ingly as Rembrandt. Etc f/eme "Behold die Man"
John [9; 4-6, shows Christ at the moment ol bis
�5
6
7
8
2 r.^Hciw. Wt'I
3 Qwois H64
4
irfs'fwn.
♦
Drawing for Th Cuy, 1964
364-6-/0, 1965
Vntitlri. 1965
3-70-6-0. 1965
I
I
J*
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condemnation to be crucified.The work exemplifies
arts school in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Outside the
Sorce never accepted the nihilistic aspect of Existen-
Scree's interest in depicting form in space and his
classroom, he met regularly with a select group of
tialism, nor did he embrace fully its preoccupation
understanding of the expressive use of light, both
faculty, led by Dr. George McMorrow, to discuss philo
with the absurd. In this regard, he remained closer to
■
lessons learned from the Baroque Masters.
sophical and artistic matters in general and Existen
Gabriel Marcel, who maintained his faith, than to
|
Other ierge figurative works from this period include
tialism in particular.1 From his study of Existential
Jean-Paul Sartre. Replacing his earlier narrative sub
Gru.~c an a Or.'.’:z-J JfeirTrrfien, both 1964 [Figs. 3 & 4],
ism, Sorce came to the dialectic of existence—essence,
ject matter and religious content with Existentialism
J
masklike faces and fragile linear contours, poignanth
Lire r.u earliest figure studies Fig. I], the paintings have
which increasingly became the content of his art. Yet
illustrations for fa Cwlad/ Th Cits. a book of plays,
short stories, and poems Madrid: Ldicior.es Magi
cal, c. 1965 bv Jorge Diaz de la Jara, a Spanish port
and fellow professor at Nazareth Fig. S’. Both ot
Sorces Draw.sr ,
Mr Th Cus. 1964. with their
signified a key development in Sorces art and marks
■
evoke the plight ot the anonymous. alienated, and
an additive quality in which units are combined to
his progression from a youthful, religious iconogra-
■
depersonalized individual m the modern city t. olor
create a vr. ..t. Sorce viewed his compositional com-
phy to a secular, philosophical art to. finally, one in
|
Plates 1 Si 2 . Sorce also collaborated w ith the poet
Stephen Dobvns on A 'srlt-Ptrirau. 19b5.
:.-.al building blocks—like the chap
I. Existentialism, of course, was much discussed at the
which formal aesthetic concerns predominate. Indeed.
!
ter- tn a : c .I-, or the movements in a symphony—
tunc. Not only did its tenets influence professional philoso
one significant aspect of his art is this development
|
: Im. ’ . tr-. ate rm integral artistic entity while
phers, but it also appealed to a broad range of die intelligentsia.
this ability to grow.
retaining their own artistic individu-
Much contemporary art criticism reflected an Existentialist view
pener.t.-
. In ' cm.
• ■ i?.n : an independent unit that
■■
but is not subsumed within, a greater
i
• - I '
"ii-l " ■■■
! ’ : .’•• -1 figun . vinbolizing the trans-
t; • n.-i’ni-il into spirit, sliow the influ-
'■ 1.1 fjr. • .-.*.!.
■rt Itr .ttt' r. <,f
I9f 2
;
JO
.
J- I'liipn.ii / tic
at the
ir xell known to Sorce.
• hfi b.'oir, 1to
’ a
pt a i. a. Ii
-iz .. * > h f oik ,<<, a -mall lil u'l.il
point; Peter Selz, for example, had written in the catalogue ac
companying the highly influential "New Images of Man" exhi
bition at the Museum of Modern Art that in response to
Toward the end ot 1964. Sorce began to experi
ment with assemblage Figs. 6
A further consequence of these discussions was
"TheVelocitx ot Gows
In h*s poem
Stephen Dob-.ns described.
that Sorce began to collaborate with a number ot
"Standing there with lorn Sorce • in the dark ga
other creative individuals. In IQ64 he provided the
rage. he looking
for junk, a found ob|*ct.. . . He o
tired ot canvas.
rhe movement ot spact
"solitude and anxiety . . . anguish and dread . . . these new
\n-
imagists take the human situation, indeed the human pre
dicament rather than formal structure, as their starting point"
iA'rw Images of Man (New York: Museum of Modern Art.
in William H. Whytes Hr < liym.anm Ma« D56 t®*
the questions of c‘hSvnccs .Mitheniicicv. and hvp»xm>v **
I9.59 i, II,*. Other disciplines as well had incorporated ke\
ixploioi m ,ounik
I'.xistrnii.tlist concepts; alienation, for example, was a subtext
mlhRsr 1951 among du* most promtnc»X-
runvls with |. D
!
2.
rhcXikKUv of t
<n Sew mi 'ir'a.uJ f^rrv
IVngum Bo<iks. 1994.44.
m Stephen lX*bsii». ln*iNew York Viking
�5
6
7
8
ted the nihilistic aspect of Existen-
Drawingfor The City, 1964
364-6-10. 1965
Untitled, 1965
3-70-6-0. 1965
illustrations for Li Ciudad/The City, a book of plays,
other poet, BenTibbs, specifically referred to 364-6-
slamped into the back of the mannequin’s head by
short stories, and poems (Madrid: Ediciones Magi
10, 1965, an assemblage included in this exhibition
die manufacturer
n this regard, he remained closer to
cal, c. 1965) by Jorge Diaz de la Jara, a Spanish poet
[Fig. 6]:
phor of alienation. As in the line drawings for The
te embrace fully its preoccupation
^h-f-6-10 semis a fitting meta
who maintained his faith, than to
and fellow professor at Nazareth [Fig. 5]. Both of
Replacing his earlier narrative sub-
Sorce’s Drawing!s] for The City, 1964, with their
ligious content with Existentialism
.’elopment in Sorce s art and marks
om a youthful, religious iconogra-
dispersonalized individual in the modern city [Color
ihilosophical art to, finally, one in
Plates I & 2]. Sorce also collaborated with the poet
this bald mannequin
letic concerns predominate. Indeed,
Stephen Dobyns on A Self-Portrait, 1965.
pale and ashen
10 reflects an awareness of the dehumanizing tech
quadruple amputee
niques employed by political entities. As Hannah
stares as if suddenly
Arendt noted in her seminal Origins of Totalitarianism
aect of his art is this development,
City, the figure's gender is ambiguous, unisex, and
fixed on axis
hence universal. Armless, bald, and stripped, the man
masklike faces and fragile linear contours, poignantly
and squeezed between
nequin symbolizes the wounded slate, and lack of
evoke the plight of rhe anonymous, alienated, and
sides of a large spool
wholeness, ol the contemporary individual. (treated
Toward the end of 1964, Sorce began to experi
only two decades after the horrors of the Nazi con
centration camps had become widely known. 364-6-
v.
ment with assemblage [Figs. 6, 7, & 8]. In his poem
equence of these discussions was
to collaborate with a number of
“The Velocity of Cows,” Stephen Dobyns described:
confronted
(1951 , dehumanization by stereotyping, substitut
"Standing there with Tony Sorce / in rhe dark ga
by rhe hub of all
ing numbers for names, shaving heads, and starving
ividuals. In 1964 he provided the
rage, he looking / for junk, a found object. ... He is
existing dynamics’
bodies, was an essential prelude to the actual, phi st
tired of canvas, / the movement of space ...
s The Organization Mau 1956 ,. Finally,
tna. authenticity, and hypocrisy were
novels, with J. D. Salinger’s Th Catcher
mg rhe most prominent.
eal destruction of the victims.
An
Constructed of a mannequins torso, a wooden wire
In a sense, 364-6-10 echoes other experiments in
spool, and other found objects (364-6-10 was
figurative sculpture during these wars, particularly
2. “The Velocity of Cows," in Stephen Dobyns, Veloci
4. In fact, 364-G-10 rather than 364-6-10 q pears to
ties: New and Selected Poems 1966—1992 (New York: Viking,
Penguin Books, 1994;, 44.
3. Ren Tibbs, “364-6-10,” Pyramid 3 I960 •: 12.
be stamped on the back of rht- mannequin* head
Il
�those of Trova (in terms of the sleek, streamlined
forms' and George Segal (in terms of the palette).
Most significant, however, was the influence of Rob
ert Rauschenberg’s employment of altered found ob
jects (a ram tn Monogram, 1959) to create a new’ unity.
The use of wheels, to create a chariot-like platform,
recalls a long tradition of mobile characters that flows
backward from Alberto Giacometti to the Etruscans
and Greeks. 364-6-10 also reflects a widespread in
terest in assemblage during the early 1960s: in 1961
the Museum of Modern Art had mounted "The Art
of Assemblage,” with a catalogue by William C. Seitz
{ The Art of Assemblage, 1961). In many ways this exhi
bition was a success by scandal: John Canaday, the
chief art critic at The Acw York Times, denounced the
exhibition as “highly perfumed" and "afflicted by
fashionable bloat. Despite Canaday, interest in as5. Quoted by William C. Seitz the exhibition’s cura
tor] in Art in the Age of Aquarws:
(Washington,
D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1991), 41.
12
semblage continued; and five years later, Allan Kapn
chronicled more recent developments in .'lasrmWage.
Environments and Happenings 1966
One of Sorces most ambitious paintings to date.
Once Upon a Life, 1965, is a Large, flat, frieze-like work,
in which an ambiguous, enigmatic drama takes place
on a shallow stage [Color Plate 31. To the left, a
streamlined man moves toward a large space, empty
but for a small circular object that hovers midpoint.
In his haste, he distorts the restraining line, whose
spiky forms bespeak tension. To the right, a pale, fe
male character reclines, resting her weight on an el
bow. Beneath, a heavy figure turns inward, his move
ment caught as if in a multiple exposure photograph
or a Futurist painting. The small picture within the
picture, which echoes the larger painting, suggests that
the action is occurring in an interior, domestic space.
To the far right, facing away from the male, are the
legs, buttock, swollen belly, and breasts of a headless
figure. An interlocutor, a silent onlooker, peers down
upon the scene.
of countless childrens stories. I.ik, th, protagonists tn
so mam such tales and alb. gurus the man muo rmbatk upon a quest or jourti-x in ot,i<-r to fulfill ho
destiny.! he pregnant figure that turns away from the
man as he moves outward into hi- future seem
,y■
mize that eternal conflict between the wandering male
(Odysseus and the domestic female Penelope In
Sorces painting, there is also a quest, but the I jib- :.
tential message is that only Ln acting—bv employing
free will, In seeking the- unknown—can the essence
be transmuted into existence. One cannot, tn ,>thrr
words, describe; one must act and experience.
The painting is a summary and transitional work ;
that continues Sorces preoccupation with narratwr |
content; however, its outlook is philosophical rather
than religious. It is sincere rather than ironic, rame<
rather than knowing. Overall, it appears sonsewhX T
unresolved: the large void, for example. In many
y
the work seems more like a colored drawing tha» a
painting. Nonerhele: it is a harbinger of futu* *’$'
l.uiguagi.
\ltl ■ „lgll S.
. ,[ i> IIHI, J lO i \ p|or> <h< lihiv.js
ol growth, . h nr,■ • ii' ■ i. ■ In mg .r.,! i. itlungnv s, and oih' i 1 o-.i, mt ilisi
. rr,» thiooghout die
mid-sixties. In mcr< jsinglv cam,- to beliesc that: I hr
sigruln uiee ol in tod.i, u ; i< >r m th, mug-- pro
ducid 1.1 Pop. Op. Surrralnm
but rail,,’ in
the expansion ol media
Fortuitous at this time
th ( 'pp bn ( ’.imp in. u; Kji ,iiij/o. ,.t ■ .Lot in i,.,
rigid | ol.unthan, foim r..id.,bli to a limited num
ber of lo.-.i! .unsts. One of th. i ills bi raIh iirus .>f
this dcci<i, n. Sol. • •> II. > I id 1- ,ng been interested tn
artistic innovation. began investigating the acstlsetk’
;sossibiliti< • of polyun thatrf foam.
Working in poi.uutfi ,r,. invoked conibimrig a
binder and a cat il, st .Much like u ,ot . auung dough
to rtsr th, n .mi mt mixtun ■■■■,-u.i d quick]-, m a ratio
6. Anthonv
whiir-.d •turins'sK. 1%4
�9 Turn, 1966
1(1 C niirlfd Ljudseape, 1967
a
I the painting recalls the opening lines
lildrens stories. Like the protagonists in
tales and allegories, the man must em|uest or journey in order to fulfill his
-cgnant figure.that turns away from the
■s outward into his future seems to epitoal conflict between rhe wandering male
d the domestic female (Penelope). In
g, there is also a quest, but rhe Exis
ts that only by acting-—by employing
eking the unknown—can the essence
into existence. One cannot, in other
I
one must act and experience.
? is a summary and transitional work
Sorce’s preoccupation with narrative
er, its outlook is philosophical rather
t is sincere rather than ironic, earnest
iwmg. Overall, it appears somewhat
large void, for example. In many ways
more like a colored drawing than a
heless it is a harbinger of future fig-
K
ure-ground investigations and a more visual, abstract
language.
Although Sorce continued to explore the themes
of growth, change, emergence, being and nothing
ness, and other Existentialist concerns throughout the
mid-sixties, he increasingly came to believe that: "The
significance of art today is not in the images pro
duced (i.e. Pop, Op, Surrealism, etc.) but rather in
the expansion of media."1’ Fortuitous ar this tune,
the Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo decided to make
rigid polyurethane foam available to a limited num
ber of local artists. One of the early beneficiaries of
this decision, Sorce. who had long been interested in
artistic innovation, began investigating the aesthetic
possibilities of polyurethane foam.
Working in polyurethane involved combining a
binder and a catalyst. .Much like yeast causing dough
to rise, the resultant mixture expanded quickly in a ratio
6. Anthony Sorce, undared statement r. I960.
of 30 to I. Sorci •> i elicit q’cnimiu w itli th' mw
material incorp -r il* J I -ind objci t
.■ it _illt>
it'll' .111.1 du, .which
rl
; . i. .th 1 > , 1.1 and
Pop refercnc.
lie. 9 • 'swl'i. f- ml- ■■■:.■ would
•tr< tdi otdtn tri I’-. Tm , , >t . tram.- md iln-n pour
the puli uii th u,i unto on
,li- :
i rim--. ,V In
worked he cut slits tn the dii io.,, id. r to allow tin
medium to rti. .md swell. I !m . th m.ii'ii.il ..nd
ehan.i became p.utici; c.iti in th, u .iti’.e pioois.
After his mini to R.'.Viiter X< w York, in th« fill of
1967. Suite eontiniH .1 to ■. A. ait io u whi-.r., i. wnh
polyurcthani. (
Itt picjl of the
extruded form 11 or relut-. • ij; live of gardens
or contained landslip, ■, he ctc.itcd during the Lite
1960s Fig. Ilf.
With pohur.-thanc Sorce found a mau n J through
which he could express hi- underlying conient m in
abstract and visual way. In a 1972 letter h< ohset ■■■ .1
Aesthetically and philosophically I ana concerned
with the Existentialist'' notion of emergence. th<
continual process of cominc into Ix-tng th« dvnami.
�Vfwi.Vwr-- Urt*. !X*»
i I S&uJ Cay Merk. 1969
MU
■ ' 14
12 Alpl'ribets, 1969
£
-■
• -
I li
pnvji.
private. .or...ptual
m.1 . [’belli, rd vi.irkv
flux of life—the painful and rewarding course of
veloped in several dire. Hous siniult m< >
growth and creation."' The material—with its inter
tore incorporating ek-mi-nts of c.mc. piti.il and p. r
were created during i p. ri> ■.! of gtr u .... ul .hjngc
twined swellings and depressions, its anatomical,
formance art. ironv. found obji etc, and m homage to
Although intended is i.onpdrti- il. arsthrlir nwrvti-
sexual, and fecund forms—perfectly expressed his
Marcel I )uchamp‘s sign, J nt m il. Soic.
g.ition
themes of growth, emergence, and becoming. Like
block
f ig. If . Ill. .S/ctad fit
/
k. In a c*.
:
d a . it-
>•. bounded l>v
in rctr. •: < . t tiw. app. at to this wnirr to
ask pointed <|U< st ion, u h as AV 1*> own, ihr earth?"
Sorer
a number *4 cMthwtnrk* th#
nt-'-tr
I ik a 14 X 15. T Ivm- prc).:C!»
it pre ' 'iicrl hi* «Mii n,(Ut js in [h«
ri»»ntr i Inion J mute rial* to
hnmrfH nf
»'•. uc
work* h* nontr idrtitinj] Mir*.
w; ti
well at an
the large Seurat in the Art Institute, these works ex
Wooster. Prince. Grand, and < liven. >tre. is m Sop. •
•it i iinn when th. L nited Nat.
press a moment frozen in time. Moreover, polvure-
was created on Mav 25. 1969. j. p in of a group
ill Southeast Asia. I
thane represented a new material for a new time. Like
project called ''Streetworks III. In other works, such
Iiousn. ss ind untie st ei.Iio.m.'niariarusm sharacterts-
many others—the Abstract Expressionists had used
as Alphabets, 1969, he used twigs md th. it cast shad
ttc of th. I'ttuls ( on-idering how CommrrriaJ the
Duco paint, the Dadaists found objects—Sorce was
ows to create an alphabet by the seashore 1 ig. 12 .
irt worl.f b,.. !•. omc .t is hird to recall that mam*
publication >f R mIw! 4 arson',
intent upon employing the industrial products of his
The sparse linear quality of these pieces, which w.i.
artists n. tiw 19611s active!-, rejected rhe feushntic.
continued with the back-toths laris! inisriwiM and
time. Sorce's commitment to truth in materials, along
promptly destroyed by the elements, recalls 1 Inry
commodity aspect of art. Some artists refuted tos-a.-w
culminated in live first Earth Day in April 1970
with a desire to escape the constriction of the frame,
Callahan's minimal photographs of wild flowers,
in galleries and museums while others created hap-
were to become characteristic of his later work.
weeds, and sticks against a white ground
'sorce has
penmgs and other transitory, nonsalat-le works <d art
*. a.tnrly at war
-. il-o reflect a genet d rdel
n< •»' <4 «nIn *
i;>: •
«. Mi-i« I H*
• IXnms
jOpixfilw: Jin *»r Hvlx-rt SnwfiiMXk Fix » • .• srk-. 4xsulJ
I
unJrixnx-jd in chr contra <4 mi inert aung
of eeobofteti N*uet that began »tth the
In 1969 Sorce began a senes
to.ms 1
Fig 16
fyo”*
1X2
:i
Mier form1: g 'be shapes he
The polyurethane foam experimental reliefs led to
described his Alphabet work as "draw ing w uh the . la
Still others emplir.ed noutraditiorul and unpemunnM
W.-uld mt into the polyurethane to reveal the tvn
a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1968. which enabled
ments and capturing the result with a camera." Oth. r
jewel-like inner cellular uriacturr and colors
him to move to New York City. Responding to the
materials Sorces use of sand and mu. for eian^ar ’*
seaside works included Signed Atlantis ( >.<a.i. which in
displayed their works in anommou* eththrtw*
;*culy>tors then working >n nonrradtfionai materials
vitality' of the New York art scene, Sorce’s work de
volved the ocean’s participation in both their creation
stres-.ing the art rather than rhe cult of penutubty.
'included Louise Bourgeois, l.vj Ftrsre. Louise
and their destruction • Fig. 13.1 hi se works reflected
or guerrilla theater manifestations from the
tiorurv War to the Viet Cone guerrilla ta.'tx'' ha*
Sorce’s awareness of. and admiration for. Rauschen
7. Anthony Sorce. letter dared May 19. 1972.
14
berg’s Erased de Ktvnmg Drawing. 1953.
been an effective means of fighting unpertaltS"
iVK-'
Ni-irlson. jtxl R ichard Stankiewicz. The naw* isthn
Totems evoked both ancient monuments such as
Stonehenge as well as tlse vcriicdit j of tbr NewYwrk
�13
i-r
15 S
i1..'.:.. I ‘V
.?•:)■.■. mro
5
1 °70
i. ST
Lhese private, conceptual, and ephemeral c rks
e created during a period of great social change,
hough intended as nonpolitical, aesthetic investions, in retrospect thev appear, to this writer to
pointed questions such as “Who owns the earth?
time when the United States v.ss active!-. at war
I
|
southeast Asia. Thev also reflect a general relzelsness and antiestablishmentarranism characterisaf the 1960s. Considering how commercial the
world has become, it is hard to recall that man;,
its in the 1960s actively rejected the ferishistic
iditv aspect of art. Some
Seme artists refused to show 11
modify
allenes and museums, while others created hap- j
ngs and other transitory, nonsalable vc. >rks of art.
others employed nontraditional and imp rm.anent
■rials 'force’s use of sand and sun for example or
■
laved their works in anonymous exhibitions
■
ssing the art rather than the cult of personality
I
icrnlla theater manifestations from the Revolu|
iryWarto the Viet Cong, guerrilla tactics hast
■
an effective means of fighting imperialism
Scree also designed a number of earthworks that
-z ere never executed Figs. 14 & 15"|. These projects
represented his own interests in the employment of
nontradiricnal materials to create nontraditional
?-ks for nontraditional sites, as well as an aware
ness of ether artists, such as Michael Heizer, Dennis
Oppenheim. or Robert Smithson. These works should
also be understood in the context of an increasing
awareness of ecological issues that began with the
publication of Rachel Garson’s Silent Spring (1962),
continued 7.1th the 1 ack-to-the-land movement, and
culminated in rhe first Earth Day in April 1970.
In I ->'■ > - rL-,. Regan a series of rigid polyurethane
foam 7.:;- :: Jig. 16 . After farming the shapes, he
■.■.wild cut into the polyurethane to reveal the very
jev -.I-like inner cellular iructure and colors. (Other
sculptors
• ns then
th'C. working
’working m
in non
nontraditional materials
included Louise Bourgeon . Eva Hesse. Louise
Is'ev. Liand R icliard Stankn wicz. I lie monolithic
Totems • v< red both am imt monuments sinh as
Stonehenge a . .1.11 as till .etnc.ilily ol the New fork
skyline. Unlike the former, however, the Totems rep
resent the opposite of permanence. Over time, sun
light has broken down their chemical structure. This
self-destructive quality, however, now seems to be a
part of their meaning: they have become metaphors
of the cycle of birth and decay, .in industrial me
mento mon. Ephemeral, like the conceptual ocean
pieces, thev reflect the values of a civilization that no
longer believes in permanence.
Shown in 1970 at the Jewish Museum and subse
quently at the Wichita Art Museum, the Totems re
ceived mixed critic.il response.' Gordon Brow n found
reason to both praise and condemn the work. ' > >ic«
works with both intense and muted colors which he
shapes and hacks at . . . producing a perfect realiza
tion of Abstract Expressionism in sculpture. 1 here
is no denying that this is an original idea and th it
one senses strongh the actions he performed io ereS. In conjunoion with itsrev'vl'itw:!. iIkAViJv'v Xri Masetnn commissioned Sorce to create a pan of Ltcnu
15
�I7H.
16 Tctem. 1969
ate the work, which gives it a living quality.”1’ But
Brown had problems with the material itself: "I hon
estly believe that his sculpture has an ugly shine to
it.”1'1 So did Hilton Kramer, who wrote that "Mr.
Sorce’s sculpture is something of a puzzlement. He
shapes polyurethane foam into fat columnar forms
that have all the appearance of giant ceramics. I find it
odd that so much technical finesse should be invested
in making one material resemble another when there is
so little discernible esthetic advantage in the process."11
Sorce. on the other hand, felt that the critics had
misunderstood his Totems by failing to differentiate
the surface qualities of polyurethane cellular struc
tures from those of other, more traditional materials.
9. G. B. Gordon Brown , "Beautiful Painting and Sculp
ture,” Arts Magazine 'April 1970.: 55.
10. Ibid.
11. Hilton Kramer. "Variety Marks 3 I:•Jiibilinn-. at the
Jewish Museum." 7h Ara K’d l::iu> March IM, 197(1 : 40.
16
In 1972, Sorce created a number of polyure
thane sculptures in the courtyard of the Hudson
River Museum. Here the installation stressed the
interactive nature of the work. Viewers were en
couraged to move the lightweight pieces around,
to construct their own nonstatic environment, to
embrace chance and randomness, and thereby to
break down the barrier between the object and
themselves i a concept explored earlier in < )»<y L pen
a Life). This participatory approach, this desire to
extend boundaries, and this emphasis on open
forms are also found in his assemblages recall
Dobyns’s observation) and later in his poh urethane
poured pieces. Finally, in encouraging the viewer
to assume an active role in the art, this installation
implicitly, if nor explicitly, promoted the concept
dium. 1 hese experiments led to shaped works and
Open 1 orm "antiground’ paintings such as I rtitle.! 5rirr.ro;, 1972 ( olor Plan A . In ihesc worfw.
Sorce employed a wide variety of tccli.n.iu.••. in
cluding gestural brushstrokes and scumbird Inrrs
of paint, to appb. polychrome acrylic pigment'
onto transparent polyethylene shuts. When dr.
he peeled oft the thin, flexible layers of paint Mm.
which he then cut into different shapes Overlap
ping. folding, and cutting the fine livers of pure
color, he created painted collages. Typically he
would expose prior layer' of paint film and thereby
produce an actual, rather than illusionistic. depth.
Since the layers were primarily opaque rather than
of questioning authority, which was a w idelv held
belief at the time.
After the Totems, Sorce continued to investi
gate the aesthetic properties of polyurethane, but
now as a painting, rather than a sculptural, me-
the work was laminated onto the wooden support
using rhoplex. The construction or these Op**1
transparent, they served to rrinforci thr sculptural,
low relief quality of the work. When o'lnpUte.
Form paintings, therefore involved tw> d»<tiact
processes: I the painting stage and 2 the s’1®
posing stage. The separation was more tnan om
ph one of process;
represented Sorce’s assault
thr traditional iwav of making a painting m
on the
which the two step*
steps are closely mierrrlated.
Having n<> predeteimined ground, the image
'formed its ow n ground organically creating a umr.
of image and form According to Sorer hr* intent
• >' to unify figure and ground and thereby con
tinue th' advancement of modern art: T he Im
pressionists broke up color, ihe Cubists broke up
form, the early abstract painters fWasaih
Kandinsky. Kasimir .Malevich, and Piel Mondrian'
eliminated subject matter I eliminated ground cun'iderations Sorce s desire to further artistic
progres' continues i tradition that I. H i wimbrich
explored well in his classic. 1952 tssav, "The
Renaissance Conception of Artistic Progress and
its Consequences." republished .n !Km an f.'or.
StuLe; in the Art . ' thr Jfrnaojan., 19ri(> . Thio, m
sums ways. Sorce is an exemplar of Modernism s
•b-evsion with the new. even at a time when the
Concept of the vanguard itself was increasingly
C0!1
IS <
Sha
1
the
WOT
rrh
fen
the
uf
Mu
orb
I
Shr
W
19*
�17 1umma Scnrs I'll!, 1980
ese experiments led to shaped works and
ply one of process; it represented Sorcc’s assault
coming into question by critics and authors such
Rockbiimc or I rank Stella, were also explnruiy -b u • I
paintings such as L'n-
on the traditional way of making a painting in
as George Kubler, Hilton Kramer, and Roger
canvases. Sorcc’s method of painting was quite dif
which the two steps are closely’ interrelated.
Shattuck.12
rm "antiground
-ce. 1972 Color Plate 6). In these works,
ployed a wide variety of techniques, in-
Having no predetermined ground, the image
Throughout the 1970s and '80s Sorce explored
ferent. Rather than creating objects, in w.is num in
terested in deconstructing or breaking down the idea
formed its own ground organically creating a unity’
the possibilities of film painting. As he did so the
of making a painting. In breaking dow n closed barri
of image and form. According to Sorce his intent
work changed from organic to geometric to paint
ers. Sorces open, "antiform'’ painting-, demalcnd-
sparent polyethylene sheets. When dry,
was to unify figure and ground and thereby con
erly. His palette went from bright colors, organic
ized the object and shared iffinities with others in
off the thin, flexible layers of paint film,
tinue the advancement of modern art: “The Im
forms and irregular shapes, as in Untitled (Scherzo , to
volved in process art.' I h's lint of development cul
estural brushstrokes and scumbled layers
to apply polychrome acrylic pigments
_
then cut into different shapes. Overlap-
pressionists broke up color, the Cubists broke up
the monochromatic palette and geometric structure
minated when Sorce reintroduced color and a pimt-
ling, and cutting the fine layers of pure
created painted collages. Typically’ he
I form, the early abstract painters (Wassily
of polygonal shaped works like The Speed Art
erlv, e.xprcssiomstic approach in works such a- Tu
Kandinsky, Kasimir Malevich, and Piet Mondrian)
Museums Untitled, 1977 [Color Plate 71. Although
niina.Sems 17//. 1980, and Matin:, 19ft I. ... J,3C1i r< pre
ose prior layers of paint film and thereby
eliminated subject matter. I eliminated ground con
other artists, including Elizabeth Murray, Dorothea
sents the end of the polygonal paintings 1 i_-. I 7".... I
n actual, rather than illusiomstic, depth,
siderations.” Sorcc’s desire to further artistic
layers were primarily opaque, rather than
progress continues a tradition that E. H. Gombrich
it, they served to reinforce the sculptural,
has explored well in his classic, 1952 essay, “The
quality of rhe work. When complete,
[ Renaissance Conception of Artistic Progress and
vas laminated onto the wooden support
its Consequences,” (republished in ,\orm and Form:
(. olor Plate 8 . Thereafter, in works like \;eii II
12. Sec for example George Rubier. The Shape of Tune Re
marks on the History of Things New I favcn’.Yale I’iiiwr.it>. Pre
1962); Hilton Kramer. "The Age of rhe Avant-Garde." Th
Age of the Avant-Garde: An Art Chronick of
. New
plex. The construction of these Open
■ Studies in the Art of the Renaissance, 1966;. Thus, in
York: Farrar. Straus and Giroux, 1973'. 3-19; Roger
itings, therefore, involved two distinct
j: some wavs.
ways, Sorce is an exemplar of Modernism’s
Shattuck. "The Demon of Originality.” The Innocent L:e. On
Modern I ueratiire and the Arts. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux,
' I; the painting stage and > 2, the com
ge. The separation was more than sim
B obsession with the new, even at a time when the
B concept of the vanguard itself was increasingly
1983. he returned to a rectangular cam,r- which served
as the support for his “collaged” acnlv Flu.-. C T .r
I9«4 ;, 62-81.
13. Robert Morns. one of I' t -ll,..;,-,- of N1 mm,<loni
wrote an influenlui wrick "A’lti-I
''
'. - .
1968 : 30—33. that qc, ..t:,?n, d -ia-. of die »wmpn<iiH of
that acsth, tic.
r
�>
Plate 9], Curiously, his work now developed in the op
posite direction from the earlier polygonal paintings; that
is to say, die paintings increasingly become less expressionistic and more reductive as seen in Untitled (AVS/
Glowing Presence), 1989—92 [Color Plate 10].
In many areas the end of the 1980s saw a general
mood of downsizing, a retreat from the exuberances
and excesses of the decade. Responding to the re
trenchment on Wall Street, the art market collapsed,
especial!}' in the contemporary area. In the 1990s,
Sorce's works have undergone a dramatic shift in scale
and technique. Seeking a more intimate engagement
with the viewer, he began working exclusively on pa
per. at first mounting paint film on paper and then
working directly on the paper itself. He also began to
experiment with a proprietary product called Acryla
Weave as his support.
In the Schema Series, he reverted to a more geo
metric, even constructivist aesthetic [Color Plates 11.
12, & 131. In the following year, 1995, he eliminated
color altogether and substituted dramatic light-dark
IM
tenebrism, and mystery in the works from the < .ara
vaggio Suite. The mystery is heightened by uncer
tainty: arc these photographs or paintings? And what
do they portray? Some like Double Circles seem to docu
ment a documentation of an ancient eclipse I olor
Plate I5j. Others like Impost and Spring suggest archi
tectural ruins [Color Plate 17;. Still others like Di
agonal suggest everything from lunar vehicle tracks to
the incised marks associated with Neolithic cave
paintings [Color Plate 16j. Overall, however, thet
appear like nineteenth-century records oi the arti
facts from some remote and long gone cult tire, whose
meaning or function is now indecipherable.
After the restraint of the Caravaggio Series, Sorce's
work has undergone an explosion of color ; Color
Plate I9j. Using glazing techniques, hatching, and
scumbling, while manipulating the surface with inci
sions and scratches, he has produced small atmo
spheric, even Tonalist, paintings which glow like fine
polished leather. In fact the surfaces appear to have
the waxy quality and depth of color associated with
encaustics. What might appear, m ...
a flat area of color is a.jualk iruh I iiuiim anul- I
gam.mon of hues. More t o nih. in works such M I
Siam tn Due 1, 1996-97, Sorce has taker
mg in wet paint < olor Plan 21
As Anthony Sorce's art ha- evolved. u continuer I
to be characterized by progress and inrr
It i
recent statement, Sorce observed ti
to niaking art is formali'ttc: i.
the formal elements of art
1 li- :- an nt of tmrn- 1
tiveness, of exploration. In hi- mitun work hr iscov-1
cerned primarilv with matinal- i.sthitic question*. 3
color and light. Nonetheless, his art never becomes I
sterile or academic because process and discovery jrr '
for him an Existential metaphor of eternal breons-1
mg, a studs in possibilities. Ju-.t r> the human condi* |
tion is not static, but always evoking mJ cn>
so has his focus on process
process become
become sy
svnonymou*
num dkmis *uh j
his content.
14. Anthony S >rcv. ktier .IkcJ Jan :ir. 1 & *
�Iht appear, in a reproduction, as
■ actually a rich, luminous amal■orc recently, in works such as
1-9?', Sorcc has taken to “drawllor Plate 211.
Is art has evolved, it continues
I’ progress and innovation. In a
re observed that his “approach
lalistic; i.e., a concentration on
If art.”1’ His is an art of mvenn. In his mature work he is conmaterials, aesthetic questions,
:theless, his art never becomes
tause process and discovery are
I metaphor of eternal becomlities. Just as the human condialways evolving and changing,
cess become synonymous with
Iter dated January I d. 1996.
ANTHONY SORCE’S RECENT WORK
John Yau
�~W" n the early 1990s, Anthony Sorce, who had
1 become dissatisfied with the large scale of
J- his geometric works [Color Plates 7—10], shifted
his focus to a more intimate scale. One suspects that the
change was precipitated not only by Sorce’s dissatisfac
tion with the scale of his own works, which since the
mid 1960s had often been both physically large and
materially insistent, but by his intention to separate
his work from the material excesses of much of the art
made in the 1980s. As in his earlier work, Sorce's change
in scale necessitated the use of different materials and
procedures. It wasn't simply that he was going to make
his work smaller but that he was determined to rein
vent his whole approach to making art. During this
period of reconsideration, while working largely on
paper, Sorce discovered a durable paper. Acryla Weave,
which enabled him to redefine his process, particu
larly as it involved the way he applied the paint.
Acryla Weave is a hybrid material that combines
characteristics associated with the more traditional
materials of paper and canvas; it is relatively smooth
and yet extremely durable. Its surface can both sup
port acrylic paint and be continually reworked and
even scratched and incised. As an artist interested
in both painting and sculpture since he was a stu
dent at Notre Dame, Sorce found thar Acrvl.i Weave
enabled him to use various methods to apply and
subtract paint, thus developing a physically engag
ing process. One of the recurring aspects of Sorce s
career is his commitment to developing a physi
cally engaged way of making art which is open to
chance. As when he poured polyurethane in the
[Color Plate 5 and painted, peeled, and assembled
films of acrylic paint in the '70s and '80s ( oh >r Pi ties
6—I0J. Sorce wants to be simultaneoush involved and
removed. In this regard, one can say that Sore.A pro
cesses have something to do with Abstract Expres
sionism. particularly as it extends out of Pollock's pour
ing of paint, as well as utilizing asp. cts associated with
conceptual an.
21
�J
One of Sorce’s reasons for changing his methods
around this time may have been the feeling that he
was no longer discovering something by using a meth
odology that had preoccupied him for nearly two
decades and that he had exhausted its possibilities.
Drawing, he may have believed, would inevitably lead
into an area that would enable him to make discover
ies, as well as consider what avenues he might wish to
explore. In this regard, he was clearing the decks and
starting over.
The works of the past five years are intimate in
scale and, like his earlier works, hybrid in form. Al
though they are done on Acryla Weave, which is tech
nically a kind of paper, they should be considered as
paintings rather than as drawings. Whereas in the
geometric paintings Sorce layered different films of
paint together, in the recent works he layers, abuts,
scratches, and scrapes away areas of color, which is a
combination of acrylic gel and dry pigment.The pro
cess is one of addition, juxtaposition, and subtrac-
tion, and thus significantly different from the pro
cesses he had previously developed, all of which were
largely additive.
The other significant difference between the work
of the past half-decade and what preceded it is Sorce s
evident interest in light and its relationship to color.
In both the Caravaggio Suite grisaille paintings
[Color Plates 14-17] and those using color [Color
Plates 18—20] the viewer senses that a dense rich
light is suffusing throughout the composition. Here,
the analogy the viewer is tempted to make is to light
as an immanent presence, as a moment of spiritual
realization. And yet, while the temptation is inevi
table, such readings must also take into account the
process of layering Sorce uses, as well as the linear
scratches, divisions, and forms that have been made
in the surface.
The paintings of the last five years can largely
be said to belong to one of three groups. In the
grisaille paintings, Sorce uses a palette knife and
other flat edges to apply the paint medium to rhe
Acryla Weave after he has deliberately placid van
ous silhouettes beneath it. 1 his method of intoaction between paint and altered surface can !■•
seen as extending Max Ernst's use of frott igr tu
arrive at an image. In Sorce’s work, the paint regis
ters the flat object below, thus causing a destabi
lized, silhouetted image to appear. I he imager
destabilized because it is difficult to calculate actly where it ends and the ground begins. \\ hiii
rhe image is usually geometric, it neither sepant ■
from nor is subsumed by the ground. From a iistance, it is as if one were looking at the scratche
negative of an aerial photograph of a distant pit—
Consequently, one can't tell if it is a man-made imK
or a natural terrain or both. It is only when one
closer to the painting that one realizes that it is ■
photograph but a painting. The result r diw —
ing and causes one to question how on
whether something is a painting or not.
22
...
111 painting- lil.i I
I • ' < ,1 /1 . .- •<>r. • ,i hi ,h
Snrci h>« usis. >n lie mt<> i<J Hi* ■■ liipi.t light ni.f. .'
In uses a pal< u<- knifi and appli'. .tin p unt in much
same manner .is he d<» » in the gir alii w..rks '
Plates 18 & 201. IIw Jiff.;. 11. ■ : ti..a rs aj'piles trans
parent films <>l color and then -.tip. •. pirt of th m
away. I his c.ur i - the n inainm; 1i i_■ ■ • >1 olea m
come i ven mon .iimosphiiic. live r nil is a d< -i.ihili/cvl plain MT.hip between ligun and ground solidm
and atmosphere. Images app.at
hovt-r within .mJ
beneath other images. One r reminded of blurred
photographs, as well as dramatic bndsc ipcs.
In SnuiK in Due I or '
tri:.... th. thn 1 :: > i] .
Sorce both applies thicker lav< rs of color and usecolor to divide the conip out ion into dot in. t geo
metric areas Color Plates 21 6 22 . Hi then
scratches lines into the surface. Causing the color
beneath to show through. Rpicallv, the lines are
rough and awkward t>-.- .
• tmee -if
the paint to the instrument - edg. Of t: . rhr •.
g
f
O
I
a
P
d
fi
c
b
d
�i
to apply the paint medium to the
ter he has deliberately placed varibeneath it. This method of inter
In paintings like Evening Light or Encounter, in which
Sorce focuses on the interrelationship of light and color,
he uses a palette knife and applies die paint in much the
paint and altered surface can be
ig Max Ernst’s use of frottage to
e. In Sorce’s work, the paint regis
same manner as he does in the grisaille works [Color
Plates 18 & 20]. The difference is that he applies trans
parent films of color and then scrapes part of them
away. This causes the remaining traces of color to be
ter below, thus causing a dcstabid image to appear. The image is
ause it is difficult to calculate ex-
ds and the ground begins. While
illy geometric, it neither separates
umed by the ground. From a dis
one were looking at the scratched
ial photograph of a distant planet,
e can’t tell if it is a man-made image
i or both. It is only when one moves
ring that one realizes that it is not a
i painting. The result is disorient|ne to question how one identifies
pg is a painting or not.
come even more atmospheric. The result is a destabi
lized relationship between figure and ground, solidity
and atmosphere. Images appear to hover within and
beneath other images. One is reminded of blurred
photographs, as well as dramatic landscapes.
In Siarno in Due I or Offspring, the third group,
Sorce both applies thicker layers of color and uses
color to divide the composition into distinct geo
metric areas [Color Plates 21 & 22]. He then
scratches lines into the surface, causing rhe color
beneath to show through. Typically, the lines arc
rough and awkward because of the resistance of
the paint to the instrument’s edge. Of the three
groups, it is this group in which the surface is most
physically insistent.
It seems evident that Sorce is after the most diffi
cult unit)' to achieve, the synthesis of the material
(layers of paint) and the spiritual (the presence of
everlasting light). The degree to which we feel he is
successful depends on our orientation toward spiritual
matters and questions such thinking inevitably raises.
Is light everlasting or is it another material in a world
of things? Sorce’s work seems not to settle into either
perceptual category, but rather to address both at the
same time. To Sorce’s credit, he doesn’t try to make us
sec the work in a narrow, didactic way. Consequently, we
sense the artist’s own faith in us as viewers.
Since Sorce began working with polyurethane in
the late 1960s, he has followed an unpredictable and
fruitful course. His commitment to process, how
ever, is not something we should take for granted,
because, in fact, few artists ever live up to the stan
dards of such a demanding ideal. His incorporation
of new techniques and materials has always been di
rected toward what might be discovered rather than
what could be made of them.
Sorce’s recent processes have led him to make paint
ings that seem to be photographs, though not in the
usual sense in which we use that word. His "photo
graphs'’ not only evoke the various worlds that exist
beyond what we can see under natural conditions but
also underscore the various devices we use to enhance
both looking and our memory of looking. His paint
ings convey the limitedness of our sight by evoking
what might exist beyond, within, and beneath what
we look at ever)- day. Finally, Sorce is an artist whose
concern with materials has never led him to celebrate
materiality. In this regard, he has remained faithful
to the possibility that art can have a spiritual pres
ence in the viewer's life, can evoke something we might
not otherwise see. And in doing so, Sorce’s art is able
to bring us to a moment of wonderment that all too
often we have ignored or rejected.
�I
Drawingfcr The City, 1964
ink on paper
7 x 5'/.
2
Drawing for The City, 1964
ink on paper
7 x 5'/:
�I
I
V
�3
()n:e I pn a Lift. 1’9 A 5
acnhc on canvas
72 ;; 14 I
��•t'-t-0-/0, b\,5
assemblage
53 \ SO \ 16
��H
i.
5
Emergence, J 969
painted rigid polyurethane
70x70
I
I
����1
■
1
Unlilkd. 1977
acrylic on board
49 x 82
Collection of The Speed Art Miluseum, Louisville, Kentucky
��8
Matins, 1981
rliople.x on wood
61 x 74
��J
!
F
I
9
\ ' //.•; . r\s;
ik’pk'i <>:i c;.iv
SO x (>Q
��.
10
L ntitW 11 5,
rhoplex on canvas
90 x CO
��II
Schema, Orange 1994, 1994
acrylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
24 x 18
12
Schema, Blue 1994, 1994
acrylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
24 x 18
13
Schema, Red 1994, 1994
acrylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
24 x 18
�������I
I
�tn:cunkr, 1995
. "r.Ii.icrdic •7'1. dry pigment on Acryh Weave
7-Z. x 7/,
���w■
1
I
yI
'■
a.
VUvf
.1
<■
f
I
i
.' • l
;
'■ -n
jil
•'
�(
i
(
I
i
I
22
Offspring, 1996—97
acrylic, acrylic gel. dry pigment on paper board
11x8
��I
�'•
II
■
r1
! M
)
I
�Prelude II, 1997
j(p/^1C
^r.v P,£rnenf °n p.»p»r
���I
I
�L.
•- I.
Ever rm, 1997
acrylic, acrylic gel, dry pigment
9x 12
��I '>', l
1994
acrylic gel. dry pigment on Acryla We.n«
Sehetna,
24 x 1H
Metaphor, Caravaggio Suite /99t
1995
acrylic gel, dry pigment on Acryl i \V«- iv<
9>/ x 7*/.
Private ('ollection
Double Circles, (Caravaggio Suite I'J'D
1995
acrylic gel, dry pigment on
i Ac ryl i \V<
9/,'x 7‘Z
I In* Maslow < .ollcction
Diagonal, (Caravaggio Suite /99S
1995
acrylic gel, dry pigment (on Airy la \\ eave
9/. x 7‘Z
"The Maslow Collection
Impost and Spring, (Caravaggio Suite 197 5
1995
acrylic gel, dry- pigment on Act-,1a Wi o
9/i x 7</2
rite Maslow Collection
F-vening Light
1995
acry<ic gel. dr,
■} pigment on Aery Li \\\ ,i\ i
n/.x«z '
Courtesy of J,
[•>.«n Prats Galien New York < its
�Schema, Red 1994
Landscape, Summer 1995
1994
acrylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
1995
24x18
acrylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
8%x II/,
Private Collection
Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Metaphor, Caravaggio Suite 1995
Kergil’s Melody
1997
1995
aaylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
Encounter
acrylic, acrylic gel, dry pigment on paper
8/4x Il'/a
1995
Private Collection
91/? x 7'/r
acrylic, acrylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
7'/4 x 7/4
Private Collection
Private Collection
Double Circles, Caravaggio Suite 1995
t
lO/txS'/z
Courtesy ofj<[oan Prats Gallery, New York City'
1995
Siamo in Due I
aaylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
9^x7‘/2
1996-97
acrylic, acrylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
The Maslow Collection
10x8
Collection of Jennifer and Steven Holtzman.
Diagonal, Caravaggio Suite 1995
New York City
Pour Soi
1997-98
acrylic, acrylic gel, dry pigment on paper
9x 12
1995
acrylic gel, dry' pigment on Acryla Weave
%xl/2
nee)
'1
The Maslow Collection
Impost and Spring, Caravaggio Suite 1995
Offspring
1996-97
acrylic, acrylic gel, dry pigment on paper board
II x8
Collection of Gerald Himmel, Chicago
1995
acrylic gel, dry’ pigment on Acry’la Weave
9/4 x 7/2
Lcryla Weave
The Maslow Collection
Evening Light
Transposition
1996-97
acrylic, acrylic gel, dry pigment on paper
.cryla Weave
Courtesy of J<
[oan Prats Gallery', New York City
Three important paintings shown in this catalogue could not
15 x 10/4
,
v ,
Courtesy ofjoan Prats Gallery, New York City'
be included in the exhibiton:
Prelude II
Color Plate 9, Collection of David and Linda Moscow, C hicago
Color Plate 24, Courtesy ofjoan Prats Gallery. New York City
1995
acrylic gel, dry pigment on Acryla Weave
I l /r x s yi
A Note on the Illustrations
1997
acrylic, acrylic gel, dry p.gmenr on paper
Color Plate 27. Courtesy of Joan Prats Gallen. New York City
65
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AWARDS/FELLOWSHIPS
1997
r
Faculty Research Award for Painting. I hi- Ri
i
!:>
ir.li
>
1996
ANTHONY SORCE
EDUCATION
Born: 1937
1965
Resides: New York City
Study tour Italy and France
Faculty Research Award for Painting. I hi KiH.ir.ii
Foundation of 1 he (aty University of New \ork
1975
t
Faculty Research Award for Painting. I bi Rcscardi
1962
Foundation of I he State University of New 1 ork
>i
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame. Indiana: M.F.A.
I
1974
1961
University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame. Indiana; B.F.A.
["acuity Research Award for Painting. I h< P< search
<
foundation of 1 he City University of New York
I
John Simon Guggenheim Fe llowship
1957
1968
American Academy of Art, Chicago; Diploma
I
1964
I
1 rances Award, South Bend Art Center. South Ht rnl
Indiana
I
1961
I
Purchase Prize. Chicago Union League Art Exhibit.
Chicago
f
r
66
1
Foundation of I he < aty I Iniveistty of New York
I
�awards/fellowships
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1997
1998
Faculty Research Award for Painting, The Research
Lance Fung Gallery’, New York City
Foundarion of The City University of New York
Joan Prats Gallery, New York City
1996
Sordoni Art Gallery, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre,
1970
Pennsylvania
Jewish Museum, New York City
Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas
Faculty Research Award for Painting, The Research
Foundation of The City University of New York
1996
Howard Scott/M-I3 Gallery (Project Room),
and France
1975
New York City
otre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana; M.F.A.
1986
Faculty Research Award for Painting, The Research
Foundation of The City University of New York
1968
■my of Art. Chicago; Diploma
Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, Michigan
O. K. Harris Works of Art, New York City
1965
1974
otre Dame. Notre Dame, Indiana: B.F.A.
1968
Nazareth College of Rochester, Rochester, New York
1966
Faculty Research Award for Painting, The Research
Foundation of The State University of New York
1977
O. K. Harris Works of Art, New York City
John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship
1964
Frances Award, South Bend Art Center, South Bend,
Indiana
1961
Purchase Prize, Chicago Union League Art Exhibit,
Chicago
1984
O. K. Harris Works of Art, New York City
1982
O. K. Harris Works of Art, New York City
1981
Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan
1964
Battle Creek Art Center, Battle Creek, Michigan
Institute de Cultura Hispanica, Madrid. Spain
Nazareth College, Nazareth. Michigan
South Bend Art Center, South Bend. Indiana
The Gallery, Kalamazoo, Michigan
O. K. Harris West, Scottsdale, Arizona
1963
1980
Western Michigan University. Kalamazoo. Michigan
O. K. Harris Works of Art, New York City
I960
1979
o. K. Harris Works of Art, New York City
Artist Guild of Chicago, C hicago
Liberty ville Art Center. Libertyville. Illinois
<C
�I
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1997
1985
Intimate Universe (Revisited;, James Howe Fine Arts
First Contemporary Art Expo Tokyo, Isetan Gallery,
Critic's Choice, Mississippi Museum of Art,
Gallery, Kean University. Union, New Jersey’
Intimate Universe (Revisited . Robert Steele Gallery’,
Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Jackson, Mississippi
New York City’
1995
1983
1977
Art Today, Ward Gallery, Rochester, New York
Art on Paper, Weatherspoon Art Gallery, University of
O. K. Harris Artists, Zone Art Gallery,
North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina
O. K. Harris Gallery Artists, Root Art Gallery’, Hamilton
1982
College, Clinton, New York
O. K. Harris Gallery Artists, Slippery' Rock College Art
1994
Art in the Marker Place, Sawhill Gallery, James Madison
Museum, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
To Enchant (Blue;. Cynthia McCallister and Bixler Gallery,
University', Harrisonburg, Virginia
New York City
Contemporary American Paintings, Myers Fine Arts
Gallery', State University College, Plattsburgh, New York
1989
Artists of the 80's: Selected Works from the Maslow
O. K. Harris Show, Newark College of Engineering.
(
1
Springfield, Massachusetts
Fifty- Works, .AHI Gallery. New York City
Small Paintings, O’Hara Gallery, New York City'
1970
1979-80
Newark, New Jersey
Second Flint Invitational, Flint Institute of Art.
Flint, Michigan
1969
Ivan Karp Presents, Visual Arts Gallery. New 'l ork (a
t
1967
New Acquisitions, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
1976
Contemporary' Reflections 1975—76, .Aldrich Museum of
1965
Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, Connecticut
Alumni Exhibition, University of Notre I Jam-..
South Bend, Indiana
1981
Collection. Sordoni Art Gallen-, Wilkes College,
New York Galleries Showcase, Oklahoma Museum of Art,
1972
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Sculptures for N. Howe Participation Piece/20th Century
Sculpture Exhibition, Hudson River Museum,
1980
Michiana Biennial Exhibition, South Bend Art Centei
1986
Yonkers, New York
South Bend, Indiana
The Artists of O. K. Harris, Helander Gallery,
Illusionism, O. K. Harris West, Scottsdale, Arizona
Summer Graphic Show, Katona Art Museum, Katona.
Michigan Painters and Printmakers, Grand Rapids A
Palm Beach, Honda
Inauguration Exhibition, The Snite Museum of Art,
New York
Museum. Grand Rapids. Michigan
University' of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana
Young Printmakers, Pace Graphics, New York City
New York Artist, Members Gallery, Albright-Knox Art
Gallery, Buffalo, New York
1971
68
r
Area Exhibition. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
1964-65
i itic s Choice, University of Michigan.
Ten Artists, Wesrbcth Galleries, New York City
Wcstbcth Artists, Westby Gallery, Glassboro State t ollcge,
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Glassboro, New Jersey
American Interiors,
Intern
Flushing, New York
New A ork s World Fair: Michigan Room. Pavilion *
�?pi Museum of Art,
1970
1964
0. K. Harris Show. Newark College of Engineering,
Area Exhibition, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts,
Newark, New Jersey
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Second Flint Invitational. Flint Institute of Art,
First National Print Exhibit, Western Michigan University,
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Flinn Michigan
poon Art Gallen’. University of
Midyear Exhibition, Butler Institute of American Art,
boro, North Carolina
1969
rises, Root Art Gallery, Hamilton
Ivan Karp Presents. Visual Arts Gallery, New York City
State Museum, Springfield, Illinois
fork
rists. Slippen' Rock College Art
Youngstown, Ohio
North Mississippi Valley Invitational Exhibition, Illinois
1967
1961
American Watercolor Society Exhibit, National Academy
of Design, New York City
Liturgical Art Show, University of Illinois, Urbana. Illinois
Michiana Biennial Exhibition, South Bend Art Center,
South Bend, Indiana
Professional Artist Exhibition, Fine Arts Gallen’,
Exposition Building, State Fair, Springfield, Illinois
Union League Exhibition, Chicago Union League, Chicago
New Acquisitions, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts,
1963
I960
Kalamazoo. Michigan
Area Exhibition, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts,
>ns 1975-76. Aldrich Museum of
1965
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Michiana Biennial Exhibition, South Bend Art Center,
Professional Artist Exhibition, Fine Arts Gallery.
Exposition Building, State Fair, Springfield, Illinois
leficld, Connecticut
Alumni Exhibition, University of Notre Dame,
Pennsylvania
South Bend. Indiana
Area Exhibition. Kalamazoo Institute of Arts,
Participation Piece/20rh Century
udson River Museum.
Katona Art Museum. Katona,
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Union League Exhibition, Chicago Union League, Chicago
Michiana Biennial Exhibition, South Bend Art Center,
Watercolor USA. Springfield Art Museum,
South Bend. Indiana
Springfield, Missouri
1959
Member Exhibition, Artist Guild of Chicago Gallen-, Chicago
Professional Artist Exhibition, Fine Arts Gallery.
Exposition Building, State Fair, Springfield. Illinois
1958
Chicago Artists Exhibition, Navy Pier, Chicago
Michigan Painters and Printmakers, Grand Rapids Art
Member Exhibition, Artist Guild of Chicago Gallen-. Chicago
Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan
1962
Midyear Exhibition, Butler Institute of American Art.
1964-65
Youngstown, Ohio
Professional Artist Exhibition, Fine Arts Gallery,
Chicago Artists Exhibition. Naw Pier. Chicago
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Exposition Building. State Fair, Springfield, Illino.s
Watercolor Exhibition, Artist Guild of Chicago Gallen'.
Union League Exhibition. Chicago Union League. Chicago
■sew 'i orb's World l air: Michigan Room, Pavilion of
American Interim's, blushing, New York
< Chicago
e Graphics, New York City
1957
Critic s Choice. University of Michigan,
iallcrics, New York City
>y Gallery, Glassboro State College,
South Bend, Indiana
Three-Man Show, Western Michigan University,
Member Exhibition. Artist Guild of Chicago Gallery, Chicago
�•i
(
I
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SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
SELECTED LITERATURE
American Republic Insurance Company, Des Moines, Iowa
“Alumni in Art-Ill: Anthony John Sorce.” Notre Dame
American Telephone and Telegraph, Long Lines, Virginia
Alumnus (February-March 1965): 17.
Anthony John Sorce. Kalamazoo, Mich.: Kalamazoo Institute of
Arby’s Inc.
Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey'
Best Products, Richmond, Virginia
British Airways, New York City'
Capital Management International, New York City'
Chase Manhattan Bank, New York City
Arts, 1968.
Anthony Sorce: Exhibition and Commission. Wichita, Kan.:
Wichita Art Museum, 1970.
“Awards and Prizes.” Art News (May 1968): 8.
Birdsell, Roger. “3 Artists Featured in New Exhibit.” The
South Bend Tribune (November I, 1964).
Episcopal Church Pension Fund, New York City
G. B. [Gordon Brown], “Beautiful Painting and Sculpture.”
General Reinsurance Corporation
Arts Magazine (April 1970): 55.
Contemporary Reflections. Ridgefield, Conn.: The Aldrich
IBM/The Continental Group, Stamford, Connecticut
Jurist Company Inc., New York City'
Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kelly, Warren & Dyre, New York City'
The Maslow Collection, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Owens-Coming Fiberglass Corporation, Toledo, Ohio
Penn Central, New York City'
Pepsico, Purchase, New York
Security’ Pacific National Bank, Los Angeles, California
Sherman and Sterling, New York City'
Museum of Contemporary Art. 1976.
“Exhibit of Anthony Sorce.” Kalamazoo Gazette (April 17,
1964).
Guide to Selected Works of Art at TRW’s Headquarters. Cleveland,
Ohio: TRW Inc., 1985.
Gump, Marilynn. “Artist Concerned with Now.” The
Wichita Eagle (January 21, 1970).
----------- . “Boiling Plastic Formula for Art.” The Wichita Eagle
(January 24, 1970).
The Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Criticism Worksheet. Rochester, New York, Nazareth
College of Rochester (March 1968).
Vesti Trust, Boston, Massachusetts
Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas
Gallery' Variety,” The Phoenix Gazette (February’ 14,
f
1981).
New York Gallery Showcase. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Art
Center, 1981.
O’Toole, Judith H. Artists of the 80’s: Selected Worksfrom the
Maslow Collection. Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: Sordoni Art
Gallery', Wilkes College, 1989.
f
“A Resourceful Artist.” Notre Dame Alumnus (December
1969): 22.
Schjeldahl, Peter. “Designed for Use Rather Than
Delectation.” The New York Times (April 5, 1970).
I
(
2nd Flint Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Painting and
Sculpture. Flint, Mich.: Flint Institute of Arts, 1969.
“Sorce Exhibit” Scarsdale Inquirer (October 16, 1969).
r
“Sorce Show to Open at Art Center.” Kalamazoo Gazette
(June 6, 1966).
Watercolor USA. Springfield, Mo.: The Springfield Art
Museum, 1962.
"In Two Exhibits Art Center Shows Works of Teachers.”
Kalamazoo Gazette (June 19, 1966).
Isctan Gallery. First Contemporary Art Expo Tokyo. Tokyo:
Shinjuku, 1985.
Kramer, Hilton. Variety Marks Three Exhibitions at the
70
1970).
Miller, Marian. “Art: Light Modulations, Sculpture Lend
Hughes, Tom. “Admirations and Such.” Southwind: An Arts
TRW Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, Michigan
I
Jewish Museum,” The New York Times (March 18,
[
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(
EXHIBITION UNDERWRITERS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The artist dedicates this catalogue and exhibition to his
wife Gloria, his children Damian, Becket, and Juliet, and his
parents Ann and Joseph.
This exhibition and catalogue would nor have been possible
without the enthusiastic support of Anthony Sorce.
Additional thanks to
John Beck
Stephen Dobyns
John and Joy Finlay
Lance Fung/Lance Fung Gallery, NYC
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Friends of the Sordoni Art Gallery
Charles Pittenger
Lisa Parrott Rolfe
Brendan Rooney/ Joan Prats Gallery, NYC
F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc.
Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising
Rosida (Rose) Russotto
Robert Schweitzer
Howard Scott/M-I3/Howard Scott Gallery, NYC
Ann and Joseph Sorcc
Gloria, Damian, Becket, and Juliet Sorce
Mellon Bank
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The John Sloan Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Wilkes University
Joseph M. Sorce
Paula Sorce
The Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
SPONSORS
Gerald Himmel
Jennifer and Steven Holtzman
Ev Stone
The Business Council
Ben Tibbs
CBI-Creative Business Interiors
Ivan Karp
Nancy L. Krueger
Earl W. Lehman
Michael Walls
Mr. and Mrs. David C. Hall
John Yau
Private Collectors
Marquis Art and Frame
Dr. Robert J. Heaman
Melanie Maslow Lumia
The Maslow Collection, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Marilyn O’Boyle
Joseph and Mildred Patera
PNC Bank, NA
Panzitta Enterprises, Inc.
���
Dublin Core
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Title
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The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
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The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
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Wilkes University
Publisher
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The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
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1973-present
Rights
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Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
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English
Type
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Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
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PDF
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Dublin Core
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Title
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1998 March 15 Anthony Sorce: Four Decades
Creator
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Anthony Sorce
Stanley I. Grand
John Yau
Stanley I. Grand
Date
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1998 March 15 - April 26
Format
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PDF
Description
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This exhibition and accompanying catalogue represent the first in-depth survey of Anthony Sorce's protean artistic career. At times an innovator, at times a developer, Sorce has consistently experimented with new processes, materials, and aesthetic possibilities.
Type
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Exhibition program
Subject
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painting
painter
Anthony Sorce
Rights
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SAG
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/448d9b59663c418c0ac7ed457c983092.pdf
937aed50cb4df04a46b57fc5ce9e01fa
PDF Text
Text
����������������
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
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Wilkes University
Publisher
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The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
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English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
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PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
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Title
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1998 May 6 Form and Atmosphere: The Etchings of Paul Resika 1995-1998
Creator
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Paul Resika
JohnYau
Date
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1998 May 6 - June 20
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PDF
Description
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Resika's ostensible subject is the place where the outposts of civilization come face to face with nature's forces, which is, as everyone knows, unpredictable. Whether nature or manmade, it is these forms which liberate Resika, as well as become the focal point of his expressiveness.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition program
Subject
The topic of the resource
Paul Resika
nature
Source
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Lori Bookstein Fine Art
Rights
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Lori Bookstein Fine Art
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/06acbd8f841db45ba7a7bf7852fb00de.pdf
a103e537ed99e86d2b82f5fc447f8666
PDF Text
Text
�������������������
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
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Wilkes University
Publisher
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The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
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Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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1999 March 7 Gregory Conniff:Twenty Years in the Field
Creator
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Gregory Conniff
Tom Bamberger
Stanley I. Grand
Stanley I. Grand
Date
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1999 March 7 - April 11
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PDF
Description
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Attempting to make sense of our attachment to the world, George Conniff is a documentary photographer. His landscapes in black and white are ethereal reminders of the world we leave behind.
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Gregory Conniff
black and white
photographer
photograph
documentary
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SAG
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https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/2ca182a7a83865d91a813c56c69d6d3b.pdf
0f8728532b1ecc1489686f600b4371c1
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I
vuiONJorco
JACK KEKOUA
ARCHIVES
SORD GA
’075.5
B33A.4
1599
I
�THE GRAPHIC ART OF PAUL BACON
�THE GRAPHIC ART OF PAUL BACON
Exhibition Curated by
Stanley I Grand
Essays by
Hank O’Neal
Stanley I Grand
Introduction by
Bob Greene
E.S. FARLEY LIBRARY
WILKES UNIVERSITY
WILKES-BARRE, PA
May 8 through June 6,1999 • Sordoni Art Gallery, Wilkes Universit}- • Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
�INTRODUCTION
Bob Greene
Copyright T 1999 Sordoni Art Gallery, Wilkes University
All rights reserved
1500 copies were printed
by Becotte &f Company, Inc.
Catalogue design: John Beck
Typeface: Electra
ISBN G-94294 5-16-6
TT seems I’ve known him through many lives, both his
I own. We met through my good friend Billv Grauer. E
J- have skiffle sessions on Friday nights, wav back in 194
Jane had just been married, and they were living at 42s R
Drive, near Columbia. Bacon appeared and leaned over
with his comb and cellophane, joining me, Grauer, Bob’
Bob Lee on jug, sometimes Connie Janis on trombone. Bob
Orrin Keepnews in what now sounds to me like controlled r
But at the time we thought it sounded pretty good.
Bacon was an ex-marine, tall and tanks —smoking ciga
lighting them with a heavy Parker butane lighter. Later h
to wondering why he went. “First it was curiosity." he sail
began to enjoy it.’’
I think it was the companionship. Grauer—he died th<
month as Kennedy—had a talent for bringing people tog
he divined who we were 1 don’t know. We were so young
sionable, in our early twenties, and there was little to dist
Yet each of us, in his way, made a mark, and we all rema
friends long after Billy died.
Bacon was already established as an artist. His early Re
Changer covers and Blue Note covers are collectors’ iten
went on to become the most distinguished book jacket d
America. But don’t take my word for it. This exhibit is al
you. He’s terribly knowledgeable about even thing: sport
personnel on old 78s, books, the arts. Clearly he should
�INTRODUCTION
Bob Greene
TT seems I've known him through many lives, both his and my
I own. We met through my good friend Billy Grauer. Bill used to
JL have skiffle sessions on Friday nights, way back in 1949. He and
Jane had just been married, and they were living at 425 Riverside
Drive, near Columbia. Bacon appeared and leaned over the piano
with his comb and cellophane, joining me, Grauer, Bob Thompson,
Bob Lee on jug, sometimes Connie Janis on trombone, Bob Sann, and
Orrin Keepnews in what now sounds to me like controlled mayhem.
But at the time we thought it sounded pretty- good.
Bacon was an ex-marine, tall and lanky—smoking cigarettes and
lighting them with a heavy Parker butane lighter. Later he confessed
to wondering why he went. “First it was curiosity7,” he said, “Then I
began to enjoy it.”
I think it was the companionship. Grauer—he died the same
month as Kennedy—had a talent for bringing people together. Flow
he divined who we were I don’t know. We were so young, so impres
sionable, in our early twenties, and there was little to distinguish us.
Yet each of us, in his way, made a mark, and we all remained close
friends long after Billy died.
Bacon was already established as an artist. His early Record
Changer covers and Blue Note covers are collectors’ items, and he
went on to become the most distinguished book jacket designer in
.America. But don’t take my word for it. This exhibit is all around
you. He’s terribly knowledgeable about everything: sports, the
personnel on old 78s, books, the arts. Clearly he should have had
too much sense to be a musician. And yet it nibbled at him. I le and
his brothers had always been singers. The voice held a fascination
for him. But, largely, he kept it hidden behind the cellophane and
Left TO right: Paul Bacon (kazoo), Conrad Janis (trombone), Bob Lee
(jug), Bob Thompson (washboard), Bob Greene (piano), Bob Sann
(banjo), c. 1950
5
/ i i >4 1 b .
�In 1976 I had the opportunity to bring my “World of Jelly Roll
Morton" show into Carnegie Hall. I had seen Benny Goodman’s
concert there in 193S. It seemed unbelievable that I would be
performing on the same stage. The band, however, deserved it.
Tomins Benford. Jellv’s old drummer, was on drums. Herbie Hall
the clarinet. Milt Hinton plaved bass. Ernie Carson was on cornet.
We had scored well with a RCA Victor record and at concerts in
Lincoln Center. Now we were in the shrine.
And so I thought of Ri o people: Bill Russell in New Orleans and
Bacon here in New York. Both were sentimental thoughts. Bill
Russell had been so instrumental in reviving early jazz, rediscover
ing Jelly, finding Bunk and recording him. And he played good
violin and would add the right flavor to “Someday Sweetheart.” I
wanted Bill to set foot on the stage of Carnegie Hall and play there.
1 felt the same way about Bacon. By this dine we had become
close friends, but even that was not the point. I wanted to pay
homage to an older time, to those Friday night skiffle sessions, to
Grauer and his gang, to our younger selves and our dreams. From
425 Riverside Drive to Camegie Hall. A salute to our ghosts. And
maybe send a message to Grauer, wherever he was, that we had
made it Bacon svmbolized those days, and so I invited him to join.
“Paul Bacon plays Kazoo at Carnegie Hall!” wasn’t on the mar
quee, but it was on a poster I think both of us drew in our hearts.
And he did play, too—well and beautifully. That Swiss comb with
the cellophane as a reed. We stomped on that stage where Goodman
had held forth, and played for Jelly, for Grauer, for all of us. Bill
Russell was magnificent. But I still didn’t know- what a singer Bacon
was.
I want to do that whole evening over again. Have him sing “Bolden”
and “Whinin’ Boy.” Let him shuffle along with “Alabama Bound.”
Give him a big spotlight and play colors at him. And when he hits
“Dr. Jazz” let him bring the house down. Lie’s that good. I wish I
had known it then, but I know it now.
The beauty' of it is that we all know' now'. Listen to his CDs, take a
good look at his book jackets, go up and say hello and meet one of
the finest talents that ever graced the New York scene. And then, if
you can, find a piano and summon those of us still able to get
around, and get him to show' you what a Friday night is supposed to
sound like.
New York
March 12,1999
THIS IS NOT A COMB,
OR HAVE PENCIL, WILL TIL'
Hank O’Neal
/V USIC MADE the difference. It did for Paul Ba
\ /1 me, and I pity the person for whom it didn't. .A
_L V JL difference for both of us early, as teenagers. W
it is even younger—it has to if it’s going to shape your lifi
something you’ve never heard before, and somehow. 1
everything connects, something stirs within vou and v
same. Those first sounds, exciting, visceral, heart-pom
begin a process that never stops—that stays with you f<
some, the music is the dominant force in their lives, ll
professionals, music is their life. For others, it become
avocation — for most as listeners, for others as produce
lucky few like Paul—as semi-pro performers who play
joy of it.
For me, the sound I'd never heard burst forth from .
Shaw Bluebird -S-rpm record, one rm mother bough!
1939. I heard it years later, in 1933. Paul Bacon got his
years earlier, in 1938, when he heard a Chick Webb C
band played an old operetta classic. “Indian Love Cal
that astounded im thirteen s ear old ears; Webb’s banc
hotter, playing a new Benm Carter arrangement of "1.
Gershwin standard, hr then nearly ten years old. And
was ever the same. Paul once wrote: “Jazz is powerful
seizes you at the same time as sex. and it is deeply afre
6 • 1
Graphic Art of Paul Bacon
�all!" wasn't on the marus drew in our hearts.
. That Swiss comb with
hat stage where Goodman
auer, for all of us. Bill
now what a singer Bacon
. Have him sing “Bolden
with “.Alabama Bound."
him. And when he hits
le’s that good. I wish 1
Listen to his CDs. take a
> hello and meet one of
York scene. .And then, if
f us still able to get
iday night is supposed to
New York
March 12.1990
THIS IS NOT A COMB,
OR HAVE PENCIL, WILL TRAVEL
Hank O’Neal
/F t’SlC made the difference. It did for Paul Bacon, it did for
\ /1 me, and I pity the person for whom it didn’t. And it made a
J- V _L difference for both of us early, as teenagers. With some people
it is even younger—it has to if it’s going to shape your life. You hear
something you ve never heard before, and somehow, unexplainably,
everything connects, something stirs within you and you’re
re never the
same. Those first sounds, exciting, visceral, heart-pounding sounds
begin a process that never stops—that stays with you forever. For
some, the music is the dominant force in their lives, they become
professionals, music is their life. For others, it becomes a driving
avocation—for most as listeners, for others as producers, or—for a
lucky few like Paul—as semi-pro performers who play for the sheer
of its converts throughout their lives—enough so to make bearable a
slight alienation. . . . [But] whatever the emotional responses to jazz
are, wherever they come from, they are unifying in their strength.”
You meet people along the way because of the music, people with
whom you might not otherwise associate, people who can and do
shape your entire life. I know it happened to me and I know it
happened to Paul Bacon. I don’t know about today, but once upon a
time, in the 1930s and 1940s, being a serious jazz fan was almost like
being in a secret society, with its own passwords, language, and code
of conduct. People who passionately liked what then was called
“hot” music congregated in “hot clubs”; and these clubs were all
over the world, from New York to Paris to Bangkok. Jazz enthusiasts
joy of it
would come together, listen to records, sponsor concerts by their
For me. the sound I’d never heard burst forth from an old Artie
favorite artists, or whoever was available, and sometimes even issue
Shaw Bluebird yb-rpm record, one my mother bought by mistake in
records.
1939. I heard it years later, in 1953. Paul Bacon got his first taste a few
A legendary hot club congregated regularly on Monday nights in
years earlier, in 1938, when he heard a Chick Webb Decca. Shaw’s
Newark, New Jersey, and in 1940 one of its hottest new members was
Paul Bacon. Another member was a friend who lived not far away, Phil
band played an old operetta classic, “Indian Love Call,” in a way
Stein; and yet another hot jazz fan was Phil’s striking teenage sister,
that astounded my thirteen year old ears; Webb’s band was even
Lorraine. Paul recently referred to her as the “glamour puss of the
hotter, playing a new Benny Carter arrangement of “Liza,” the
Newark Hot Club,” but that was long ago, and the same Lorraine is now
Gershxs in standard, bv then nearly ten years old. And neither of us
was ever the same. Paul once wrote: “Jazz is powerful stuff; it usually the glamour puss of tire Village Vanguard. Someone else for whom
seizes you at the same time as sex, and it is deeply affecting to many music made the difference, forever.
�t
I
--
It was always the music, a shared, not so secret passion, that
brought these three people together, not the Newark Bears, even
though they were a pretty good baseball team in tire early 1940s, with
the likes of Tommv Byrne and Hank Sauer. Hot jazz, the hotter tire
better, was the common denominator. An old Jabbo Smith record,
"Sweet and Low Blues” or maybe “Decatur Street Tulti,” scavenged
for a dime in a junk shop, could and did forge a common bond
among impressionable teenage listeners, a bond that could and did
last a lifetime. Even with Jabbo. Jazz, at least a certain kind of jazz,
could bring people together, and keep them together forever.
If vou speak with those who know Paul well, they all will tell you
he could always draw. By his own admission he had skills, just no
particular vocation, no way to translate his skill into a decent meal.
He was just another teenager without direction; but within a few
vears. he found a vocation and got better as the years went by. Yet
according to those in the know, he started off pretty well. His situa
tion reminds me of something one of Joe Venuti’s cousins once said
to me. when I asked him if it was true Joe was born on a ship coming
from Italy to America. ‘Yeah,” he replied, “and he was playing prettygood when he got off the boat.”
Paul’s first drawings were made for The Newark Hot Club s Jazz
Notes, Bob Thiele’s Jazz and other small magazines, but his search
for a life’s work was rudely- interrupted; he was just the right age for
the Marines and the Corps proved it for the next three years. Paul
traveled extensively during his stint with the Marines, kept his pencil
in his pocket, but with little opportunity to use it, except to hand
letter various items for officers and, after the War, create some stands
fora service band while he was stuck on the island of Peleliu. His
experiences overseas were undoubtedly broadening; but unlike
Peggy Sawyer, lie didn’t come back a star. He left as a y-oungster,
passionate about music and art and came back the same thing.
It was now .April 1946. Things were relatively peaceful in the
world, and Paul Bacon, along with a million other GIs, came home
8 • The Graphic Art of Paul Bacon
looking lor work. 1 le had a fantasy of working at a
doing superfine hand lettering, when suddenly I k
with his brother, had a Bauhaus-influenced desigi
town Manhattan, took him in. Almost overnight. I
a reality. Zamboni encouraged his voung apprenti
classes with Lewis Daniel, gave him varied assignr
him $30 a week for his time. \nd it could have en
basic design work, illustrating magazines, creatine
But it didn't, because of the music.
The Newark Hot Club was pretty much a thing
war chewed up millions and millions of old -S-rp
dreaded shellac drives, more records were being r
were just around the corner. But bv 1947, there w;
the faithful, a wonderful monthly publication, Th
This inexpensively produced magazine featured 1
and (best of all; sales of rare records. 'I here was a
nary independent jazz label. Mthougli not exact!'
doing well enough to regularly issue 78-rpm sing]
which needed designs. The label was Blue Note,
and onetime model Lorraine Stein was now l.orr
to Alfred Lion, who had founded the company in
Wolff.
Paul Bacon, Tsing-Tao, China, 1945
His life began to tall into place, a Paul Bacon 1
appeared on Sidney Bechet’s Blue Note Jazzmen
manv more were to follow (Figures 47.48). But t
happened, primarily because even though Paul 1
and Jabbo, he wasn’t what was known in those ye
fyggc. 1 le also liked Fats, Dizzy, and Miles; and t
attention of Alfred Lion, who suggested to the tv.
Record Changer. Bill Grauer and Orrin Keepncv
designer friend might make a tine modern jazz c
could relate to the old and the new. Bill and Orr
enough to pay attention to their elders (they wer
�looking for work. He had a fantasy of working at a drawing board,
doing superfine hand lettering, when suddenly Hal Zamboni, who,
with his brother, had a Bauhaus-influenced design studio in mid
town Manhattan, took him in. Almost overnight, the fantasy became
a reality'. Zamboni encouraged his young apprentice, sent him to
classes with Lewis Daniel, gave him varied assignments, and paid
him $30 a week for his time. And it could have ended there, doing
basic design work, illustrating magazines, creating advertisements.
But it didn't, because of the music.
The Newark Hot Club was pretty' much a thing of the past, the
war chewed up millions and millions of old 78-rpm discs during the
dreaded shellac drives, more records were being reissued, and LPs
were just around the corner. But by 1947, there was a new focus for
the faithful, a wonderful monthly publication, The Record Changer.
This inexpensively produced magazine featured articles, reviews,
and (best of all) sales of rare records. There was also one extraordi
nary- independent jazz label. Although not exactly thriving, it was
doing well enough to regularly issue 78-rpm singles and albums,
which needed designs. The label was Blue Note, and Paul’s jazzpal
and onetime model Lorraine Stein was now Lorraine Lion, married
to Alfred Lion, who had founded the company in 1939 with Francis
but Alfred was at least thirty-five), and took on the kid, as he sug
gested. Since Paul was gainfully, though modestly employed else
where, lie was expected to provide reviews for a very modest fee
(often just being allowed to keep the record he was called upon to
review).
Bill and Orrin ran The Record Changer on a shoestring, but they
were destined for bigger things —and dragged Paul along with them
without so much as a whimper. By the time the little magazine
ceased publication, Bill and Orrin had begun producing reissues for
RCA’s new label “X”and launched their own Riverside label. Almost
all the initial releases for “X” and Riverside featured cover designs by
Paul Bacon (Figures 45, 46). In fact, Paul eventually became chief
designer for Riverside in its early and middle years.
Wolff.
His life began to fall into place, a Paul Bacon design suddenly
appeared on Sidney Bechet’s Blue Note Jazzmen, and more, many,
many more were to follow (Figures 47, 48). But then something else
happened, primarily because even though Paul loved Louie, Bix,
and Jabbo, he wasn’t what was known in those years as a mouldie
fygge. Fie also liked Fats, Dizzy, and Miles; and this caught the
attention of Alfred Lion, who suggested to the two proprietors of The
Record Changer, Bill Grauer and Orrin Keepnews, that his young
designer friend might make a fine modern jazz critic, one who
could relate to the old and the new. Bill and Orrin were wise
enough to pay attention to their elders (they were in the twenties,
Left to right: Conrad Janis (trombone), Paul Racon (combi, Orrin
Keepnews (comb), Rill Grauer (comb), Rob Greene (piano),
c. 1950
This Is Xof a Comb • 9
�It was fun to design jackets for jazz LPs, and it undoubtedly
provided a much needed creative outlet, but it was not possible to pay
many bills with the meager proceeds derived from a few jackets a
month. Yet the jazz connection ultimately led Paul to the design field
where the demand for his work soon allowed him to open his own
studio, raise a family, pay the mortgage, and do all the other mun
dane things to which most people, even the finest creative artists,
aspire — at least when they are honest with themselves.
In 1950, Bill Westley asked Paul to provide some illustrations for a
book about chimpanzees he was writing (Figures 1-3). The art
director of E. P. Dutton, the publisher, asked if the artist could
possible do a dust jacket to complement the drawings (Figure 4).
The artist could and did, thus producing the first of thousands of
dust jackets that grace many of the most notable books of the second
half of this century. Chimp on My Shoulder was a modest success,
and in 1999 it is best remembered by Paul Bacon and on the Inter
net. Bibliofind.com current!}' lists seven copies in varying condition,
with prices ranging from $12.00 to $45.00. In the description of one
of the copies can be found the following unsolicited testimonial:
“The text is clean, Paul Bacon’s illustrations are wonderful, bright
I'
L
started to come in. There were enough clients to open his own studio i
1955, and he worked for anyone who would call. Fie confessed, “If thev
had a dime, I’d draw.” But it’s not that simple.
Paul’s career in jacket design started slowly but built steadily,
never stopped, and is now in its forty-ninth year. He hit the big time
in 1956 with Meyer Levin’s Compulsion (Figure 5). He’d done
important books before, but this was the first he’d been given that
and clean.”
Muggsy Spanier once sang, ‘You’re bound to look like a monkey
when you grown old,” but Paul didn’t have to worn'. He started with
the monkeys, so there was no problem winding up that way—the
chimps had, after all provided a beginning. Still, there were no other
immediate freelance jacket designs on the horizon and Zamboni
was still his home base.
A year or so later, however, prior to Riverside or label “X,” Bill and
Orrin, who paid his bills by being an editor at Simon and Schuster,
had the idea to package a record with holiday literature. They needed
some action on the cuff and asked Paul to produce a dummy for the
overall package. It must have been a good one; the art director at Simon
and Schuster, Tom Bevans, asked, “Who is this guy?" and the work
jo
• I he Graphic /\rt of Paul Bacon
Left to right: Unidentified woman, Seymour Berg, Alfred Lion,
unidentified woman, Paul Bacon, Lorraine Lion (on floor), 1947
everyone knew was going to be a best seller before it was issu
Paul’s design made its way to the movie titles, but unfortuna
without proper credit.
There are some legends about Paul. One is that he is able
on three conversations simultaneously while hand lettering
jacket. Another is that he is in such control of his mind, eye, an
that he can not only recall obscure type faces from memory
improve on them in the process. The most noteworthy is that
read all the thousands of books for which he’s designed dust jac
it’s true. In his words: “I’ve read them all. Even the junk. If thei
key to a book, something that could be considered a graphic k
was going to find it myself 1 knew it was buried somewhere
manuscript. The publisher would send me a manuscript to
I’d do. It was much more carefree at the beginning, there w
restraints, but there was also a sense of freedom.”
His friend and long-time associate, Harris Lewine, recent
“Paul could read a manuscript and no matter how good or 1
was, could find a kernel of honest}' and wotdd try to replica
a jacket. The graphic key often revolved around Paul’s pers
identification with something. This might be completely bi
quality of a so-so novel, but would mesh with the quality of
better writing in it.”
Paid once commented, “It was all very informal in those
read the manuscript, think about it, and make some sketch
went to a place with a sketch under my arm. The publishe
ver}' honorable, and it was a relaxed way to make a living, £
though the life of a freelancer is never carefree. They usua
me away from the authors, they didn’t want me to get too c
them. The publisher didn’t want the author to influence tl
design.”
This is borne out by Joseph Heller, who recently said of
“He’s done all my jackets, other than that I don’t really km
We’d meet occasionally at a book party, say hello and shak
�ients to open his own studio in
Id call. He confessed, “If they
pie.
lowly but built steadily',
ith year. He hit the big time
(Figure 5). He’d done
: first he'd been given that
ymoz/r Berg, Alfred Lion,
w Lion (on floor), 1947
everyone knew was going to be a best seller before it was issued.
Paul’s design made its way to the movie titles, but unfortunately,
without proper credit.
There are some legends about Paul. One is that he is able to carry
on three conversations simultaneously while hand lettering a book
jacket. Another is that he is in such control of his mind, eye, and hand
that he can not only' recall obscure ty'pe faces from memory but
improve on them in the process. The most noteworthy is that Paul's
read all tire thousands of books for which he’s designed dust jackets. And
it’s true. In his words: “I’ve read them all. Even the junk. If there was a
key to a book, something that could be considered a graphic key, then I
was going to find it myself. I knew it was buried somewhere in the
manuscript. The publisher would send me a manuscript to see what
I’d do. It was much more carefree at the beginning, there were some
restraints, but there was also a sense of freedom.”
His friend and long-time associate, Harris Lewine, recently said,
“Paul could read a manuscript and no matter how good or bad it
was, could find a kernel of honesty and would try to replicate this on
a jacket. The graphic key' often revolved around Paul’s personal
identification with something. This might be completely' beyond th,le
quality of a so-so novel, but would mesh with the quality' of the
better writing in it.”
Paul once commented, “It was all very informal in those days. I’d
read the manuscript, think about it, and make some sketches. I often
went to a place with a sketch under my' arm. The publishers were
very honorable, and it was a relaxed way to make a living, even
though the life of a freelancer is never carefree. They usually kept
me away from the authors, they didn’t want me to get too close to
them. The publisher didn’t want the author to influence the jacket
design.”
This is borne out by' Joseph Heller, who recently said of Paul,
“He’s done all my jackets, other than that I don’t really' know him.
We’d meet occasionally' at a book party, say hello and shake hands. I
liked him because the publisher liked him. With Catch-22 there
were several things that came in before Paul’s (Figure 7). I’m never
shown a design until the publisher finds something exciting; and
Paul has always been original, surprising, and wonderful.” Catch-22
was in 1961, and thirty-five years later Paul designed the dust jacket
for the sequel, Closing Time. This is what he said about that, in the
liner notes for an album featuring Nat Adderley, for which he also
designed the booklet cover:
“One of the perks of living long enough is, if you’re around and
don’t quit, you get to do things like create a Nat Adderley cover in
1958 and 1996, or create the original design for Joseph Heller’s
Catch-22 and then thirty-three years later design the jacket for the
sequel, Closing Time. You don’t get to do that very often but when
the opportunity comes it's very gratifying, to have the opportunity of
being involved with a Nat Adderley or Joseph Heller after thirty' years
is kind of great. Everyone is getting a little thin on top, but that’s part
of the deal.”
Neither Heller nor Bacon mentions that it took a good deal of
work on Paul’s behalf to get to the final Catch-22 jacket. The first
sketch, featuring a hand and finger proffering a universal gesture,
scandalized all concerned. The dangling red hubba-hubba man that
appears on the dust jacket was in the next sketch, and many subsequent
sketches, but it was a long road. With each sketch, Heller’s name and
Catch-22 grew and the little red man shrank, until the final version
emerged. Harris Lewine: “Paul never gave up. Most illustrators
would have given up, but he would never say ‘go away.”’
Paul Bacon’s “big book look” emerged about the same time. It is
unclear if he developed the concept on his own, but Paul popular
ized it and became famous as a result. The “big book look” was the
antithesis of dust jackets up to that time, with type laid on bleed
illustrations and a wrap-around spine. Paul’s dust jackets featured
the name and title in large typeface at the top of the jacket and a
centered spot illustration on a field of white, black, or a solid color.
This Is Not a Comb • n
I
■
l
$
\
.1
I
■
Ji
I
1
�I
I
This was the form often used for a noted author. For an author’s first
book the concept might be reversed —a larger illustration might be
required to catch a bookstore browser’s attention.
The range of his work is remarkable. The forty-four selections
highlighted at this exhibition, from Chimp on My Shoulder (Figures
1-4) to Thomas Jefferson and Sally Flemings: An American Contro
versy (Figure 44) have something for any taste. Blockbusters, cult
favorites, literary' classics, scandalous titles, and more. I’m amazed at
the prominent authors and books listed in this catalogue. One could
list these books and pose this question: What do the following fortyone noted writers have in common? And then you could make a
longer list, mans' hundreds, and ask the same thing. The easy answer
is that most of these books might be found in a good public library',
but the right answer is they' all have dust jackets created by' Paul
Bacon—in common with thousands of other books.
Other questions to ask: Apart from the “big book look,” what is
unique about a Paul Bacon design? What sets him apart? Joseph
Heller used the words “original, surprising, and wonderful.” True
enough—but his designs also show a quiet but elegant simplicity, a
clean, focused utility. In the language of the bopster, words that Paul
would understand and appreciate, The Scene Is Clean. Yet, one must
remember, Paul may appreciate bop, but be doesn’t play it. Lots of
notes, played very' fast, funny' harmonies, insider music. That’s not
the kind of music or art he creates. The line of the New Orleanstinged music featured in a Paul Bacon performance is much like
that of his dust jackets—sparse, accessible, to the point, and com
pletely lacking in gratuitous ornamentation. Just as there are no
heaving bosoms on Paul’s dust jackets, his music-making is not
embellished with nonmusical effects—each note counts.
Just before I wrote these words, I went to a shelf and removed six
books by E. L. Doctorow. In chronological order, Ragtime (Figure
30), Loon Lake, Lives of the Poets, World’s Fair, Billy Bathgate, and
The Waterworks. Paul designed the jackets for the first five and the
12 • The Graphic Art of Paul Bacon
cover illustration for the sixth. I’ve read the books; he found the
graphic key to each and translated it into a succinct design. He cL()
found a marvelous graphic key in The Waterworks, maybe the best of
Paul Bacon, 1998
the six, but the publish'ter used unly the illustration (which
he’d like to redraw).
The wish to redraw the horse-drawn trolley is indicative
Bacon’s consummate professionalism—he wants the work
correct and he will fight for it. Quietly. I larris Lewine calk
“self-effacing fighter,” an artist who was not schooled in an
tional manner, but who emerged from the fine arts backgr
the times.
lake a look at Jack Kerouacs Visions of Cody (Figure 23
sets the design apart, what makes it a Paul Bacon design, i:
understanding of the book, his presentation of Jack Duluoz;
Pomeray in a seamless linear landscape that begins with the s
continues across the front of the book. Lester and Billie, a dir
mobiles, the two main characters, all “Groovin’ High.” Or
leaning trumpet player on the cover of Ross Russell’s The .
Someone once said, “You can’t judge a book by its cover"
clearly hadn’t seen Paul Bacon’s dust jacket for Visions of
What about his other primary design activity, covers for
albums and LPs, as well as CD booklets? Paul’s other artis
in full bloom for a dozen years, roughly 1947 to 1959, hibe
a few years, and then took off again in the mid-1980s. It wi
course, be possible to ask the same question about jazz m
about writers: What do the following two hundred noted j
have in common? It would be a laundry list of the great 0
the pioneers in New Orleans and Chicago to young artist
Or maybe the number is three hundred, but it doesn’t me
did the work, remarkable work, creating designs that arc t
his finest dust jackets. There is, however, one important c
Paul knew—and still knows —many of the musicians. Wil
jackets it was them and us, but with the musical projects ;
cians it was us and us.
Orrin Keepnews tells the story of signing the legendary
onions Monk to Riverside. l ie and Bill Grauer made cert
�the books; he found the
j a succinct design. He also
'atenvorks, maybe the best of
the six, but the publisher used only the illustration (which Paul says
he’d like to redraw).
The wish to redraw the horse-drawn trolley is indicative of Paul
Bacon’s consummate professionalism —he wants the work to be
correct and he will fight for it. Quietly. Hanis Lewine calls him a
“self-effacing fighter,” an artist who was not schooled in any tradi
tional manner, but who emerged from the fine arts background of
the times.
Take a look at Jack Kerouac’s Visions of Cody (Figure 23). What
sets the design apart, what makes it a Paul Bacon design, is his
understanding of tire book, his presentation of Jack Duluoz and Cody
Pomeray in a seamless linear landscape that begins with the spine and
continues across the front of the book. Lester and Billie, a diner, auto
mobiles, the two main characters, all “Groovin’ High.” Or look at the
leaning trumpet player on the cover of Ross Russell’s The Sound.
Someone once said, “You can’t judge a book by its cover” but they
clearly hadn’t seen Paul Bacon’s dust jacket for Visions of Cody.
What about his other primary' design activity', covers for 78-rpm
albums and LPs, as well as CD booklets? Paul’s other artistic life was
in full bloom for a dozen years, roughly 1947 to 1959, hibernated for
a few years, and then took off again in the mid-1980s. It would, of
course, be possible to ask the same question about jazz musicians as
about writers: What do the following two hundred noted jazz artists
have in common? It would be a laundry list of the great ones, from
the pioneers in New Orleans and Chicago to young artists of today'.
Or maybe the number is three hundred, but it doesn’t matter. He
did the work, remarkable work, crealiting designs that are the equal of
his finest dust jackets. There is, however, one important difference:
Paul knew—and still knows—many of the musicians. With the dust
jackets it was them and us, but with the musical projects and musi
cians it was us and us.
Orrin Keepnews tells the story' of signing the legendary' Thelonious Monk to Riverside. He and Bill Grauer made certain they
took Paul along to the meeting. They knew (and they knew Monk
knew) that back in the 1940s when some of New York’s alleged finest
suggested that Monk should go downtown, against his wishes, Paul
was one of the people who put up the money to gain his release.
This is not to suggest that Monk signed with Riverside because of
Paul’s presence, but there’s nothing wrong with insurance—and
Monk signed the contract.
Paul set standards for LP jacket design. He was, after all, there at
the very beginning, and his work for Blue Note, Riverside, and
RCA’s label “X” has become as legendary' as those companies and
the music they released. And what made this early work so remark
able was that he had a different signature style, for three different
companies—simultaneously.
A Paul Bacon Blue Note design was instantly recognizable in the
early' 1950s, as was one for Riverside or “X”. Even a casual glance at a
jacket in a bin at Sam Goody’s, or even Big Joe’s on 46th Street,
would say Paul Bacon, but it would also identify' the company.
Which was the idea, because even though the product issued by
each company was jazz, it was often very' different. And the same
rules applied to the album covers as the books, he listened to them
all. The main difference was that Thelonious Monk’s Mysterioso LP
required about forty' minutes of listening, with repeated playing a
distinct bonus, while 398 pages of convoluted Kerouacian prose, set
in tiny type on the pages of Visions of Cody, took a little longer to
digest. Paul claims he reads quickly'. Not that quickly.
Then there’s Paul’s purely musical life, the life of a jazz musician
playing the most lowly of instruments, a comb, amplified by a sheet
of cellophane. A certifiable genius like Thelonious Monk had a hard
time finding gainful employment. What if you are an enthusiastic art
director with a comb? It would, of course, be possible to make
another list of musicians, equally long, though perhaps not quite as
diverse, with whom Paul made music for half a century. In the dogeat-dog world of live jazz, he managed to survive with a hot comb
This Is Not a Comb ° 13
�and mostly sentimental vocals-just
vocals—just the right combination of swee
sweet
and hot. But his musical work paid few bills and was not particularly
gainful. Thank goodness he had a day job and owned the studio. If
there was a session and it had been a particularly good night, Paul
could be grateful that as he pulled himself off the bandstand just in
time to make it to the office, the only person who could fire him was
himself.
Paul was a tentative performer, and it all began with the same
gang that revolved around The Newark Hot Club, The Record
Changer, and the assorted record labels for whom he produced
album designs. Bill Grauer was the primary- culprit. He organized
I
: I
'I
st g
got ] H
‘Willie
the Weeper’ or ‘Cake Walking Babies from
bullfrOggin’ it. There was only one micro
stl|dio and j had to stand ()n , ,a
[
.lt
basket to get close enough Io it to be heard.
There was The Washboard Five, and the I lot Damn Jug Band of
New York, and much traveling in search of musical activity (in and
out of New York City, but rarely much further than New Jersey or
Connecticut). By the late 1950s, however, the Paul Bacon Studio was
much expanded, there were seven employees, and with the added
responsibility, Paul cut back on his musical activity. Bui lie always
kept his comb in his pocket, ready for action, cither improvised or
regular Friday night musicales at the home of his wife’s parents on
Riverside Drive (yes, that’s where the name came from). Grauer was
an unabashed champion of the comb as a hot jazz instrument. A
small comb, a bit of cellophane, the ability' to hum a tunc and a
loosely scheduled.
A most pleasant bit of musical action occurred in the 1960s, when
sense of rhythm and timing were all that was required.
Some people don’t approve of the comb as an instrument; and
before he began his career, Paul Bacon was solidly in the anti-comb
camp. He went to a musicale and “put up with tins old-fashioned
and somehow I got the courage to let him know 1 had a comb and
stuff, sneering inwardly all the while, unwilling to do anything but
observe." Then a funny' thing happened. Grauer suggested he try' it.
great night.”
Bob Greene rekindled Paul’s interest in live performance in 1976
He did, and he found he was a natural if ever there was one. He
went every Friday night, creating musical mayhem with Grauer,
and explains the circumstances in remarks that can be found
Conrad Janis, and four guys named Bob: Greene on piano, Thomp
son on washboard, Sann on banjo, and Lee on jug. The Hot Club of
nanstine, told him about a band that was being organized to play
straight New Orleans jazz, for fun. A bit later came the chance to
he found himself at the justifiably legendary Earthquake McGoon’s
in San Francisco. “Turk Murphy was playing ‘Shake That I hing’
he asked me to sit in. When we finished he said. Don’t go way’ and
then Clancy [Hayes] came over and said. ’I thought everybody in the
[Mound City] Blue Bowers was dead.’ We played for the rest of a
elsewhere in this catalogue. In 19S0, another friend, Charlie Son-
Riverside Drive was often overloaded with combs, but all the partici
play at 1 he Cajun, a New Orleans—sty le restaurant in New York
pants had a little more hair in those days. On at least one occasion
Orrin joined Paul and Bill for a comb trio, and complaints were
City. 1 he job was to last eight weeks, but in one form or another, it
has lasted nearly two decades. Tuesday nights at The Cajun, with
heard from as far away as the Jersey shore.
Paul kept making music and got a little serious about it. He even
appeared on a record in 1951, four selections with cornet player Carl
Halen, which were eventually released on Riverside. In his own
Stanleys Washboard Kings, often is musical magic. The small
bandstand comfortably holds aboutt seven guys, but I’ve seen as
many as fourteen crowded into the sp;lace. On the right night, its as
good as anything in town-and there’s some pretty good stuff in this
words, “I sang on ‘Heebie Jeebies’ and ‘Dr. Jazz.’ They' didn’t let me
town.
14 • The Graphic Art of Paul Bacon
Paul is a modest guy. I le do ■ t’l
guess is there are two mam reasons he doesn’t. One is tiler
much to remember, and if you focus excessively on vour p
achievements, there probably won’t be many in the future
important, he learned long ago that while you’re talking it
Io do anything else. And in an ever-lengthening career, wl
has merrily combined literature and music for six decades
still much Io do. I lis pen and comb are still poised, ready
If you live long enough, are creative enough, and keep yo
order, you can accomplish a great deal. Patil isn’t inelinec
on. he once wrote the barest of biographic details about h
two scraps of paper purloined from an unsuspecting W est
innkeeper. A barely adequate Aubrey entry.
The foregoing offers a few more details, but the followi:
for those who are concerned, a few biographical specifics
from the two scraps of paper:
�r’ or ‘Cake Walking Babies from Home.’ I
gin’ it. There was only one microphone at
rsity studio and 1 had to stand on a wasteto it to be heard.”
ird Five, and the Hot Damn Jug Band of
ling in search of musical activity (in and
rarely much further than New Jersey or
:950s, however, the Paul Bacon Studio was
e seven emplovees, and with tire added
k on his musical activity. But he always
t. ready for action, either improvised or
isical action occurred in the 1960s, when
tifiablv legendary Earthquake McGoon’s
urphy was playing ‘Shake That Thing’
rage to let him know I had a comb and
i we finished he said, ‘Don’t go way’ and
over and said. ‘I thought everybody in the
was dead.' We played for the rest of a
Paul is a modest guy. He doesn’t say much about himself, and my
guess is there are two main reasons he doesn’t. One is there’s just too
much to remember, and if you focus excessively on your past
achievements, there probably won’t be many in the future. Equally
important, he learned long ago that while you’re talking it’s difficult
to do anything else. And in an ever-lengthening career, which so far
has merrily combined literature and music for six decades, there is
still much to do. His pen and comb are still poised, ready for action.
If you live long enough, are creative enough, and keep your wits in
order, you can accomplish a great deal. Paul isn’t inclined to ramble
on. he once wrote the barest of biographic details about himself on
two scraps of paper purloined from an unsuspecting West Coast
innkeeper. A barely adequate Aubrey entry.
The foregoing offers a few more details, but the following outlines,
for those who are concerned, a few biographical specifics, taken
from the two scraps of paper:
Paul Bacon was born on Christmas day in 1923. The Bacon family is very old and
dates back to 1640, with Michael Bacon in Dedham, Massachusetts. The family
grew, parts of it prospered, and others didn’t. A few members achieved some
success in fields as diverse as civil service, architecture, growing roses or even
acclaim, in book jacket design. Paul was educated at various schools, finally graduating
from Newark New Jersey’s Arts High School in 1940. After a couple of years of
seasoning, he joined the Marine Corps in April 1943 and remained with that august
organization, visiting assorted Pacific and Far Eastern locations, until April 1946.
He returned to New York City and got busy with his pencil and a comb.
Paul’s career can, of course, come crashing down in a moment, if
the Internet makes books redundant, CDs become microchips that
don’t need booklets, lawsuits force cigarette manufacturers to cease
using cellophane, and Speert stops making nifty combs. All very
unlikely, at least for the time being. It’s been a good ride, Heller and
Hellman in the morning, Morton and Monk at night. And even if
the Testarossa didn’t make it out of the garage, the clunks that did
are still chugging along just fine.
ul’s interest in live performance in 1976
ices in remarks that can be found
In 1980, another friend, Charlie Sonrand that was being organized to play
>r fun. A bit later came the chance to
)rleans-style restaurant in New York
lit weeks, but in one form or another, it
:s. Tuesday nights at The Cajun, with
often is musical magic. The small
s about seven guys, but I’ve seen as
ito the space. On the right night, it’s as
ind there’s some pretty good stuff in this
This Is Not d Comb • 15
i
4
•i
i
�“JACKET DESIGN BY PAUL BACON
Stanley I Grand
the New York literary and
A sideman, Paul Bacon has played on
/% jazz scenes for decades. Rarely center stage, he is an accomJ- A. panist and collaborator whose solos interpret, expand upon,
color, and otherwise modify' and amplify' the main melodic theme.
In so doing, his vision has become an inseparable part of countless
compositions. As a long-time designer of dust jackets and record
albums, Bacon has performed an essential role in the creation,
positioning, and marketing of cultural products. Without doubt
every literate American has seen and held his work. Every serious
jazz fan has slipped a record into an album cover he designed or a
CD into one of his jewel cases. His contributions to the cultural
icons of our time are unparalleled. Yet he lives in his own Catch-22
C
(for which he designed the cover, Figure 7): everybody knoi>ws the
l.
• I
work, nobody knows the name.
Well not exactly. Authors have nothing but the highest regard for
Bacon’s work. Ira Levin (Rosemary’s Baby, Figure 15) wrote: “I know
of no designer whose book jackets stand so strongly as independent
art works while at the same time conveying perfectly the mood and
content of the books they serve. Paul Bacon is to jacket design what
Ella Fitzgerald is to singing.” Concerning the cover for his novel
Ragtime (Figure 30), E. L. Doctorow stated that it is “a classic of
book jacket design—simple and immensely evocative at the same
time.” In a letter dated May 19,1998, William Styron wrote, “I recall
the excitement I felt when I first saw Paul Bacon’s design for Nat
16
Turner [Figure 16]. It still seems to me a masterpiece of jacket design
and has remained prominently framed in my house for thirty' years.”
Robert Gottlieb, the legendary editor at Simon and Schuster,
recalled that “the first great jacket [Bacon] did for S & S was for
Meyer Levin’s Compulsion (Figure 5). Like all brilliant jackets, it
was utterly effective and utterly unlike any other jacket The same
was true of his work for Catch-22 [and] The Andromeda Strain"
(Figures 7,19).
Paradoxically, anonymity has given Bacon freedom to employ his
urbane and understated wit, which abounds with subtle visual puns.
I lis wit is dry, sharp, playful, and at times erudite, but never biting.
When asked for a blurb, Joseph I Idler, for whom Bacon designed
numerous dust jackets, responded with a pun of his own: “The
coverage of my life as an author from ‘Catch-22,’ in 1961, to ‘Closing
Time,’ 33 years later, may be unique in publishing.”
The “coverage" of books with paper wrappings is a nineteenth
century innovation that assumed a new' role in the twentieth cen
tury. As Steven Heller and Seymour Chwast point out in Jackets
Required (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1995), the venerable
English firm of Longmans & Co. first introduced the dust wrapper
or jacket in 1833 to protect their books from London’s ubiquitous
soot and smog. For the next seventy or eighty years, the unadorned,
for the most part plain brown wrapper was the standard book cover
ing. I hen, around 1910, publishers started to include “blurbs —
short quotations from recogui.wd authorities affirm
excellence of the work at hand— on the jackets as;
the prospective buyer. Willi the shift from protects
design assumed an important role.
Broadly speaking, jacket designs may be classific
consisting of pure (although seldom simple) letteri
containing illustrations. The best designers, like Pr
design a cover either typograpically or pictorially. 1
jackets that relied solely on lettering, Bacon brougl
master}' of freehand lettering (he relied on calligra
set type), a linear sensibility, a broad knowledge of
and historic type faces, and a delight in the challei
within the constraints of designing small rectangul
conjunction of these factors is readily apparent in 1
1 lenry Pleasants’s T/ie Great Singers: From the Dai
Our Own Time, 1966 (Figure 15). Bacon has taken
format, much favored by the countless dignitaries '
stare out at us from old engravings, to create a perioi
has decorated further with shells and swags, garlanc
die, and of course, beautiful lettering. In his picto
number of which will be considered in this essay,
was to distill an essential characteristic of the work
Although Bacon had designed a number of recc
in the late 1940s, his first book project was the jack
tions for Bill Westley’s Chimp on My Shoulder, 19:
Westley had gone to Africa on behalf of the high-r
Anthropoid Ape Research Foundation, which was
raising chimps for laboratory' experiments. Findinj
short of good breeding stock, the foundation dispa
the Belgian Congo, where he had many adventun
flora and fauna — including snakes, missionaries, r
chimps—large numbers of which he trapped and
Florida.
�e a masterpiece of jacket design
d in my house for thirty years.”
at Simon and Schuster.
icon] did for S &' S was for
. Like all brilliant jackets, it
: any other jacket The same
j The Andromeda Strain'
Bacon freedom to employ his
lounds with subtle visual puns,
nes erudite, but never biting,
r, for whom Bacon designed
i a pun of his own: ‘‘The
‘Catch-22,’ in 1961, to ‘Closing
1 publishing."
wrappings is a nineteenthv role in the twentieth cenhwast point out in Jackets
ooks, 1995), the venerable
introduced the dust wrapper
from London’s ubiquitous
eight}'years, the unadorned,
was the standard book cover
ted to include “blurbs”—
short quotations from recognized authorities affirming the overall
excellence of the work at hand —on the jackets as an inducement to
the prospective buyer. With the shift from protection to marketing,
design assumed an important role.
Broadly speaking, jacket designs may be classified as either those
consisting of pure (although seldom simple) lettering or those
containing illustrations. The best designers, like Paul Bacon, could
design a cover either typograpically or pictorially. In designing
jackets that relied solei}' on lettering. Bacon brought to the process a
mastery of freehand lettering (he relied on calligraphy rather than
set type ), a linear sensibility, a broad knowledge of contemporary
and historic type faces, and a delight in the challenge of working
within the constraints of designing small rectangular spaces. The
conjunction of these factors is readily apparent in his jacket for
Henn Pleasants s The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to
Our Own Time. 1966 (Figure 13). Bacon has taken the oval portrait
format, much favored by the countless dignitaries whose visages still
stare out at us from old engraxings, to create a period design, which he
has decorated further with shells and swags, garlands and a cartou
che. and of course, beautiful lettering. In his pictorial designs, a
number of which will be considered in this essay, Bacon’s objective
was to distil] an essential characteristic of the work into an image.
.Although Bacon had designed a number of record album jackets
in the late 1940s, his first book project was the jacket and illustra
tions for Bill Westley’s Chimp on My Shoulder, 1950 (Figures 1-4).
Westlev had gone to .Africa on behalf of the high-minded-sounding
.Anthropoid Ape Research Foundation, which was in the business of
raising chimps for laboratory experiments. Finding itself running
short of good breeding stock, the foundation dispatched Westley to
the Belgian Congo, where he had many adventures with the local
flora and fauna —including snakes, missionaries, natives, and
chimps—large numbers of which he trapped and shipped off to
Florida.
Bacon’s illustrations for this book project contain the essence of
his fully developed style and sensibility. First and foremost, as Levin
observed above, Bacon has an ability to capture the mood and
content of the work. This he did with playful line drawings, strong
graphic design, economy of means, and subtle humor. The spare,
expressive linework of Figure 1 recalls that of the caricaturist Al
Hirschfeld, while Figure 2, shows Bacon’s ability to exploit the
expressive power of negative space. Mostly, however, the drawings
abound in a gentle lampooner}' that recalls a time, a half-century ago,
when vivisection, colonialism, and racism were viewed differently.
The jacket for William Styron’s The Confessions of Nat Turner,
1967, an explosive novel published during the height of the civil
rights movement, provides an example of the high-quality design
admired by others (Figure 16). Bacon, who always reads the book
prior to designing the jacket, knew that the novel centered on events
surrounding an 1831 Virginia slave rebellion led by Nat Turner, a
slave and preacher. The jacket design with its mixture of different
type faces recalls the typography found on the era’s escaped slave
notices. Although the lettering is freehand, it is based on the old
wooden type used in such notices. The irregular lines separating the
text elements further suggest hand-set wooden type. Bacon replaced
the American eagle that sometimes adorned these broadsides with
the silhouette of an avenging angel. This black angel not only
evokes countless representations of the Expulsion from the Garden
of Eden but also refers specifically to the fact that Turner, at the
time of his surrender, was armed only with “a small light sword.” In
William Styron’s view “the fiery red background and the black
avenging angel were matchlessly suited to the theme of slave insur
rection.” As a design, the jacket subtly balances Styron’s story of a
cataclysmic event that left fifty-nine whites dead and shattered
forever the illusions, if not the innocence, of the slave owners.
Thirty years later, Bacon designed the jacket for another contro
versial book dealing with race relations in old Virginia: Annette
“Jacket Design by Paul Bacon" ® 17
�Gordon-Reed’s Thomas Jefferson and Sally Flemings: An American
Controversy, 1997 (F igure 44). Because of its scandalous, if not
altogether new, argument that the black slave Sally' Flemings bore
children to the third president of the United States, practically' every
eminent Jeffersonian historian blasted the book when it first ap
peared. Recent DNA studies, however, have persuaded most, if not
all, of Gordon-Reed’s critics to abandon their objections. Bacon s
jacket depicts a three-quarter view of a tight-lipped Jefferson and a
profile silhouette of Flemings, whose features are unknown to the
artist. The portrait of Jefferson has a clear linear simplicity'. Values
are modulated bv scratching through the drawn lines and exposing
the white board underneath: some of Jefferson’s bangs, for example,
show simple hatching while others are cross-hatched. This design, in
which Hemings’s profile appears as a shadow cast by the great man,
subtlv echoes and reinforces the book’s thesis while simultaneously
creating a multiple visual pun on the concepts of secrets kept in the
dark and dark secrets. Finally, that he manages to produce such an
effective dust jacket within the economic limitations of two-color
printing is especially' admirable.
Bacon’s drawing facility is well demonstrated in the pen and ink
jacket design for Georges Simenon's The Little Saint, 1965 (Figure
12). A recently deceased French national treasure, whose passing is
mourned by all Francophiles, Simenon produced an astonishing
stream of mvsteries featuring Inspector Maigret. In this novel,
however, Simenon created, in his own words, a “perfectly serene
character,” namitely Louis, a child of the Paris slums at the start of the
twentieth century. Unperturbed by the squalor of his surroundings,
Louis maintains a happy, aloof, and detached outlook, which
continues even after he starts working in les Halles —the legendary'
food markets of central Paris now replaced by a shopping mall —
while struggling to become a painter. Bacon captures well Louis’s
gray monochrome world: the little boy in a frock standing on the
cobblestones beside his mother and her pushcart brimming with
j8
• The Graphic Art of Paul liacon
"gures, which occupy only the bottom qu; . r of
vegetables. The. figi
ibined with an atmosphere that evokes bone chilling,
the jacket, comb....
wintry rainy days in Paris, could easily convey a m<lood of desperation
and hardship, except for the bits of local color in the hair.
At times, like the jazz musician he is, Bacon exploits the physical
properties of color to create an unexpected effect. His jacket for
Norman Mailer’s An American Dream, 1965, contains a detail of the
American flag rendered in red, black, and blue (Figure 11). Accord
ing to Bacon, if one stares intently at the flag for a while and then
looks at a white wall, one will ‘see’ a true representation of Old
Glory. Thus the colors are more than an optical trick; they represent,
on a fundamental level, the perversion of the American dream,
which is the theme of Mailer’s book. But also, in subtle and punning
ways, the jacket does more. The story' concerns tire unmaking of
Stephen Richard Rojack, a war hero, ex-congressman, and all-around
aging golden boy, who (like Mailer himself) had basked in youthful
acclaim. Our hero, however, begins to self-destruct when he decides to
run as a Progressive Party' candidate during the election of 1948. After
this political debacle, he becomes a college professor, a popular
author, a television personality, and the husband of a rich but
difficult woman, whom he murders. Thus, properly, begins our story
of Rojack’s tortuous 32-hour odyssey through the hells of New York
City'. The cover, which seems to include a life-preserver from the
S.S. American Dream, evokes the desperation of a man overboard
and struggling to survive while simultaneously suggesting a clock
face with time running out. The late addition of a photograph of the
author’s girlfriend, at the request of Mailer himself I am told, com
pletes the design and seems to symbolize, on some level, the wide
spread challenges to authority' and received wisdom that character
ized the mid-1960s.
Bacon s ability' to capture the essence of a work is seen as well in
his jacket for William Golding’s The Spire, 1964 (Figure 9). 1 his,
Golding s third novel —he had previously enjoyed great succes de
scandale with Lord of the Flies—is concerned with tire fu
tragedy of the human spirit. The protagonists, one an ide
who seeks to add an immense steeple to his mighty cathe
the other a practical master-builder whose vision, unlike
dral’s somewhat shaky foundations, rests solidly on the gr
represent the eternal struggles between spirit and materi;
and modesty, soaring and plodding. The jacket with one
heavenward, blue like the sky, holds or perhaps offers the
unseen deity while the other, an angel or devil, looks ear
thee behind me, Satan! And yet was not Lucifer once th.
When is the line between worship and rivalry crossed?
A different type of worship is the subject of Ira Levin’s
Baby, 1967 ( Figure 15), a Gothic tale set in the Bramford
West Side building with a gargoyle facade and a long his
unpleasant events (murder, suicide) and people (baby er
ers). Into this milieu move the newlyweds Guy, an actor
Rosemary'. After the older couple next door befriend the
als, Guy’s career begins to take off. But the price is steep
mary learns when she becomes pregnant. Bacon’s ink ar
illustration depicts a rambling brownstone, complete wi
gables, and tower, whose distorted perspective and upwa
alludes to, if ever so discreetly, Rosemary’s ritual impreg
Ritual impregnation and more play a kev role in Thoi
Harvest Home, 1973; but here the final scene takes place
woods just outside a Norman Rockwellesque town (Figi
story follows Ned Constantine, a Madison Avenue type ’
from the city to build a new and better life for his family
New England hamlet of Cornwall Coombe. His dream
vision come to a shattering conclusion when he stares u
forbidden mysteries of Harvest Home, a modern chapte
old, and often bloody, worship of Demeter. Bacon’s agit
pen-and-ink drawing stacks up all the elements of the frenz
the Moon of No Repentance, the black crow, idyllic C<
�he bottom quarter of
it evokes bone-chilling,
y a mood of desperation
r in the hair.
n exploits the physical
feet. His jacket for
contains a detail of the
re (Figure 11). Accordfor a while and then
esentation of Old
?al trick; they represent.
American dream,
a subtle and punning
the unmaking of
isman, and all-around
1 basked in youthful
uct when he decides to
election of 1948. After
fessor, a popular
nd of a rich but
rperlv, begins our storv
he hells of New York
(-preserver from the
of a man overboard
' suggesting a clock
of a photograph of the
nself I am told, comome level, tire widcsdom that characterork is seen as well in
14 (Figure 9). This,
yed great succes de
scandale with Lord of the Flies—is concerned with the fundamental
tragedy of the human spirit. The protagonists, one an idealistic dean
who seeks to add an immense steeple to his mightv cathedral and
the other a practical master-builder whose vision, unlike the cathe
dral’s somewhat shake foundations, rests solidlv on the ground,
represent the eternal struggles between spirit and material, hubris
and modesty. soaring and plodding. The jacket with one figure, eyes
heavenward, blue like the sky. holds or perhaps offers the spire to an
unseen deity while the other, an angel or devil, looks earthward. Get
thee behind me. Satan! And yet was not Lucifer once the favorite?
When is tire line between worship and rivalry’ crossed?
A different type of worship is the subject of Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s
Baby. 196- (Figure 15). a Gothic tale set in the Bramford, an Upper
West Side building with a gargoyle facade and a long history' of
unpleasant events (murder, suicide) and people (baby eaters, conjur
ers,. Into this milieu move tire newlvweds Guy, an actor, and
Rosemary. After the older couple next door befriend the new arriv
als. Guy’s career begins to take oft. But the price is steep, as Rose
man' learns when she becomes pregnant. Bacon’s ink and gouache
illustration depicts a rambling brownstone, complete with gargoyles,
gables, and tower, whose distorted perspective and upward thrust
alludes to. if ever so discreetly. Rosemary’s ritual impregnation.
Ritual impregnation and more play a key role in Thomas Tryon’s
Harvest Home, 1973; but here the final scene takes place in the
woods just outside a Norman Rockwellesque town (Figure 25). The
storv follows Ned Constantine, a Madison Avenue type who escapes
from the citv to build a new and better life for his family in the small
New England hamlet of Cornwall Coombe. His dream and his
vision come to a shattering conclusion when he stares upon the
forbidden mysteries of Harvest Home, a modern chapter in the ageold, and often bloody', worship of Demeter. Bacon's agitated, colored
pen-and-ink drawing stacks up all the elements of the frenzied ritual:
the Moon of No Repentance, the black crow, idyllic Cornwall
Coombe, corn stalks and ears, the wild celebrants, the barn, tomb
stones, a death’s head scarecrow, and the raised sickle commencing
its bloody rendezvous with the Harvest Lord’s throat.
While the rituals in Harvest Home have ancient roots, Thomas
Berger’s novel Regiment of Women, 1973, looks forward to relations
between tire sex'es in 2125 (Figure 24). Things have changed and not
changed; women rule but no social improvement is apparent. Men
have silicon enhanced breasts; and one of them, Georgie Cornell (a
twenty-nine year old secretary' being treated for frigidity' by a psychia
trist who favors paste-on beards and dildos) is having difficulties adjust
ing. To capture the topsy-turvy structure of the new world order, Bacon
appropriated Ingres’s famous tondo of The Turkish Bath, 1863, and
switched genders in this harem scene of erotic fantasy.
But perhaps the final word on the gender wars might well be
Harry' Crews’s mordant The Gypsy’s Curse, 1974 (Figure 27). The
eponymous curse, paraphrased and sanitized a bit, is “may you find a
woman who fits you.” The curse falls upon Marvin Molar, a deaf
mute with withered stumps (or more precisely appendages) in place
of legs, who has found a home at the Fireman’s Gym in Tampa,
Florida, where he handwalks around, reads upscale magazines and
authors like Graham Greene, or entertains children and housewives
with his marvelous balancing acts. When a woman enters Marvin’s
halcyon world, it undergoes a drastic dislocation. His fate is sealed;
the curse is fulfilled; there is nothing he won’t do! Bacon captures
the humor of Crews’s novel by depicting Marvin’s head dangling
between his leg-like arms like misplaced (or not) genitalia.
In 1930, Henry' Pits observed that “A collection of contemporary
book jackets serves as a barometer of interest and taste. They will
carry' the flavor of our age as effectively as the Victorian valentines or
the early English chapbooks do theirs.” (Quoted in Heller and
Chwast, Jackets Required.) Whereas many of the great jacket designs
from the 1920s and 30s reflected a knowledge of art modems, Bauhaus, or Constructivist design principles, the covers produced by
"Jacket Design by Paul Bacon" • 19
?
�!
Paul Bacon show none of that commitment to a particular school of
design. Rather his designs tend to be more individualized; they
respond to the specifies of individual commissions. But then ours is
an eclectic era that is not dominated by any single style, so it is not
unexpected that designers would have a variety of expressions.
This flexibility also reflects a period in publishing that is fast
disappearing. During most of Bacon’s career, designers were free
lancers. who could produce professional results on tight deadlines
and at a relatively low cost. (Typically, Bacon spends three weeks on
a jacket design: two weeks for reading the book and making a full
blown sketch and one week for finalizing the design once it has
been approved.) Working closely with editors, these artists and
20 • The Graphic Art 0/ Paul Bacon
designers enjoyed a great degree of freedom and frequently ei;
j
irony, humor, or visual puns as in the jackets for E. J. Kahn, ' .
Big Drink: The Story of Coca-Cola, i960 (Figure 6).
Hank O’Neal has argued persuasively that Bacon’s career is
intimately and inextricably linked to the world of jazz. Those
interconnections between music and art epitomize a time when the
literary and musical worlds were less balkanized, or, for that matter,
specialized. Now, as the publishing industry increasingly consoli
dates, as advances to authors reach the stratosphere, as movie rights
become increasingly lucrative, and as promotion budgets swell,
layers of management have proliferated, and independents such as
Paul Bacon are becoming anachronisms. It is a loss.
ra—
2?
7T
1-4 Bill Westley
Chimp on My Shoulder
E. P, Dutton, 1950
Courtesy Paul Bacon Studio
�edom and frequently employed
jackets for E. J. Kahn, Jr’s. The
;6o (Figure 6).
ely that Bacon’s career is
the world of jazz. Those
art epitomize a time when the
jalkanized, or, for that matter,
idustiy increasingly consolie stratosphere, as movie rights
promotion budgets swell,
■d, and independents such
ns. It is a loss.
-■j
1-4 Bill Westley
Chimp on My Shoulder
E. P. Dutton, 1950
Courtesy Paul Bacon Studio
W
�Com5!
ft B
■
anove^Z)^. AtHYCR EEVlN
5
Meyer Levin
Compulsion
Simon and Schuster, 1956
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc.
6
E. J. Kahn, Jr.
The Big Drink: The Story of Coca-Cola
Copyright 1950, © 1959, i960 by E.J. Kahn, Jr.
Reprinted by permission of Random House, In,
7
Joseph Heller
Catch-22
Simon and Schuster, 1961
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc.
�I <■
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lb
K
8
7
>ry of Coca-Cola
9, i960 by EJ. Kahn, Jr.
jd of Random House, Inc.
Joseph Heller
Catch-22
Simon and Schuster, 1961
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Ken Kesey
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Copyright © 1962,1990 by Ken Kesey
Used by permission of Viking Penguin,
a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc.
�Arthur
Hailey
>TAX,,VI^
I
Hollo
9
William Golding
The Spire
Harcourt, Brace & World, 1964
Courtesy Paul Bacon Studio
10
■ MM
Arthur Hailey
Hotel
Doubleday, 1965
Courtesy Bantam Doubleday Dell
11
Norman Mailer
An American Dream
Dial Press, 1965
Courtesy Bantam Doubleday Dell
�«
fair
s
L'S?
r '^.,s
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11
oubleday Del]
Norman Mailer
An American Dream
Dial Press, 1965
Courtesy Bantam Doubleday Dell
12
Georges Simenon
The Little Saint
Harcourt, Brace & World, 1965
Courtesy Paul Bacon Studio
■■
■
�TH E TIME OF
FMEiWW
The first collection ol short stories since
THE DELICATE PREY
Paul
Bowles
13
Henry Pleasants
The Great Singers:
From the Dawn of Opera to Our Own Time
Simon and Schuster, 1966
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, In
14 Paul Bowles
rhe lime of Friendship
Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1967
Courtesy Paul Bacon Studio
15
Ir* Levin
^rnary . Bq,
R()Pyr,g|lt y
(
printed b. '
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Ptnni
l<‘VIn
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l
I
a
A Novel by IK A LI XIX
b
s
A darkly brilliant tile uf modern ikrihn that, like James'
I
. > RX OF THE SCRFM, induces the reader to believe the
tinbelievible. 1 believe.! it and was altogether enthralled.”
M THE
-TRUMAN CAPOTE
1 --.T
I
■:
Confessions
OF
BA
i
N«A Turner
Hohs >•
11
■S
4 KISS BEFORE
L’ViXi;
1
A
i
BY
I
WILLIAM
STYRON
KAX I> <» M HOI s 1: BOOK
J
15
Ira Levin
Rosemary’s Baby
Copyright © 1967 by Ira Levin
Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.
16
William Styron
The Confessions of Nat Turner
Copyright © 1966,1967 by William Styron
Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.
I
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17
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Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Childrens Crusade:
A Duty-Dance with Death
Del] Pub. Co., 1968
Courtesy Bantam Doubleday Dell
18
John Cheever
Bullet Park
Alfred A. Knopf, 1969
Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, In
19
Michael Crichton
The Andromeda Strain
Al frcd A. Knopf, 1969
Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Km
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ANDROMEDA
STRAIN
A NOVEL
MICHAEL CRICHTON
»9
Michael Crichton
J
1
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THE
A
of Alfred A. Knopf, In
T
20
Philip Roth
The Andromeda Strain
Portnoy’s Complaint
Alfred A. Knopf, 1969
Copyright © 1969 by Philip Roth
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23
21
Ernest Hemingway
Islands in the Stream
Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1970
Courtesy Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
22
S. J. Perelman
Baby, It’s Cold Inside
Simon and Schuster, 1970
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc,
JACK KEO
Jack Kerouac
Visions of Cody
McGraw-Hill, 1972
Used with permission of John Sampas, literary rc
of the Estate of Jack and Stella Kerouac
�7°
aster, Inc.
REGIMENT
OF WOMEN
THOMAS
BERGER
3
A
-
j
Mr
A <
1
s
23 Jack Kerouac
Visions of Cody
McGraw-Hill, 1972
Used with permission of John Sampas, literary representative
of the Estate of Jack and Stella Kerouac
24 Thomas Berger
Regiment of Women
Simon and Schuster, 1973
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc.
�I
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•
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■
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H
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---------- -----
h
n0Vt'l h'
author of
The Other
■^HARVEST
K- home
&
R''THOMAS
xSKSjTRTON
\;*Sk
■
III
25 Thomas Tryon
Harvest Home
Alfred A. Knopf, 1973
Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, Ini
w
■Ki
WH
-j,
�i
J
n the author of
Other
RVEST
HOME
IOMAS
IRYOA
i
row®
i
1
-
I
RobertMoses andtheFallofNewark
t
»!
26 Robert A. Caro
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Alfred A. Knopf, 1974
Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
27 Harry Crews
The Gypsy's Curse
Alfred A. Knopf, 1974
Reprinted by permission of .Alfred A. Knopf, In<
�r~—■.----------
ZEN
I AND
!
SHOGII
A NOVEL OF JAPAN
JAMES
CLAVELL
book of Dai
I
MOTORCYCLE
[MAINTENANCE
I,
J
An Inquiry into Values
E.- L DOCTOKO'
ROBERT M. PIRSIG
28 Robert M. Pirsig
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
An Inquiry into Values
William Morrow & Co., 1974
Courtesy William Morrow & Company, Inc
29 James Clave]]
Shogun
Atheneum, 1975
ourtesy Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
30 E. L. Doctorow
Ragtime
Copyright © 1974,1975 by E. L. Doctorow
Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.
�Bl
KUN
LOF JAPAN
I
JAMES
CLAXELL
MargaretAhvood
!
I
ft novel 6Y THE AUTHOR Of eje) ^
book of Darviel
:A
■
I.BOIA
ELDOCTOKOW
ision of Simon & Sell uster, Ini
30 E. L. Doctorow
Ragtime
Copyright © 1974,1975 by E. L. Doctorow
Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.
H
a novel
31
Margaret Atwood
Lady Oracle
Simon and Schuster, 1976
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc.
HHHI
H
ituw i'Mjgr idotct
�dB
I
I
n
L
Lo^S
rT\
|A
/
X<
'j
1
S4
Robb* CooV
Courtesy^' ’
lcAoss
tou'sMcA
Cove'1*1’1
()\w<-r Vj.hA .
■
'I he Rembrandt Panel
V
Brossn miA (,<>rap t’>1
(.•,<>urt</,y \.»nV Hr«>v.n «Ws4’
�COOK
A
THE
REMBRANDT
PANEL
A NOVEL
OLIVER BANKS
THE
TREASURE
OF
SAINTE FOY
A
NOVEL
MacDonald Harris
34 Oliver Banks
The Rembrandt Panel
Little, Brown and Company, 1980
Courtesy Little, Brown and Company
35 MacDonald I larris
The Treasure of Sainte Foy
Atheneurn, 1980
Courtesy Paul Bacon Studio
�If
I
“A tense, shrewdly modulated sea adventure in which
a quartet of indentured Scandinavians attempt < ■. ajx
from Russian America (1858 Alaska) in a stolen
canoe, a Pacific journey far more rugged ‘than tl>r
plain arithmetic of its inilti' .
Doig deftly pilot*
[hi,i] crew through a punishing journey to Ardorin
(Oregon), maintaining a high level of tension,
prate nwn.
testing the rocky emotional water* of draper
Readers wlin hailed Thii Hatue of Sky and H'l.itrr
Brothen will find | tint] Doigcuntinu*.*a-, «pr
writer of exulting originality . . . A polishhad
chronicle of physical and spiritual endurance.’’
Knuct •> Rrvn
axovu by ihi
\i iHoitoi
IVAN DOIG
1-
36 Ivan Doig
The Sea Runners
Atheneum, 1982
Courtesy Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Gill
r"r' |e(l
Atiu
’"I
r'V Scr
�I
OR
i
•J
f'i
A
i
\ 0 V E L
mers
OUSE OF SKY
)IG
GaryJennings
37 Gary Jennings
Aztec
Atheneum, 1980
Courtesy Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
38 Mario Puzo
The Sicilian
Simon and Schuster/Linden Press, 1984
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc.
�i
g
I
"1
s
r
I
S-1
Obmutms
SELECTED SPEECHES AND ESSAYS
1982-1984
PACO.
STOW
Henry Kissinger
i
HIG
F
A NOV E I.
LARRY HEINEMANN
AUTHOR OF CLOSE QUARTERS
39 Henry Kissinger
Observations: Selected Speeches and Essays, 1982-1984
Little, Brown and Company, 1985
Courtesy Little, Brown and Company
40 Larry’ Heinemann
Paco’s Story
Farrar Straus Giroux, 1986
Courtesy Paul Bacon Studio
41 Jack Higgins
The Eagle Has Flown
Simon and Schuster, 1991
Courtesy Simon & Schuster,
�OS
•RY
HIGGINS
' E'ER rriE author of The Eagle Has Landed
LEEWUEEE
f The Essential
Wisdom and Lore
fl
J
<EMANN
® from a Lifetime
of Salmon Fishing
MWOHOH
4 ELY-.
Edited byJOHN MERWIN™
E QUARTERS
41
Jack Higgins
The Eagle Has Flown
Simon and Schuster, 1991
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc.
42 Lee Wulff
Salmon on a Fly
Simon and Schuster, 1992
Courtesy Simon & Schuster, Inc.
�T
f
eddie condor9!
SALLY
HEMINGS
LrOOTT SHOT!
featuring
JACK TEAGARDEN
GLENN MILLER
COLEMAN HAWKINS
PEE WEE RUSSELL
red McKenzie
A
AN
AMERICAN
IF
CONTROVERSY
Annette Gordon-Reed
_____J
43 Steven Goldberg
Culture Clash: Law and Science in America
New York University Press, 1994
Courtesy Paul Bacon Studio
44 Annette Gordon-Reed
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings:
An American Controversy
University Press of Virginia, 1997
Reprinted with permission of the
University Press ofVirginia
45
Eddie Condon
Eddie Condon’s Hot Shots
“X” Vault Originals (a product of RCA)
Used courtesy of The RCA Records Label,
A Unit of BMG Entertainment
��g
E
g
L
El
I
vibes
47 Bud Powell
The Amazing Bud Powell
Blue Note
Courtesy Capitol Records
I
48 Milt Jackson
Wizard of the Vibes
Blue Note
Courtesy Capitol Records
■
49 John Eaton
Made in America
Chiaroscuro
Courtesv Chiaroscuro Records
�?
E NOTE LP 5011
J
ZZJ
\
WASHINGTON, D.C.
^p=
J\ §wI/zG
.1
4
1
MADE IN AM ERICA
i
■Zi
c
J
FLOATING
49 John Eaton
Made in America
Chiaroscuro
Courtesy Chiaroscuro Records
JAZZ
50 New York Swing
Live at the 1996 Floating Jazz Festival
Chiaroscuro
Courtesy Chiaroscuro Records
FESTIVAL
f
�EXHIb
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
“The Graphic Art of Paul Bacon” continues the tradition of “Cel
ebrations of Music and Art” at Wilkes University. Previous “Celebra
tions” have highlighted the musical and artistic talents of Bob
Haggart (1984), Pee Wee Russell and George Wettling (1986), and
Mel Powell (1987).
Working on the current exhibition has been a pleasure. Not only
have I had the privilege of getting to know Paul Bacon—a gentleman
if ever there was one—graphic artist extraodinaire, smooth swing
vocalist, and master of the hot comb, but 1 have also come to under
stand why so many authors, editors, and musicians have such a
special regard for Paul. The generosity and warmth with which these
individuals have responded to queries have been enlightening.
Special thanks must go to E. L. Doctorow, Robert Gottlieb, Ira
Levin, Frank Metz, and William Styron. In addition, Hank O’Neal
46
specifically wishes to thank Lorraine Gordon, Bob Greene, Joseph
Heller, Conrad Janis, Orrin Keepnews, Harris Lewine, and, of course,
Paul Bacon, for supplying facts, quotes and encouragement in the
preparation of his article. The Sordoni Art Gallery is most grateful to
Flank O’Neal and Bob Greene for their wonderful, informative,
evocative, and heartfelt essays; and to Andrew J. Sordoni, III; whose
commitment to this project has been wholehearted and unwavering.
The Gallery wishes to thank the publishers and copyright holders
who have graciously allowed it to reproduce jackets or album covers
designed by Paul Bacon.
As always I appreciate the willingness of my colleagues Nancy L.
Grand, Robert J. Heaman, and James L. Merryman to
' read' and’
critique my essay.
-SIG
>n
underwriters
Friends of the Sordoni Art Gallery
M & T Bank
Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The John Sloan Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Wilkes University
�EXHIBITION UNDERWRITERS
:ene, Joseph
id, of course,
ment in the
lost grateful to
ormative,
ni, III; whose
d unwavering.
Tight holders
album covers
Friends of the Sordoni Art Gallery
M & T Bank
Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The John Sloan Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Wilkes University
SPONSORS
The Business Council
CBI-Creative Business Interiors
Mr. and Mrs. David C. Hall
Marquis Art and Frame
PNC Bank, NA
Panzitta Enterprises, In
ies Nancy L.
ad and
-SIG
47
�ADVISORY COMMISSION
Bonnie C. Bedford, Ph.D.
Freddie Bittenbender
Christopher N. Breiseth, Ph.D.
Marion M. Conyngham
Virginia C. Davis, Chair
Stanley I Grand, Ph.D.
Robert J. Heaman, Ph.D.
Mary Jane Henry'
Keith A. Hunter, Esq.
J. Michae] Lennon, Ph.D.
Melanie Maslow Lumia
Theo Lumia
Kenneth Marquis
Hank O’Neal
Arnold Rifkin
Charles A. Shaffer, Esq.
Susan Adams Shoemaker, Esq.
William Shull
Helen Farr Sloan
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Sanford B. Sternlieb, M.D.
Mindi Thalenfeld
Joel Zitofsky
STAFF
Stanley I Grand, Ph.D., Director
Nancy L. Grand, Coordinator
Earl W. Lehman, Preparator
Gallery Attendants
Deidre Blake
Marcy Fritz
Sarah Karlavage
Jill Klicka
Allison McGarvey
Casey Williams
Beth-Ann Witkowski
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Wilkes University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
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Title
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1999 May 8 The Graphic Art of Paul Bacon
Creator
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Paul Bacon
Hank O'Neal
Stanley I. Grand
Stanley I. Grand
Date
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1999 May 8 - June 6
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PDF
Description
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Known for his music, Paul Bacon is also known for his astounding illustrations. Illustrating the covers of books such as Catch-22 and Rosemary's Baby, Bacon's work is well known throughout the art and literary world.
Type
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Exhibition program
Subject
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Paul Bacon
illustration
illustrator
musician
music
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SAG
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/ac8f3e55bcb8fd3202c873f1204a9233.pdf
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��MOODS AI.{D STRUCTURES
The Paintings of William Sterling
Exhibition Curated by
Stanley I Grand
Essays by
Stanley I Grand
William Sterling
September 7-October ry, rggg
Sordoni Art Gallery Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
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�William Sterling: An Apprnciation
Stanley
I Grand
rNcn 1976, wnsN Wlrrtena SrsRI-INc began teaching at Wilkes College (now Wilkes University),
I're l-ras l-rad a profound ir-rfluence on the area's artistic and intellectual life. As Professor of
Painting and Art History, Chair of the Art Department (ry76-ry9o), and Director of the
Sorcloni Art Gallery Q979-ryBz); Sterling l-ras been a teacher and mentor of young artists. As a
curator and author ofexhibition catalogues on a wide variety ofsubjects, he has sought to expand
ottr rtnclerstanding of historical and contemporary artists. In addition, he has continued to paint and
cxhibit his own work, participating regr-rlarly in faculty and regional exhibitions.
Stcrling's career has straddled the line between artist-creator and art historian-curator. After
gracluating in 1959, with a degree in Fine Arts from The College of Williarn and Mary, he attended
gracluate school at the University of Iowa. Although initially he planr-red to concentrate in sculpture,
painting and, increasingly, art history captured his energies. Duiing the late r96os, he taught art
history at Lawrence University, a small, liberal arts school in Appleton, Wisconsin (1967-1969). After
conrpleting his Ph.D. at Iowa with a dissertation entitled "The Iconography of the Wedding at Cana
in Western Art of the r4th, r5th, and r6th Centuries," Sterling taught at Arizona State University
Q97o-rg77) and at Chathanr College, Pittsbr-rrgh (1973-1976) before moving to Wilkes, where he was
thc sole art historian in a department consisting primarily of studio artists. In this environment,
Stcrling rediscovered his own commitment to creating art and begar-r to paint anew.
As a working artist, Sterling is involved primarily with aesthetic issues, which is to say that his
1>aintings deal with formal, compositional concerns and color relationships. He is more interested in
ctlges and how they meet than with expressing his own emotions. He has no particular interest in
cxtrinsic matters such as narrative, symbolism, iconography, or social messages. With few exceptions,
lrc has worked in a restrained, abstract manner, investigating the syntax of a formalist language.
lncleecl, these investigations frequently involve a series of paintings on a particular theme. His is a
rcfinecl, elegant, art for art's sake aesthetic that since Whistler has been a dominant leitmotif in
twcntieth-century vanguard art.
Blue Floater (1979, F igure r) illustrates a number of Sterling's concerns. A small canvas, verging on
rrrirtirnalisrn, it is sensuously painted with the surface animated by subtle contrasts that appear to
flicker or pulse. To the right, floats an open-ended square or lozenge with blurred edges. Although
Stcrling regards the square as a very neutral format, he recognizes that his placement of a square
withir-r a square recalls the modernist vocabulary of Kasimir Malevich or Josef Albers. This awareness
is the crux of his ongoing struggle to separate his individual vision from his knowledge of art history.
Whereas Blue Floater looks back to Mark Rothko and Color Field painting, Enter Spring Q986,
F igure z), with a bisected, vertical composition suggestive of two canvases, seems thoroughly charac-
�teristic of its decacle. The top portion of the painting contains geometric motifs tl'rat he had explorc<l
in his earlier "stair" series. Tl-rese are juxtaposecl witl-r the more expressive, dynamic sqtriggles otr llrt'
lower section, not totally ur-riike the "automatic writing" that so fascinatecl tl.re Strrrealists, which
Sterling woulcl subsequently explore further in his "Ravelir-rg" series. 'logetl-rer, the two "panels" olEnter Spring create an overall balance betrveen the conflicting irnperatives of rational desigr-r-stlrlctl
by flat, hard-edged surfaces-and intr-riiive expression, u,hich is looser and more painterly. Or, prrt
somewhat differently, this arcl-ritectonic, hierarchical painting suggests Sterling's resolution of thc
classic theme of dualism.
Althor-rgh Sterling would prefer not to iitle his paintings, believing that so doing detracts fron.r tlrt'
pr-rrely aesthetic experience, he does recognize ihat a title can provide an introduction to pair-rtings
llkeTuscany (1994, Figure 3), ufiich are informed by specific locales. Painted six months after a visil
to ltaly, Tuscany evokes the sumr-nery light of central Italy falling on tl-re trnsaturated, rnatte colors ol
the regior-r's weatherecl, stucco buildiirgs. Althougl-r the cornposition migl'rt strggest a flattcned or
forward-tiltecl fragrnent of the patterned floors so beloved by Renaissance artists, the painting morc
properiy refers back to an trntitlecl work fronr 1989. 1'his, the lirst of tl.re "Lozenge" series, expanclctl
on works srrch as BhrcFloater, by introclucing muitiple quadrilatcrals and triangles to forn a pattclrr
or field of intersecting cliagonals. Curiousl,v, considerir-rg the series' later developtnent, the earlicst
"lozenge" painting has a plastic quality that, or-r sonre level, recalls David Smith's Cubi sculptures.
Fields After Rain Q99g, Figure 4) seems to herald a new dircction in Sterling's art. Having retirctl
in 1999, he and his wife have moved to and are restoring an olcl stone hor-rse in Berks County.
Although he has alwavs drawn inspiration from nature, now, slrrrollnded by fields and the undulalirrg
countryside, landscape has become an increasingly in-rportant subject for hin-r. Nonetheless, l-re
renders tl-re landscape in a mo<lernist manner; his cor-nmitment to formalist concerns like pattenr irrrrl
design, color and the interaction of colors, tmth to n-raterials, and maintaining the tu,o-dimensiorr:tl
integritir of the canvas, remains unchanged. He bclieves, like all orthodox moderuists, that to pirirrl
ar.r illtrsion of tliree-climensional space is inhercr-rtlv contradictorl'ancl trntnrthful. His lartclscapcs
rer.n:rin al>stractions: l.re has no clesire to clcpict every pecrtliarity of his su1>ject in a rcalistic rlt:lt)lr('r,
but rathcr he seeks the esscrrcc or core of the scene rvhicl.r, ir-r turn, he converts into a fornral courl)o
sitior. Anrong the esse ntial components, of coursc, is the senst-rotts e lcnretrt, the be:ruty of thc
physical aspect, which he interprets not only'u'ith color but u,ith tcxture ancl sttrf:rcc as rvcll.
Thror-rghout his career as a painter, Sterling l-ras remained a steadlast Modernist. Hc has rettiaittt'tl
true to the ide:rls advocated by' Clement Greenberg and shunned the temptations o[ tl-re rnyriatl
movements-Pop, Minimalisrn, Conceptual, and all the Neos (Geo or Expressionisn-r), and thc
varieties of Postn-rodernism-that like u,aves breaking on the beach have swept across the cottlctrt;rrt
rary art scene. T'his has beer-r a conscious choice: he is u,ell acquainted rvith conternporary artistit'
theory, but his involverrent lvith these directions has been as a teacher and r-rot as an artist. IIr a
recent interview, Sterling noted "l lre\/er approached art ir-r a cloctrinaire nay. I atn a dernocrat irr
tenns of u4rat peoplc clo in their art.'l'hose lvho are sincere ideologucs shotrld do ideological n,orks.
Btrt I'nr a sincerc fon.nalist ancl so shoulcl bc doir-rg fornralist tork." TI.re paintings in this cxhil;ilion
unclerscore his long-stancling pursuit of this ideal.
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L,
�Enter Sping, ry86
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Tuscany, :794
�Fields After Rain, ry99
�Moods and Stntctures
William Sterling
T FIRST GLANCE, my painting over the past twenty-five years may look inconsistent. Like many
artists who are also teachers or administrators, I have, perforce, been a part-time painter. The
obligations of the classroom meant an irregular schedule in the studio, which frequently led to
cletours and delayed actions in my creative work. I think, however, the works in this exhibition relate
to a common center which one could call my "style" or, at the very least, my temperament and
rnodus operandi.
In fact, style, in the sense of visual form, is very much at the heart of my work. Philosophical
messages or realistic representation have rarely been my aims. I have followed that tradition of
Modernist Formalism which accepted that artistic form might resonate with a whole world of
experiences and emotions but in the end would sublimate that world within an abstract visual
language. Expression and communication of ideas were allusive and metaphorical while the visual
experience (or in music, say, the aural one) was "real" and essential from an aesthetic point of view.
What then is the common center of my particular style? I think it revolves-in a purely intuitive,
unprogrammatic way-around a basic duality that might be expressed as improvisation and design or
entropy and structure. One is always pulling at the other, like orbiting bodies. This is a not uncommon theme in art, but it can be expressed in many ways. My geometric shapes, for example, are
rarely hard edged or flatly colored like printed forms; by the same token, my spontaneous passages
are usually short bursts, or accents, within a more structured context. Close tones in hues are usually
played off against a greater range of warmth and intensity. Balance and harmony are often precarious. Whatever motifs ("sub jects," if you will) I might be using, some kind of tensive equilibrium is
sought between these dualities. Sometimes they are more or less evenly matched (e.g., Scaffolds Il
and Enter Spring). At other times, the design, like a superego, will seem to predominate (e.g.,
Tuscany or Fields). Rarely, if ever, do I go to the other-expressionist-extreme.
I used the word equilibium ralher than balance because the former connotes a more dynamic
relationship. Movement, whether linear or coloristic, is important in my work. Often I feel it to be
kinesthetic, an abstract reflection of a posture or gesfure. Again, my procedure is infuitive. Some inrage
(r-rot a "thing," more like a compositional motifl implants itself, and I begin to draw with it. Most of my
paintings are based on preliminary compositional sfudies where the exact positioning of the various forms
and nuances of color undergoes many changes. Nevertheless, despite any kinesthetic component in
rny procedure, the inspirations usually come from the natural environment of landscape and weather
ar-rd the design environment of architecture and pattern. Even music may play some kind of role.
Although I spent many years teaching art history, the art historical influences on my work are
cqually intuitive and are based on their compatibility with my aesthetic preferences rather than any
�ideological connection. For example, I admire Mondrian's minimalist play with equilibrium, but the
philosophical underpinnings of his style are not directly or specifically relevant to me. Like a good
mannerist, I pick up the forms that interest me visually, but not necessarily the messages. Still, at
some deeper level there is probably a connection, a similarity of temperament or attitude. Obviously
there are also important differences. Using the example of Mondrian again, his intense adjustments
of space were intentionally carried out at the expense of variations in color. In my work, the aesthetic
adjustments of color are at least as important as those of dimension. (The problem for the realist is to
see
color, for the abstractionist it is to feel color.)
Looking back chronologically, I can see my work swinging like a pendulum between the quieter,
more structured mode and the brasher, more improvisational mode (e.g., from the Fragments of the
late r97os to the bisected compositions of the mid-rg8os, then back to the Zpirals and BluBlox types
of the late r98os, and so forth). I haven't tried to relate my artistic evolution to life events in general.
Perhaps, as an art historian, I could; but as the saying goes, doctors shouldn't treat themselves. In
composing this statement about my art, I have felt a curiously disjunctive connection between my
historian's ob jectivity and my artist's intuitiveness. I don't know if there is huth in any of it.
Lest my titles imply a more deliberaie subject matter, except in the occasional representational
works, they are usually afterthoughts, sometimes merely descriptive, sometimes suggestions for
interpretation. I hope the viewer won't try too hard to find meaning in my abstractions, but will
rather attempt to sense their moods and shuctures.
�Checklist of the Exhibition
i' Dimensions are given in inches, height precedes width
t, Scaffolds
ll
zr. Tuscany
r97'
z,
1994
oil on canvas
pastel on paper
oil on
74x
2c x2c
48x4o
34
Fragments of a Square
11
p.
oil on
76x76
6oxz8
3. October
13,
r979
canvas
14
r979
oil on canvas
36x76
Arc Angle
16.
24. Fields
1998
pastel on paper
ryYz x z4
25. Tumover
x 7l+
oil on
1983
1992
pastel on paper
oil on
t2Xt2
)6x42
oil on canvas
1.,6xz4
Passage
1985
oil on canvas
+8r14
to. Enter Sping
r986
8.
16x16
I
6oxz8
oil on
After Rain
canvas
34x44
lll
28. Creensward
1993
pastel on paper
r8 x. zo
rg. Etergreen: Day
1999
oil on
)4x
6
Night
199)
canvas
44
29. Untitled
pencil & pastel on paper
1999
pastel on paper
rox16
21x14
zo. Cloud andYew Bushes
1994
canvas
27. Fields
1999
canvas
Ra'veling
lI
pastel on paper
canvas
?.6x+
r98+
colored pencil & pastel on paper
26. Tumover
rgg8
ry. Raveling
I
1gg8
16x16
Zpiral
pastel on paper
8. Phaeton
canvas
36x44
oil on canvas
54x 24
r990
oil on
1997
r989
r98r
Shorelines
Breaking Points
oil on
Long l-nzenge
6Yz
tzxt2
9.
4.
r990
gouache & ink on paper
o'0"'
6. ,\rid Zone
7.
BluBlox
15. Hemispheres
r98r
canvas
+x30
t6xz4
4. Blue Floater
l;'il"'"
oil on
canvas
r989
oil on canvas
6oxz4
5.
r996
oil on canvas
oil on
zz. Bruges
Noyember
1989,
ry78
canvas
oil on
3o. Untitled
1999
canvas
44x76
pastel on paper
9x13
�Exhibition (Jnderwriters
Advisory Commission
Friends of the Sordoni Art Gallery
Bonnie C. Bedford, Ph.D.
M&TBank
Freddie Bittenbender
Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The fohn Sloan Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Wilkes University
Christopher N. Breiseth, Ph.D.
r\
)ponsors
The Business Council
CBI-Creative Business Interiors
Marquis Art and Frame
PNC Bank, NA
Panzitta Enterprises, Inc.
Marion M. Conyngham
Virginia C. Davis, Chair
Stanley I Grand, Ph.D.
Robert J. Heaman, Ph.D.
Mary )ane Henry
Keith A. Hunter, Esq.
f. Michael Lennon, Ph.D.
Melanie Maslow Lumia
Theo Lumia
Kenneth Marquis
Hank O'Neal
Arnold Rifkin
Charles A. Shaffer, Esq.
Susan Adams Shoemaker, Esq.
William Shull
Staff
Stanley I Grand, Ph.D., Director
Nancy L. Grand, Coordinator
Earl W. Lehman, Preparator
Gallery Attendants
Helen Farr Sloan
Andrew ]. Sordoni, III
Sanford B. Sternlieb, M.D.
Mindi Thalenfeld
Joel Zitofsky
Deidre Blake
Peter Czwalina
Marcy Fritz
)ill Klicka
Christopher Rehmann
Casey Williams
rooo copies were printed
by Llewellyn & McKane
Catalogue design: )ohn Beck
Photography: Michael Thomas
Typeface: Electra
ISBN o-9429+S-r7-4
This catalogue has been made possible through
the generous support of Wilkes University, including the Offices of the President, the Vice President
for Academic Affairs, and the Dean of the College
of Arts, Sciences
&
Professional Studies.
���
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/46a959be3c601d4a03d5839cbb93d8da.pdf
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SORD GA
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1999
�1
MOODS AND STRUCTURES
i1
The Paintings of William Sterling
Exhibition Curated by
Stanley I Grand
Essays by
Stanley I Grand
William Sterling
E.S. FARLEY LIBRARY
WILKES UNIVERSITY
WILKES-BARRE, PA
■1
1
September 7-October ly, 1999
Sordoni Art Gallery, Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
t'l
1
�r.;
William Sterling.
I
1
Stanley’ I Grand
1976, when William Sterling began teaching
he has had a profound influence on the areas artist
k.J' Painting and Art History, Chair of the Art Depart™
Sordoni Art Gallery (1979-1982); Sterling has been a teacl
curator and author of exhibition catalogues on a wide vari
our understanding of historical and contemporary artists,
exhibit his own work, participating regularly in faculty an
Sterling’s career has straddled the line between artist-c
graduating in 1959, with a degree in Fine Arts from The (
graduate school at the University of Iowa. Although initia
painting and, increasingly, art history' captured his cnergii
history at Lawrence University, a small, liberal arts school
completing his Ph.D. at Iowa with a dissertation entitled
in Western Art of the 14th, 15th, and 16th Centuries,” Ster
(1970-1973) and at Chatham College, Pittsburgh (1973-K
the sole art historian in a department consisting primarily
Sterling rediscovered his own commitment to creating ar
As a working artist, Sterling is involved primarily with ;
paintings deal with formal, compositional concerns and <
edges and how they meet than with expressing his own ei
extrinsic matters such as narrative, symbolism, iconograp
he has worked in a restrained, abstract manner, investiga
Indeed, these investigations frequently involve a series of
refined, elegant, art for art’s sake aesthetic that since Wlr
twentieth-century vanguard art.
Blue Floater (1979, Figure 1) illustrates a number of St
minimalism, it is sensuously painted with the surface ani
flicker or pulse. To the right, floats an open-ended squari
Sterling regards the square as a very neutral format, he r<
within a square recalls the modernist vocabulary' of Kasir
is the crux of his ongoing struggle to separate his individ
Whereas Blue Floater looks back to Mark Rothko and
Figure 2), with a bisected, vertical composition suggests
ince
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Copyright © 1999 Sordoni Art Callery, Willea University
'/L5& s f
SS3»
I S
�William Sterling: An Appreciation
Stanley' I Grand
HIVES
-;7£5
3
S 3 IS
0 ince 1976, when William Sterling began teaching at Wilkes College (now Wilkes University)
he has had a profound influence on the area’s artistic and intellectual life. As Professor of " ’
O Painting and Art History, Chair of the Art Department (1976-1990), and Director of the
Sordoni Art Gallery (1979-1982); Sterling has been a teacher and mentor of young artists. As a
curator and author of exhibition catalogues on a wide variety of subjects, he has sought to expand
our understanding of historical and contemporary artists. In addition, he has continued to paint and
exhibit his own work, participating regularly in faculty and regional exhibitions.
Sterlings career has straddled the line between artist-creator and art historian-curator. After
graduating in 1959, with a degree in Fine Arts from The College of William and Mary, he attended
graduate school at the University of Iowa. Although initially he planned to concentrate in sculpture,
painting and, increasingly, art history captured his energies. During the late 1960s, he taught art
history at Lawrence University', a small, liberal arts school in Appleton, Wisconsin (1967-1969). After
completing his Ph.D. at Iowa with a dissertation entitled “The Iconography of the Wedding at Cana
in Western Art of the 14th, 15th, and 16th Centuries,” Sterling taught at Arizona State University
(1970-1973) and at Chatham College, Pittsburgh (1973-1976) before moving to Wilkes, where he was
the sole art historian in a department consisting primarily of studio artists. In this environment.
Sterling rediscovered his own commitment to creating art and began to paint anew.
As a working artist, Sterling is involved primarily with aesthetic issues, which is to say that his
paintings deal with formal, compositional concerns and color relationships. He is more interested in
edges and how they meet than with expressing his own emotions. He has no particular interest in
extrinsic matters such as narrative, symbolism, iconography, or social messages. With few exceptions,
he has worked in a restrained, abstract manner, investigating the syntax of a formalist language.
Indeed, these investigations frequently involve a series of paintings on a particular theme. His is a
refined, elegant, art for art’s sake aesthetic that since Whistler has been a dominant leitmotif in
twentieth-century vanguard art.
Blue Floater (1979, Figure 1) illustrates a number of Sterling’s concerns. A small canvas, verging on
minimalism, it is sensuously painted with the surface animated by subtle contrasts that appear to
flicker or pulse. To the right, floats an open-ended square or lozenge with blurred edges. Although
Sterling regards the square as a very neutral format, he recognizes that his placement of a square
within a square recalls the modernist vocabulary of Kasimir Malevich or Josef Albers. Phis awareness
is the crux of his ongoing struggle to separate his individual vision from his knowledge of art history.
Whereas Blue Floater looks back to Mark Rothko and Color Field painting, Enter Spring (1986,
Figure 2), with a bisected, vertical composition suggestive of two canvases, seems thoroughly charac-
I
j
■
i
1
!»
�teristic of its decade. The top portion of the painting contains geometric motifs that he had e ./
in his earlier “Stair” scries. These are juxtaposed with the more expressive, dynamic squiggles lower section, not totally unlike the "automatic writing” that so fascinated the Surrealists, whit:
Sterling would subsequently explore further in his “Raveling” series. Together, the two “pane!
Enter Spring create an overall balance between the conflicting imperatives of rational design— .
by flat, hard-edged surfaces—and intuitive expression, which is looser and more painterly. Or, pul
somewhat differently, this architectonic, hierarchical painting suggests Sterling’s resolution of the
li'i
■
classic theme of dualism.
Although Sterling would prefer not to title his paintings, believing that so doing detracts from the
purely aesthetic experience, he does recognize that a title can provide an introduction to painting
like Tuscany (1994, Figure 3), which are informed by specific locales. Painted six months after a visit
to Italy, Tuscany evokes the summery light of central Italy falling on the unsaturated, matte colors of
the region’s weathered, stucco buildings. Although the composition might suggest a flattened or
forward-tilted fragment of the patterned floors so beloved by Renaissance artists, the painting more
properly refers back to an untitled work from 1989. This, the first of the “Lozenge” series, expanded
on works such as Blue Floater, by introducing multiple quadrilaterals and triangles to form a pattern
or field of intersecting diagonals. Curiously, considering the scries’ later development, the earliest
“lozenge” painting has a plastic quality that, on some level, recalls David Smith’s Cubi sculptures
Fields After Rain (1999, Figure 4) seems to herald a new direction in Sterling's art. 1 laving retired
in 1999, he and his wife have moved to and are restoring an old stone house in Berks County.
Although he has always drawn inspiration from nature, now, surrounded by fields and the undulating
countryside, landscape has become an increasingly important subject for him. Nonetheless, he
renders the landscape in a modernist manner; his commitment to formalist concerns like pattern and
design, color and the interaction of colors, truth to materials, and maintaining the two-dimensional
integrity of the canvas, remains unchanged. He believes, like all orthodox modernists, that to paint
an illusion of three-dimensional space is inherently contradictory and untruthful. His landscapes
remain abstractions: he has no desire to depict every peculiarity of his subject in a realistic manner,
but rather he seeks the essence or core of the scene which, in turn, he converts into a formal compo
sition. Among the essential components, of course, is the sensuous element, the beautv of the
physical aspect, which he interprets not only with color but with texture and surface as well.
Throughout his career as a painter, Sterling has remained a steadfast Modernist. He has remained
true to the ideals advocated by Clement Greenberg and shunned the temptations of the myriad
movements Pop, Minimalism, Conceptual, and all the Neos (Geo or Expressionism), and the
varieties of Postmodernism —that like waves breaking on the beach have swept across the contempo
rary art scene. I his has been a conscious choice: he is well acquainted with contemporary artistic
theory, but his involvement with these directions has been as a teacher and not as an artist. In a
recent interview, Sterling noted I never approached art in a doctrinaire way. I am a democrat in
terms of what people do in their art. Those who are sincere ideologues should do ideological works.
But I’m a sincere formalist and so should be doing formalist work.” The paintings in this exhibition
underscore his long-standing pursuit of this ideal.
Blue bloater, 1979
�ains geometric motifs that he had explored
more expressive, dynamic squiggles on the
hat so fascinated the Surrealists, which
ing” series. Together, the two “panels” of
cting imperatives of rational design —stated
ich is looser and more painterly. Or, put
ting suggests Sterling’s resolution of the
;, believing that so doing detracts from the
can provide an introduction to paintings
ific locales. Paiirted six months after a visit
falling on the unsaturated, matte colors of
nposition might suggest a flattened or
ry Renaissance artists, the painting more
!ie first of the “Lozenge” series, expanded
adrilaterals and triangles to form a pattern
re series’ later development, the earliest
1, recalls David Smith’s Cubi sculptures.
direction in Sterling’s art. Having retired
n old stone house in Berks Count}'.
iv, surrounded by fields and the undulating
ant subject for him. Nonetheless, he
nent to formalist concerns like pattern and
ds, and maintaining the two-dimensional
ke all orthodox modernists, that to paint
dictory and untruthful. His landscapes
iarity of his subject in a realistic manner,
in turn, he converts into a formal compoensuous element, the beauty' of the
t with texture and surface as well.
:d a steadfast Modernist. He has remained
unned the temptations of the myriad
eos (Geo or Expressionism), and the
e beach have swept across the contempoacquainted with contemporary artistic
as a teacher and not as an artist. In a
a doctrinaire way. I am a democrat in
ideologues should do ideological works,
t work." The paintings in this exhibition
Blue Floater, 1979
��Tuscany, 199^
�Moods and Structures
i- •
\Wam Sterling
•a
* T FIRST GLANCE, my painting oxer the past tv.t.
A artists who are also teachers or administrators. 1 !
yVobligations of the classroom meant an irregular w
detours and delayed actions in my creative work I think
to a common center which one could call my “ style or.
modus operandi.
In fact, stvle, in the sense of visual form i ver1 muwi
messages or realistic representation have rare)', been my
Modernist formalism which accepted that art tic form
experiences and emotions but in the end would suhhim
language. Expression and communication of idea "■ r .
experience (or in music, say. the aural one; was ‘ rial a
What then is the common center of rny particular st’,
unprogrammatic wav — around a basic duality that mild
entropy and structure. One is always prilling at the -ahe
rnon theme in art. but it can be expre cd in man-, w .
rarely hard edged or flatlv colored like printed form.': lz.
are usually short burst . or accents, w ithin a ini re truct
played off again* t a greater range of warmth and ii.tv'ci
ous. Whatever motif;. f ” .ubjec b., ’ is ■;• ■■
W
sought between these dualities. Sometimes the; arc m
and Enter Springy At other times, the design, like a ii[
hrccitiy or Fields). Rarely, if ever, do 1 go to the otherI used the word equilibrium rather than balance bee;
relationship. Movement, whether linear or colon-tie. b i
( "r*
C’abrtTact reflection of a posture or gesture .
tnot a thing, more like a compositional motif; implant.
paintings
,
- are based
----- on preliminary compositional studies
a d nuances of color undergoes many changes Xevertl
andflre design
‘nSpHa,ions usua11' ^e from me
Although 1 enuronnicnt of architecture and patten
equalk munti^i ndr
nVed? teachin? -rt hi^are based on their compatibility v
�Moods and Structures
William Sterling
A T FIRST GLANCE. my painting over the past twenty-five years may look inconsistent Like many
/A artists who are also teachers or administrators, I have, perforce, been a part-time painter The
2 lobligations ot the classroom meant an irregular schedule in the studio, which frequently led to
detours and delayed actions m my creative work. I think, however, the works in this exhibition relate
to a common center which one could call my “style” or, at the very least, my temperament and
modus operandi.
In fact style, in the sense of usual form, is very much at the heart of my work. Philosophical
messages or realistic representation have rarely been my aims. I have followed that tradition of
Modernist Formalism which accepted that artistic form might resonate with a whole world of
experiences and emotions but in the end would sublimate that world within an abstract visual
language. Expression and communication of ideas were allusive and metaphorical while the visual
experience (or in music, say, the aural one) was “real” and essential from an aesthetic point of view.
What then is the common center of my particular style? I think it revolves—in a purely intuitive,
unprogrammatic way—around a basic duality that might be expressed as improvisation and design or
entropy and structure. One is always pulling at the other, like orbiting bodies. This is a not uncom
mon theme in art. but it can be expressed in many ways. My geometric shapes, for example, are
rarelv hard edged or flatly colored like printed forms; by the same token, my spontaneous passages
are usually short bursts, or accents, within a more structured context. Close tones in hues are usually
played ott against a greater range of warmth and intensity. Balance and harmony are often precari
ous. Whatever motifs ("subjects,” if you will) 1 might be using, some kind of tensive equilibrium is
sought between these dualities. Sometimes they are more or less evenly matched (e.g., Scaffolds II
and Enter Sprang ). At other times, the design, like a superego, will seem to predominate (e.g.,
Tuscany or Fields). Rarelv, if ever, do I go to the other—expressionist—extreme.
1 used the word equilibrium rather than balance because the former connotes a more dynamic
relationship. Movement, whether linear or coloristic, is important in my work. Often I feel it to be
kinesthetic, an abstract reflection of a posture or gesture. Again, my procedure is intuitive. Some image
not a tiling,’ more like a compositional motif) implants itself, and I begin to draw with it. Most of my
paintings are based on preliminary compositional studies where the exact positioning of the various fomrs
and nuances of color undergoes many changes. Nevertheless, despite any kinesthetic component in
rny procedure, the inspirations usually come from the natural environment of landscape and weather
and the design environment of architecture and pattern. Even music may play some kind of role.
Although I spent many years teaching art history, the art historical influences on my work are
equally intuitive and are based on their compatibility with my aesthetic preferences rather than any
I
I
!
�I! I
i|‘ '>
■
l! i ’
I
ideological connection. For example, I admire Mondrian's minimalist play with equilibrium, but the
philosophical underpinnings of his style are not directly or specifically relevant to me. Like a good
mannerist, I pick up the forms that interest me visually, but not necessarily the messages. Still, at
some deeper level there is probably a connection, a similarity of temperament or attitude. Obviously
there are also important differences. Using the example of Mondrian again, his intense adjustments
of space were intentionally carried out at the expense of variations in color. In my work, the aesthetic
adjustments of color are at least as important as those of dimension. (The problem for the realist is to
see color, for the abstractionist it is to feel color.)
Looking back chronologically, 1 can see my work swinging like a pendulum between the quieter,
more structured mode and the brasher, more improvisational mode (e.g., from the Fragments of the
late 1970s to the bisected compositions of the mid-1980s, then back to the Zpirals and BluBlox types
of the late 1980s, and so forth). I haven’t tried to relate my artistic evolution to life events in general.
Perhaps, as an art historian, I could; but as the saying goes, doctors shouldn’t treat themselves. In
composing this statement about my art, I have felt a curiously disjunctive connection between my
historian’s objectivity and my artist’s intuitiveness. I don’t know if there is truth in any of it.
Lest my titles imply a more deliberate subject matter, except in the occasional representational
works, they are usually afterthoughts, sometimes merely descriptive, sometimes suggestions for
interpretation. I hope the viewer won’t try too hard to find meaning in my abstractions, but will
rather attempt to sense their moods and structures.
Checklist of the Exhibitio
Dimensions are given in inches, height precedes width.
1. Scaffolds II
‘975
oil on canvas
34 x 34
-> Fragments of a Square II
" ‘9/8
oil on canvas
36 x 36
11. Chainlink
1989
pastel on paper
3. October
‘979
oil on canvas
60 x 24
13. BluBlox
1989
oil on canvas
36x24
4. Blue Floater
‘979
oil on canvas
36 x 36
14. Long Lozenge
>989
oil on canvas
54X24
15. Hemispheres
199°
gouache &- ink on pa[
614 x 714
5. Arc Angle
1981
pastel on paper
12 x 12
6. Arid Zone
1981
pastel on paper
12 x 12
7. Shorelines
‘983
pastel (on paper
12 x 12
20 x 20
12. November
1989
oil on canvas
60 x 28
16. Zpiral
199°
oil on canvas
36x42
17. Raveling I
‘992
oil on canvas
36 x 42
8. Phaeton
1984
oil on canvas
>6 x 24
18. Raveling III
‘993
pastel on paper
9- Passage
‘985
oil on canvas
48 x 14
19. Evergreen; Day & Nig
‘993
pencil & pastel on pa
Enter Spring
oil on canvas
60 x 28
18 x 20
10 x 16
20. Cloud and Yen’ Bushe
‘994
oil on canvas
44X 36
�Mondrian’s minimalist play with equilibrium, but the
it directly or specifically relevant to me. Like a good
visuallv. but not necessarily the messages. Still, at
5
Checklist of the Exhibition
Dimensions are given in inches, height precedes width.
on, a similarity of temperament or attitude. Obviouslv
example of Mondrian again, his intense adjustments
epense of variations in color. In my work, the aesthetic
; those of dimension. (The problem for the realist is to
i.
II
oil on canvas
iid-ig8os. then back to the Zpirals and BluBlox types
34x 34
z. Fras~::n:£s ofa Square II
19'S
oil on canvas
36 x 36
1 relate my artistic evolution to life events in general,
3. October
■)
vork swinging like a pendulum between the quieter,
nprovisational mode (e.g.. from the Fragments of the
24. Fields
1998
pastel on paper
5. At Angle
19S1
pastel on paper
’5- Hemispheres
>99°
gouache & ink on paper
656 x y!4
25. Turnover I
1998
colored pencil & pastel on paper
16 x 16
6. Arid Zone
1981
pastel on paper
16. Zpiral
26. Turnover II
1998
pastel on paper
16 x 16
oil on canvas
60 x 24
es.
4. Blue Floater
1979
oil on canvas
36x56
Shorelines
1985
paste] on paper
12 X 12
8. Phaeton
>9’4
oil on canvas
56x24
9. Passage
J05 ”
oil on canvas
48x14
io. Enter Spring
1986
oil on canvas
60x28
199°
oil on canvas
36 x 42
17J/2 X 24
17. Raveling I
1992
oil on canvas
36 x 42
27. Fields After Rain
18. Raveling III
28. Greensward
1999
oil on canvas
34x44
’999
oil on canvas
1993
pastel on paper
18 x 20
}
I
fl
1 flfl
I
34 x 44
19. Evergreen: Day Ci Night
’993
pencil & pastel on paper
10 x 16
20. Cloud and
i
22. Bruges
1996
oil on canvas
42x30
M Long Lozenge
1989
oil on canvas
54x24
elt a curiously disjunctive connection between mv
ss. I don’t know if there is truth in any of it.
ard to find meaning in mv abstractions, but will
November
1989
oil on canvas
60 x 28
23. Breaking Points
!997
oil on canvas
36x44
19'9
s merely descriptive, sometimes suggestions for
20 x 20
21. Tuscany
1994
oil on canvas
48 x 40
’3- BluBlox
1989
oil on canvas
36 x 24
aving goes, doctors shouldn’t treat themselves. In
t matter, except in the occasional representational
Chainlink
1989
pastel on paper
Yen' Bushes
’994
oil on canvas
44X 36
29. Untitled
>999
pastel on paper
21 x 14
3°-
Untitled
■‘
pl
’999
pastel on paper
9X ’3
i1
If
�Exhibition Underwriters
Advisory Commission
Friends of the Sordoni Art Gallery
M & T Bank
Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The John Sloan Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Wilkes University
Bonnie C. Bedford, Ph.D.
Freddie Bittenbender
Christopher N. Breiseth, Ph.D.
Marion M. Conyngham
Virginia C. Davis, Chair
Stanley I Grand, Ph.D.
Robert J. Heaman, Ph.D.
Mary' Jane Henry
Keith A. Hunter, Esq.
J. Michael Lennon, Ph.D.
Melanie Maslow Lumia
Theo Lumia
Kenneth Marquis
Hank O’Neal
Arnold Rifkin
Charles A. Shaffer, Esq.
Susan Adams Shoemaker, Esq.
Sponsors
bl
The Business Council
CBI-Creative Business Interiors
Marquis Art and Frame
PNC Bank, NA
Panzitta Enterprises, Inc.
William Shull
Staff
Uu:l
Ip; H
j
Stanley I Grand, Ph.D., Director
Nancy L. Grand, Coordinator
Earl W. Lehman, Preparator
Gallery Attendants
Deidre Blake
Peter Czwalina
Marcy Fritz
Jill Klicka
Christopher Rehmann
Casey Williams
Helen Farr Sloan
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Sanford B. Stemlieb, M.D.
Mindi Thalenfeld
Joel Zitofsky
1000 copies were printed
by Llewellyn & McKane
Catalogue design: John Beck
Photography: Michael Thomas
Typeface: Electra
ISBN 0-942945-17-4
This catalogue has been made possible through
the generous support of Wilkes University, includ
ing the Offices of the President, the Vice President
for Academic Affairs, and the Dean of the College
of Arts, Sciences &• Professional Studies.
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Dublin Core
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The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
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Wilkes University
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The Sordoni Art Gallery
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1973-present
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English
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1999 September 7 Moods and Structures: The Paintings of William Sterling
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William Sterling
StanleyI.Grand
WilliamSterling
Stanley I. Grand
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1999 September 7 - October 17
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William Sterling, a former Wilkes Universtiy professor of painting and art history, has had a profound influence on the area's artistic and intellectual life. This survey of his work encompasses the artists primary focus, which is to say that his paintings deal with formal, compositional concerns and color relationships.
Type
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William Sterling
painter
painting
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SAG
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https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/15094ca5a33ff7356f3a80614fe1dffd.pdf
cd365ac77046293538fc8235b4a30020
PDF Text
Text
��MANIFESTATIONS OF THE INDIGO SPIRIT
SHIBORI WORKS OF RICHARD FULLER
EXHIBITION CURATED
STANLEY
BY
I GRAND
ESSAYS BY
STANLEY
I GRAND
RICHARD FULLER
OCTOBER 24_DECEMBER
I5, I999
SORDONI ART GALLERY, WILKES UNIVERSITY
WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA
�Photo: Stanley
I
Crand
Copyright O 1999 Sordoni Art Gallery, Will<cs I lrivorilr
�ITI(]HARD FULLER: SHIBORI RITUALS
Sl,rttlcy I Crand
r
J^- r,1S1, uhile orr sabbatical leave lrorn the Art Department
! ,rl Wilkcs College, Richard F'uller u'ent to fapan to leanr
I tl,. rrrt of shibori. 'l'here, under the tLrtclage olmaster textile
,rrlisl rrrr<l dvcr Hiroyuki Shindo, he studied the fr-rndamentals of
rlrilror.i, ulrich inr,.oh,es resist-dveing textiies so as to crcate
prrlllrrrs. l,'rrller h:rs described the process as lollou.s:
Slrilrrrri torncs fron the Japanesc r,erb root shiboru, "to riring,
\(lu( ( z(' or prcss"-lvords th:rt enrphasize the action or process of
rrrrrrrigrrrlrrlirrg cloth. In shibori the cloth is first shaped and secured
rillr llrrcrrtl bcforc being irnmersed in the dvc. The cloth is then
r. rrrovt rl fi-orrr thc vat and allori'ed to oridize in the air. This cicle is
rr'pcrrltrl rrrrlil thc clcsired shade is attained. Once the dreing is
r orrrplt.lc, tlrc cloth is untied and returncd to its original hro,lirnt rrsiornl shape. The cloth sensitivelv records both thc shape
,rrr,l llrr' plcssrrreexertcd bv the thrcads during thc er.posure to the
rlr r'; llrt' "rrcnror\," of the shape remains imprinted in the cloth.
I lrc t rrrplusis on \,ing the cloth and manual nanipulation
rlislirrgrrislrcs shibori frorn the lr,ax-rcsist and clamping processes,
l,,,llr ol u,lrich are also practiced in lapan.
,\lllrorrglr ancient, the origin of shibori is somervhat
olrscrrrt'; ancl scholars disagree as to whether the technique is
rrrrligt'rrorrs b Japan or carrie origir-rally from the mainiand.
'llrt'c:rrlicst surviving pieces of shibori are ir
)apan, but r.ve
lrrnrol srv rvith certaintl, rvhere they were rtade. Wl-rat is
lcrl:rirr, lrowcvcr, is that the character lor shibori (ffi) is of
( )lrirrcsc origin.
l,orrg rr st:rplc of the traclitional decorative arts in Japan,
rlrilrrrli is rrrcntioned irt Man'yoshu, ari eighth-century
rrrrllrologl of 1;oenrs that includes this coriplet:
\\'/rcrr / rlrr"- u child with hair dowt
I tttrc rt slaat,ed
robe of shibori
tct
cbtlt.'
my shoulders
Incleecl, the clemand for shibori cloth g:rrments, inclucling
const:nt turtil thc present century
uhen it lell r,ictinr to thc nranv chlngcs that occnrred in
Jap:mese socich,after the encl of World War II. Bv the latc r97os,
interest in shibori had for all practical purposcs ceased. In
other u'orcls, u'hen Fullcr t-ent to learrn the craft it lras
practicalh' a de:rd art sfiose practice r,vas maint:rined bv
Shindo and a fei,r, others. Sincc then, hou,er.er, shibori ]ras
eniol'ed a revival of interest.
F'uller's interest in textile design is ir.r part an outgrorvth of
his background in ihe Neu, York advertising u,orld, where
behveen 1956 and 1965, he u,as Art L)irector at Gardner
Adr,ertising. His experiences thcre gave him a solicl grounding in hlo-dimensional design, u,hich he brought to Wilkcs
kir-r-ronos, rcnrainecl rclativelr.
in
1969.
The major stimulus for his interest in textile clesign,
hori,ever, came four vears later. ,A.fter losing all his possessions
to tlre Susqrrehanna Rir.e r fl,ood of t972, Fuller voluntcered lbr a
-r,ear of missionarv- work and u,as assigned to the Schutz Arnerican School in Alexandria, Egvpt, r,i4rere he becarne f:iscinated
rvith "the aesthetic potential of local clyes." He has observ.ed il-rat
"Exposure to Egyptian textiles and the great traditions ofresistdved fabrics in the N{iddle East stirnulated rne to clevelop and
enhance my visual vocabulary in this me<lium." Returning to
Wilkes-Barre, he sper.rt the next nine ,vcars ir-rvestigating the
possibilities of batik rvhile also taking cor-rrses in textiles at
The Pennsyh'ania State Universitl'(1976) and Parsons School
of Design (r98z-83). Nter his trip to fapan, he decided that
shibori rvoul<l be his primary rnedium and has explored its
aeslhelic possibililies erer sirrr.e.
Eight Paper Sacks in an Indigo Box (1984, Figure r) is one
of the first pieces con-rpleted after F'uller's rehrrn from Japan. It
consists of hvo halves of a small box covered in shibori ar-rd
placed on a base ofurpolished rice, which evokes the raked
�in a fapanese rock garden. In the boftom section ofthe box,
Fuller has placed eight elegantly formed paper sacks that have
been carefully stitched along their edges and secured with
knotted purple strings. Side by side, in hvo rows, their bright
cadmium red light contrasts with the deep rich indigo of the
sand
box. The overall effect is of a ceremonial offering of an ideal
box, an impression furthered by the fact that the lid cannot be
employed witl-rout crushing the paper sacks. What seems to be
important is the ritual presentation, or rather the effort and
care-note the mitered corners-that went into the preparation.
Fuller has often taken a concept and explored it from
various angles while maintaining a set of seltimposed
limitations. In r99o he began a number of pattern pieces of
whichTeh6n Series 4 (Figure z) is representative. The
"Teh6n" or pattern in this work consists of three horizontal
bands. Tl-re upper and lower bands are r-rearly identical and
suggest rippling waves. The center panel contains an abstract
arrangement of regular geometric shapes, primarily triangles,
forming patterns of light and dark that recall the jagged edges
created when great masses of ice collide and buckle on
wintry northern lakes. Water fluid, water solid, water moving,
water frozen: icy crystalline patterns held motionless between
two rivers.
Along with the series (think of Monet's cathedrals or
Warhol's personalities), another quintessential element of
modernist art is the gnd (Sol LeWitt's pristine white sculptures). Fuller's lndigo Crid Series 6 (rgg1, Figure 3) contains
thirty-six squares ofshibori-dyed paper arranged to form a
square. Some of the smaller squares contain pieces of dyed
paper stitched together. He has allowed a slight looseness to
enter tl-re composition: threads now extend beyond the paper
instead of being cut flush with the surface. Also new is
Fuller's incorporation of photographs (or, more precisely,
fragments of photographs) of rural fapan that he has cut into
thin bands. Like the strip of cloth on the lid of Eight Paper
Sacks in an Indigo Box, these photographic relics bisect the
indigo squares.
Whereas in lndigo Crid Series 6, Fuller created a tension
by contrasting the static grid with a circular movement
caused by tonal shifts; in 9o/zz5 Q998, Figure 4) he contradicted the inherent flatness of the grid by raising some of his
color squares off the surface. The grid itself is subtly delineated by embossed lines that divide the ground into zz5
squares (r5 on a side). The title simply indicates the number
of units covered. In these most recent works, Fuller has
continued to make shibori expressive of his own sensibilities
by substituting photographs of dyed cloth for the original and
introducing readymade objects like toy clothespins.
Several factors distinguish Fuller's art from traditional
)apanese processes. Most obviously, he does not use the dyed
cloth to create garments or wall hangings. Rather, he uses
shibori as a beginning, as a color palette, to create collages,
grids, or boxes. These he designs according to Western, rather
than Oriental, conventions.
The content, as opposed to the design, combines the two
traditions. The spiritual component seems to evoke traditional fapanese values: the tea ceremony, theZen o[arranging. Fuller's work has a ritual quality. Objects or patterns are
delicately arranged. The boxes are microcosms of order.
Randomness and expressionism have been banished. His
cool, indigo compositions bespeak a cerebral, unemotional
aesthetic.
In his art, Fuller has created a controlled world, a refined
parallel reality, beyond the accidents oflife and the ravages of
nature. He draws inspiration from nature, but nature humanized and beneficent, controlled and ordered, devoid of
wilderness and unpredictability. Yet fundamentally, his is a
reconstructing, affirmative, healing art. Doubtless the
predilection for order existed in his art before the deluvian
chaos. Now that element of order predominates: calamity
changes, calamity confirms.
r.
Quoted in Yoshiko Wada, Mary Kellogg Rice, and Jane Barton,
Shibori: The lnventive Art of lapanese Shaped Resist Dyeing (Tokyo,
1983),
4.
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MANIFESTATIONS OF THE INDIGO SPIRIT
llicltard h'uller
,Tl
I
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p
&
IIE woRK in this exliibition rcflccts nrv intcrcst in thc
llcatrq oIprittcrn. rr rcl-inccl scrt'itirih lrr u:rtrrrc. rrrr<l rr
deep respect lor the )apanese dvc-rcsist proccss callccl
slrilxrri. Wherr I retrrnrecl frorrr ny lirst trip to Jaltarr irr tc7ll4, I
tliscoverecl thert living in Japan changccl nrv vicu's about
Icirclring ancl set rlre on a new colusc rcgarding thc hrhrrc of
rrrv aestl.retic clevelopn.rent. Mucl.r of rvhat I hacl rc:rcl about
IIrc Ja1>anese culture an<l Zen phiIosophl' sudclenlr' bccaunc :r
vital l>art of my everyclay experience. I found mvself in an
t'nvironrnent in which the notion of tl.re inseparable link
lrctrveen nature ancl man becarne more clcarlv defined.
While rvorking with the indigo d1'er, Hiroi,uki Shindo, I
pcrceived the profound forces of nature rvhich surrounded me
in Miyarna, a little farn'ring village in the mountains of Northern
K1,oto. Nah,rre, the origin of all life, was a source of inspiration
ftrr nry creative u,ork. The patterns in rny work do not copy
rrithrre, but are intuitively derived through m1, intelpretation of
tlrc cssence of natural form. For rne, beautiful patterns syrnbolizc nature, and are n-ranifest during the d1'eing process.
Slrinclo oltcrr s1>okc of thc (locl of incligo (Aizen Sltin) in
rclatiorr to his r.r,ork. Ilottlcs of sakc, which werc introclucccl
into his incligo vats, u,crc tnkcn to thc villagc sltrinc to bc
blesscd by thc Iltrcldhist pricsts. 'l'hc ()ocl of incligo ltrotcctecl
the shrdio, arrd the sake u':rs one ingrcdient, anrong others,
tlrat allowcd thc clotlr to receive a cleep incligo huc rvith
strbtle variations of light ancl clark. My journal refcrcnccs of
that tine suggest that an e\,er-present "spirit" prer,:rilecl ir.r
Shinclo's studio. It rnav be said that the "indigo spirit" is the
rnysterious energv that gives life to the work.
Tl.re beauty found in these incligo patterns, not unlike
the beaut,v lound in natnre, requires time to appreciate. It
is m1, desire that you vieu' m1, work as you rvould a flou'er
slow1y opening its petals for the first tin're. ,{lls11, yourself to
be drau,n into the alluring color of indigo, the nattrral
qualities ofpaper and cloth, and the bcautiful patternsall of which l-rave inspired rne to explore thc essence of
nature wl-rile hor-roring a dl'e-resist process rooted in fapanese
tradition.
�CHECKLIST OF THE EXHIBITION
Dimensions are given in inches, height precedes width precedes depth.
Unless otherwise indicated, works are courtesy of the artist.
t
Eight Paper Sacks in an lndigo Box, ry84
rc
foamcore, indigo dyed cotton, paper, rice
5x5
TxtSVzxSYz
z
Five lndigo Boxes, ry84
foamcore, indigo dyed cotton, rice, wood
4X20Xt2
3 Four Wrapped Boxes, ry84
foamcore, indigo dyed cotton
3zxSxzYz
4
r
Untitled Collage 7, ry9o
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
Rainforest, r99z
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori)
n
Untitled Collage 8, rygo
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5x,
6
Untitled Collage z, ry89
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5x5
4
7
Untitled Collage 4, ry89
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
\
5x5
9
Untitled Collage 5, ry89
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5x5
$
rygz
Untitled Collage z, r99z
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
ttx14
Untitled Collage D, tggo
Untitled Collage 4, rygz
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
t4x
Series
4
r99o
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
t6
4
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
11X14
5x5
ry Teh6n
5x,
8
1990
Untitled Collage
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5x5
5x5
Untitled Collage 3, ry89
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
4Yz x 89
ry Untitled Collage rr,
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5x5
Sxro
Collection of
Dr. Darlene Miller-Lanning
5 Untitled Collage 4 ry8g
Collection of
Dr. and Mrs. Stuart Richardson
Teh6n Series 5, r99o
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
Collection of
Dr. Robert W Bohlander
Flower Box 4 :,988
wood, indigo dyed cotton, thread
5Yzx6Yzx6Yz
Untitled CoIIage 6, ry8g
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
t7
Untitled Collage 5, rygz
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
5xro
14xrr
Teh6n Series z, t99o
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
Untitled Collate 6, ry92
5xro
14x
Teh6n Series 3, tggo
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
Untitled Collage 7, ry92
SXto
14xrl
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
Lt
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
Teh6n Series 4, r99o
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
Untitled Collage 8, rygz
5x10
rrx14
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
�z8 Untitled Collage rc, r9g2
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
11x14
zg lJntitled, ryg3
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
18
x
z4Yz
7o Untitled, ry93
indigo dyed paper (shibori),
handmade paper
4Yz
y
x
zoY+
lndigo Box 4 rg94
indigo dyed thread (shibori), glass, wood
TxTxzYz
7z lndigo Box z, 1994
indigo dyed cotton (shibori), rice, glass,
wood
TxTxzYz
Collection of Mr. Herbert B. Simon
33 lndigo Box 3, 1994
indigo dyed cotton (shibori), glass, wood
7x7xzlz
34 lndigo Box 4, 1994
indigo dyed paper (shibori), rice, glass,
wood
TxTxzVz
75 lndigo Box 5, 1994
indigo dyed paper (shibori), glass, wood
TxTxzYz
36 lndigo Box 6, ry94
indigo dyed thread, rice, glass, wood
TxTxzYz
77 lndigo Box 7, 1994
indigo dyed wood (clothespins), glass,
45 lndigo Gid
Series 7, 996
indigo dyed paper, batik
nYz x nYz
wood
TxTxzYz
46 lndigo Gid Series 8, ry96
38 lndigo Box 8, 994
indigo dyed handmade paper, rice,
indigo dyed paper, batik, thread
nYz x nYz
Collection of Ms. Laura Moses
glass, wood
TxTxzYz
47 67/225, ry98
19 lndigo Crid Series 4 ry95
indigo dyed paper, batik
oYz
x pYz
Collection of
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chance
4o lndigo Grid Series z,
x nYz
Collection of
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chance
4r lndigo Cid
Series 3, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
rzt/z x rz/z
4z Indigo Grid Series 4, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
nYz
x pYz
43 lndigo Grid Series 5, t995
indigo dyed paper, photography
vVz x ul/z
44 lndigo Grid
Series
6, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
pYz
x uYz
48 67/225, ry98
procion dyed paper, foamcore, acetate,
color Xerox
15x15
1995
indigo dyed paper, batik
uYz
procion dyed paper, foamcore
15x15
49
7/n5,
ry98
photography, foamcore, paper, wood,
thread
15x15
5o 8z/zz5, :9g8
photography, foamcore, paper, thread
r5x15
5r go/225, ry98
photography, foamcore, acetate, wood,
thread
15x15
5z 9z/225,998
photography, foamcore, wood, thread
15x15
�EXHIBITION
UNDERWRITERS
ADVISORY
COMMISSION
Friends of tl're Sorcloni Art Gallery
Bonnie C. Bedford, Ph.D.
M&TBank
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This catalogue has been made possible
Freddie Bittenber-rcler
Maslorv Lr-rmia Bartorillo Aclvcrtising
Pcnnsylvania Council ol the Arts
Christopher N. llreiseih, Ph.D
The )ohn Sloar-r Mer.nori:rl
Virginia C. Davis, Chair
Star-rley I Grand, Ph.D.
I,bunclirtion, hrc.
Ardrew J. Sordoni, III
Wilkes Uriversity
Marior-r
M.
Conynghan-r
Robert f . He:rm:rn, Ph.L).
Mary )ar-re Henry
Keith A. I{ur.rter, Esc1.
Michael Lennor.r, Pl.r.D.
Mclanie Maslow Lumia
SPONSORS
J.
'l'hc Business Cour.rcil
'I'l.reo Lunria
Keureth Marcluis
CBI-Creative Business Intcriors
Marcluis Art :incl l,'rarre
PNC Bank, NA
Parrzittir Euterprises. Irrc.
STAFF
Starrley I Grar-rd, Ph.D., Director
Nancy L. Cranci, Coordinator
Earl W. Lehrnan, Preparator
Callery Attendants
Deiclre Blake
Peter Czwalina
Natalee Felten
Marcy Fritz
lill Klicka
Christopher Rehmann
Casey Williams
Hank O'Neal
Arnolcl Ilifkin
Charles A. Shaffer,
rooo copies were printed
by Llewellyn & McKane
lrsc1.
Shoenaker,
Willian Shull
Strs:rn Aclams
Ileler
Esc1.
F-arr Sloan
Anclrew ). Sordoni, III
Sanforcl B. Sterr-rlieb, M.D.
Mindi Thalenfeld
Joel Zitolsky
tl.rrough the generous srlpport olWilkes
Ur.riversity, including the Offices of the
President, the Vice President for Acaderric
Affairs, and tl.re L)ean of the College of Arts,
Scicnces & Professional Stuclies.
The Sordoni Art Gallery appreciates the
generosity of tl-re followilg indivicluals who
lent works to this exhibition: Dr. Robert W.
Bohlau-rdcr, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chance,
Dr. D:irlcne MiIIer-Lanr-rir.rg, Ms. Laura
Moses, Dr. and Mrs. Stuart Richarclson,
ancl Mr-. Flerbcrt B. Simorr.
Catalogue design: Johr Beck
Pl.rotography: Michael'l'hornas
Calligraphy:
1
F
r-ryoko Umed:r
ypefaces
Display: Ccntaur (Bruce Rogers, r9r5)
Text: Electra (W. A. Dwiggins, 1937)
ISBN o-942945-rB-z
���
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/9a3501aaaf5cd609420df9a7950bc07a.pdf
09dfad0e965a242be4a5ce77fd68c625
PDF Text
Text
�1
i
MANIFESTATIONS OF THE INDIGO SPIRIT
SHIBORI WORKS OF RICHARD FULLER
3
1
,T
A
EXHIBITION CURATED BY
STANLEY I GRAND
ESSAYS BY
E.S. FARLEY LIBRARY
WILKES UNIVERSITY
WILKES-BARRE, PA
STANLEY I GRAND
RICHARD FULLER
OCTOBER. 24-DECEMBER 15, 1999
SORDONI ART GALLERY. WILKES UNIVERSITY
WILKES-BARRE. PENNSYLVANIA
�"‘kj- ■- :••••
ARCHIVES
£
ARCRD 5
ScRR
i\j \ q5 oH •
RICHARD FULLER: SHIBORI R
~7
Stanley I Grand
r7
TJ“n 1984, while on sabbatical leave from the Ari Department
I at Wilkes College. Richard fuller went to Japan to learn
JL the art of shibori. There, under lire tutelage of master textile
artist and dyer Hiroyuki Shindo, he studied the fundamentals of
shibori, which involves resist-dyeing textiles so as to create
patterns. Fuller has described the process as follows:
Shibori comes from the Japanese verb root shiboru, “to wring,
squeeze or press”—words that emphasize the action or process of
manipulating cloth. In shibori the cloth is first shaped and secured
with thread before being immersed in the dye. The cloth is then
removed from the vat and allowed to oxidize in the air. This cycle is
repeated until the desired shade is attained. Once the dyeing is
complete, the cloth is untied and returned to its original twodimensional shape. The cloth sensitively records both the shape
and the pressure exerted by the threads during the exposure to the
dye; the “memory” of the shape remains imprinted in the cloth.
The emphasis on lying the cloth and manual manipulation
distinguishes shibori from the wax-resist and clamping processes,
both of which arc also practiced in Japan.
Photo: Stanley' I Grand
Although ancient, the origin of shibori is somewhat
obscure; and scholars disagree as to whether the technique is
indigenous to Japan or came originally from the mainland.
The earliest surviving pieces of shibori are in Japan, but we
cannot say with certainty’ where they were made. What is
certain, however, is that the character for shibori ($■£) is of
Chinese origin.
Long a staple of the traditional decorative arts in Japan,
shibori is mentioned in Manydshu, an eighth-century'
anthology' of poems that includes this couplet:
Copyright ©
Sordoni Art Callcry. Wilier Urmerrity
When I was a child with hair down to my shoulders
1 wore a sleeved robe of shibori cloth.'
�RICHARD FULLER: SHIBORI RITUALS
Stanley I Grand
19S4. while on sabbatical leave from the Art Department
at Wilkes College, Richard Fuller went to Japan to leam
the art of shibori. There, under the tutelage of master textile
artist and dyer Hiroyuki Shindo, he studied the fundamentals of
shibori. which involves resist-dyeing textiles so as to create
patterns. Fuller has described the process as follows:
Shibori comes from the Japanese verb root shiboru, “to wring,
squeeze or press"—words that emphasize the action or process of
manipulating cloth. In shibori the cloth is first shaped and secured
with thread before being immersed in the dye. The cloth is then
removed from the vat and allowed to oxidize in the air. This cycle is
repeated until the desired shade is attained. Once the dyeing is
complete, the cloth is untied and returned to its original twodimensional shape. The cloth sensitively records both the shape
and the pressure exerted by the threads during the exposure to the
dye: the "memory” of the shape remains imprinted in the cloth.
The emphasis on tying the cloth and manual manipulation
distinguishes shibori from the wax-resist and clamping processes,
both of which are also practiced in Japan.
I Grand
Although ancient, the origin of shibori is somewhat
obscure; and scholars disagree as to whether the technique is
indigenous to Japan or came originally from the mainland.
The earliest surviving pieces of shibori are in Japan, but we
cannot say with certainty' where they were made. What is
certain, however, is that the character for shibori ($£) is of
Chinese origin.
Long a staple of the traditional decorative arts in Japan,
shibori is mentioned in Man’yoshu, an eighth-century
anthology of poems that includes this couplet:
Copyright , 1999 Sordoni Art Callen. Wilkes University
When I was a child with hair down to my shoulders
I wore a sleeved robe of shibori cloth.'
Indeed, the demand for shibori cloth garments, including
kimonos, remained relatively constant until the present century
when it fell victim to the many changes that occurred in
Japanese society' after the end of World War II. By the late 1970s,
interest in shibori had for all practical purposes ceased. In
other words, when Fuller went to learn the craft it was
practically' a dead art whose practice was maintained by
Shindo and a few others. Since then, however, shibori has
enjoyed a revival of interest.
fuller’s interest in textile design is in part an outgrowth of
his background in the New York advertising world, where
between 1956 and 1965, he was Art Director at Gardner
Advertising. His experiences there gave him a solid ground
ing in two-dimensional design, which he brought to Wilkes
in 1969. The major stimulus for his interest in textile design,
however, came four years later. After losing all his possessions
to the Susquehanna River flood of 1972, Fuller volunteered for a
year of missionary' work and was assigned to the Schutz Ameri
can School in Alexandria, Egypt, where he became fascinated
with “the aesthetic potential of local dyes.” He has observed that
“Exposure to Egyptian textiles and the great traditions of resistdyed fabrics in the Middle East stimulated me to develop and
enhance my visual vocabulary in this medium.” Returning to
Wilkes-Barre, he spent the next nine years investigating the
possibilities of batik while also taking courses in textiles at
The Pennsylvania State University' (1976) and Parsons School
of Design (1982-83). After his trip to Japan, he decided that
shibori would be his primary' medium and has explored its
aesthetic possibilities ever since.
Eight Paper Sacks in an Indigo Box (1984, Figure 1) is one
of the first pieces completed after Fuller’s return from Japan. It
consists of two halves of a small box covered in shibori and
placed on a base of unpolished rice, which evokes the raked
�: •1
sand in a Japanese rockgarden. In the bottom section of the box,
Fuller has placed eight elegantly formed paper sacks that have
been carefully stitched along their edges and secured with
knotted purple strings. Side by side, in two rows, their bright
cadmium red light contrasts with the deep rich indigo of the
box. The overall effect is of a ceremonial offering of an ideal
box, an impression furthered by the fact that the lid cannot be
employed without crushing the paper sacks. What seems to be
important is the ritual presentation, or rather the effort and
care—note the mitered corners—that went into the preparation.
Fuller has often taken a concept and explored it from
various angles while maintaining a set of self-imposed
limitations. In 1990 he began a number of pattern pieces of
which Tehdn Series 4 (Figure 2) is representative. The
“Tehdn” or pattern in this work consists of three horizontal
bands. The upper and lower bands are nearly identical and
suggest rippling waves. The center panel contains an abstract
arrangement of regular geometric shapes, primarily triangles,
forming patterns of light and dark that recall the jagged edges
created when great masses of ice collide and buckle on
wintry northern lakes. Water fluid, water solid, water moving,
water frozen: icy crystalline patterns held motionless between
two rivers.
Along with the series (think of Monet’s cathedrals or
Warhol’s personalities), another quintessential element of
modernist art is the grid (Sol LcWitt’s pristine white sculp
tures). Fuller’s Indigo Grid Series 6 (1995, Figure 3) contains
thirty-six squares of shibori-dyed paper arranged to form a
square. Some of the smaller squares contain pieces of dyed
paper stitched together. He has allowed a slight looseness to
enter the composition: threads now extend beyond the paper
instead of being cut flush with the surface. Also new is
Fuller’s incorporation of photographs (or, more precisely,
fragments of photographs) of rural Japan that he has cut into
thin bands. Like the strip of cloth on the lid of Eight Paper
Sacks in an Indigo Box, these photographic relics bisect the
indigo squares.
Whereas in Indigo Grid Series 6, Fuller created a tension
by contrasting the static grid with a circular movement
caused by tonal shifts; in 90/225 (1998, Figure 4) he contra
dicted the inherent flatness of the grid by raising some of hicolor squares off the surface. The grid itself is subtly delin
eated by embossed lines that divide the ground into 225
squares (15 on a side). The title simply indicates the number
of units covered. In these most recent works, Fuller has
continued to make shibori expressive of his own sensibilities
by substituting photographs of dyed cloth for the original and
introducing readymade objects like toy clothespins.
Several factors distinguish Fuller’s art from traditional
Japanese processes. Most obviously, he does not use the dyed
doth to create garments or wall hangings. Rather, he uses
shibori as a beginning, as a color palette, to create collages,
grids, or boxes. These he designs according to Western, rather
than Oriental, conventions.
The content, as opposed to the design, combines the two
traditions. The spiritual component seems to evoke tradi
tional Japanese values: the tea ceremony, the Zen of arrang
ing. Fuller’s work has a ritual quality. Objects or patterns arc
delicately arranged. The boxes are microcosms of order.
Randomness and expressionism have been banished. His
cool, indigo compositions bespeak a cerebral, unemotional
aesthetic.
In his art, Fuller has created a controlled world, a refined
parallel reality, beyond the accidents of life and the ravages of
nature. He draws inspiration from nature, but nature human
ized and beneficent, controlled and ordered, devoid of
wilderness and unpredictability. Yet fundamentally, his is a
reconstructing, affirmative, healing art. Doubtless the
predilection for order existed in his art before the deluvian
chaos. Now that clement of order predominates: calamity
changes, calamity confirms.
1. Quoted in Yoshiko Wada, Mary Kellogg Rice, and Jane Barton.
Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing (Tokyo.
1983), 14.
Eight Paper Sacks in an Indigo Box
1984
�225 (1998. Figure 4) he contra>f the grid by raising some of his
The grid itself is subtly delindivide the ground into 225
tie simply indicates the number
>st recent works, Fuller has
tpressive of his own sensibilities
)f dved cloth for the original and
:ts like tor* clothespins.
Fuller's art from traditional
iouslv. he does not use the dved
all hangings. Rather, he uses
olor palette, to create collages,
igns according to Western, rather
> the design, combines the two
ronent seems to evoke tradia ceremony, the Zen of arrangqualitv. Objects or patterns are
:s are microcosms of order.
;m have been banished. His
tpeak a cerebral, unemotional
•d a controlled world, a refined
cidents of life and the ravages of
Tom nature, but nature human?d and ordered, devoid of
ty. Yet fundamentally, his is a
•aling art. Doubtless tire
in his art before the deluvian
rder predominates: calamity
Jan* Kellogg Rice, and Jane Barton.
?se Shaped Resist Dyeing (Tokyo,
Eight Paper Sacks in an Indigo Box
1984
�....
... ... ..... ... .
�Indigo Grid Series 6
■995
�MANIFESTATIONS Or THE INDIGO Sil
Richard Fuller
ni
□
i
it
L_—u
90/225
1998
kkaii
HE WORK in this exhibition reflects mv interest in the
beauty of pattern, a refined sensitivity to nature, and a
deep respect for the Japanese dye-resist process called
shibori. When I returned from my first trip to japan in 1984,1
discovered that living in japan changed mv views about
teaching and set me on a new course regarding the future of
my aesthetic development. Much of what I had read about
the Japanese culture and Zen philosophy suddenly became a
vital part of my everyday experience. I found myself in an
environment in which the notion of the inseparable link
between nature and man became more clearly defined.
While working with the indigo dyer, 1 liroyuki Shindo, I
perceived the profound forces of nature which surrounded me
in Miyama, a little farming village in the mountains of Northern
Kyoto. Nature, the origin of ah life, was a source of inspiration
for my creative work, The patterns in my work do not copy
nature, but are intuitively derived through my interpretation of
the essence of natural form. For me, beautiful patterns symbol
ize nature, and are manifest during the dyeing process.
Shindo often st
relation to his wo
into Ins indigo va
blessed bv the Bn
the studio, and th
that allowed the i
subtle variations 1
that time suggest
Shindo’s studio. I
mysterious energ
The beauty fo
the beauty fount
is my desire that
slowly opening i
be drawn into tl
qualities of papr
all of which has
nature while hoi
tradition.
�MANIFESTATIONS OF THE INDIGO SPIRIT
Richard Fuller
HE WORK in this exhibition reflects my interest in the
beaut}’ of pattern, a refined sensitivity to nature, and a
deep respect for the Japanese dye-resist process called
shibori. When I returned from my first trip to Japan in 1984, I
discovered that living in Japan changed my views about
teaching and set me on a new course regarding the future of
my aesthetic development. Much of what I had read about
the Japanese culture and Zen philosophy suddenly became a
vital part of my every-day experience. I found myself in an
environment in which the notion of the inseparable link
between nature and man became more clearly defined.
While working with the indigo dyer, Hiroyuki Shindo, I
perceived the profound forces of nature which surrounded me
in Miyama, a little farming village in the mountains of Northern
Kyoto. Nature, the origin of all life, was a source of inspiration
for mv creative work. The patterns in my work do not copy
nature, but are intuitively derived through my interpretation of
the essence of natural form. For me, beautiful patterns symbol
ize nature, and are manifest during the dyeing process.
Shindo often spoke of the God of indigo (Aizen Shin) in
relation to his work. Bottles of sake, which were introduced
into his indigo vats, were taken to the village shrine to be
blessed by the Buddhist priests. The God of indigo protected
the studio, and the sake was one ingredient, among others,
that allowed the cloth to receive a deep indigo hue with
subtle variations of light and dark. My journal references of
that time suggest that an ever-present “spirit" prevailed in
Shindo’s studio. It may be said that the “indigo spirit" is the
mysterious energy- that gives life to the work.
The beauty' found in these indigo patterns, not unlike
the beauty found in nature, requires time to appreciate. It
is my’ desire that you view my work as you would a flower
slowly opening its petals for the first time. Allow yourself to
be drawn into the alluring color of indigo, the natural
qualities of paper and cloth, and the beautiful patterns—
all of which have inspired me to explore the essence of
nature while honoring a dye-resist process rooted in Japanese
tradition.
n■I
I
B■
�CHECKLIST OF THE EXHIBITION
.io-.-x ,;r-c s:\cn in inches, height precedes width precedes depth.
1 u'ess ctccrwise indicated, works are courtesy of the artist.
Riper Such' in an Indigo Box. 1984
1
ilwncore. indigo dyed cotton, paper, rice
- x iSSS x 13^2
z Fnv Indigo Boxes. 19S4
foamcore. indigo dyed cotton, rice, wood
4 x 20 x 12
2 Four Wrapped Boxes, 1984
tbamcore. indigo dyed cotton
-xSx:h
4 Flower Box 1. 19SS
wood, indigo dyed cotton, thread
572 X 6^2 X 6/2
5 Untitled Collage 1, 1989
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5X5
Collection of
Dr. and Mrs. Stuart Richardson
6 Untitled Collage 2, 1989
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5X5
7 Untitled Collage 3, 1989
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5X5
8 Untitled Collage 4, 1989
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5'5
9 Untitled Collage 5, 1989
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5'5
IO Untitled Collage 6, 1989
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5X5
19 Tehon Series 5, 1990
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
Collection of
5 x 10
Collection of
Dr. Robert W. Bohlander
Dr. Darlene Miller-Lanning
11 Untitled Collage 7, 1990
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5X 5
28 Untitled Collage 10. 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
11 x 14
29 Untitled, 1993
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori.. batik
20 Bainforest, 1992
18 x 24/2
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori)
23I/2 x 89
30 Untitled, 1993
indigo dyed paper (shibori),
12 Untitled Collage 8, 1990
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5X 5
13 Untitled Collage 11, 1990
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5X 5
14 Untitled Collage 12, 1990
21 Untitled Collage 1, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
handmade paper
4V2 x 2014
11 x 14
22 Untitled Collage 2, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
31 Indigo Box 1, 1994
indigo dyed thread (shibori), glass, wood
7 x 7 x 2/2
11 x 14
23 Untitled Collage 4, 1992
32 Indigo Box 2, 1994
indigo dyed cotton (shibori), rice, glass,
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
wood
5X5
H x 11
7 X 7 X 214
15 Tehon Series 1, 1990
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5 x 10
16 Tehon Series 2, 1990
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5 x 10
24 Untitled Collage 5, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
14 x 11
25 Untitled Collage 6, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
14 x 11
Collection of Mr. Herbert B. Simon
33 Indigo Box 3, 1994
indigo dyed cotton (shibori), glass, wood
37 Indigo Box
1994
indigo dyed wood (clothespins), glass,
wood
7 x 7 x 2Y2
38 Indigo Box 8, 1994
indigo dyed handmade paper, rice,
glass, wood
7 X 7 X 2*/2
39 Indigo Grid Series 1. 1995
indigo dyed paper, batik
12/2 x 12I6
Collection of
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chance
40 Indigo Grid Series 2. 1995
indigo dyed paper, batik
iz’/i x 12*6
Collection of
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chance
41 Indigo Grid Scries 3, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
12H x 12'16
42 Indigo Grid Scries 4. 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
12V2 x 12V2
wood
17 Tehon Series 3, 1990
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5 x 10
18 Tehon Series 4, 1990
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5 x 10
26 Untitled Collage 7, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
14 x 11
27 Untitled Collage 8, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
n x 14
7 X 7 x 2/2
35 Indigo Box 5, 1994
indigo dyed paper (shibori), glass, wood
7 X 7 X 2I6
36 Indigo Box 6, 1994
indigo dyed thread, rice, glass, wood
7 x 7 x 216
46 Indigo Grit
indigo dye1212 x 12F2
CoHecfion
4- 67/225, 199
procion d\
15X 15
48 6-/225, >9<
procion d\
color Xerc
15x15
49 73/225, 194
photograp
thread
15 x 15
50 82/225. 194
photograp
15x15
7 x 7 x 2V2
34 Indigo Box 4, 1994
indigo dyed paper (shibori), rice, glass,
45 Indigo Gric
indigo d\e<
43 Indigo Grid Series 5, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
12J6 x 12V2
44 Indigo Grid Series 6, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
x 12V2
51 90/225. 194
photograp
thread
15 x 15
52 92/225, 19
photograj
15x15
�19 Tehon Series 5, 1990
indigo dyed cotton (shibori)
5 x 10
Collection of
Dr. Darlene Miller-Lanning
20 Rainforest, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori)
23% x 89
21 Untitled Collage 1, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
11x4
22 Untitled Collage 2, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
11 x 14
23 Untitled Collage 4,1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
14 x 11
24 Untitled Collage 5, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
14 x 11
25 Untitled Collage 6, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
14 x 11
26 Untitled Collage 7, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
14x11
27 Untitled Collage 8, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
11 x 14
28 Untitled Collage 10, 1992
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
11 x 14
29 Untitled, 1993
indigo dyed paper (arashi shibori), batik
18 x 24%
30 Untitled, 1993
indigo dyed paper (shibori),
handmade paper
4% x 2014
31 Indigo Box 1, 1994
indigo dyed thread (shibori), glass, wood
7 x 7 x 2%
32 Indigo Box 2, 1994
indigo dyed cotton (shibori), rice, glass,
wood
7 x 7 x 2%
Collection of Mr. Herbert B. Simon
33 Indigo Box 3, 1994
indigo dyed cotton (shibori), glass, wood
7 x 7 x 2V2
34 Indigo Box 4, 1994
indigo dyed paper (shibori), rice, glass,
wood
7 x 7 x 2%
35 Indigo Box 5, 1994
indigo dyed paper (shibori), glass, wood
7x7x2%
36 Indigo Box 6, 1994
indigo dyed thread, rice, glass, wood
7 x 7 x 2%
37 Indigo Box 7, 1994
indigo dyed wood (clothespins), glass,
wood
45 Indigo Grid Series 7, 1996
indigo dyed paper, batik
12% X 12%
7 X 7 X 2%
38 Indigo Box 8, 1994
indigo dyed handmade paper, rice,
glass, wood
7 x 7 x 2%
39 Indigo Grid Series 1, 1995
indigo dyed paper, batik
12% x 12%
Collection of
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chance
40 Indigo Grid Series 2, 1995
indigo dyed paper, batik
12% x 12%
Collection of
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chance
46 Indigo Grid Series 8, 1996
indigo dyed paper, batik, thread
12% x 12%
Collection of Ms. Laura Moses
47 67/225, 1998
procion dyed paper, foanicore
15 x 15
48 67/225, 1998
procion dyed paper, foamcore, acetate,
color Xerox
15 x 15
49 73z—5. ‘99s
photography, foanicore, paper, wood,
thread
i5x 15
41 Indigo Grid Series 3, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
12% x 12%
50 82/225, 1998
photography, foanicore, paper, thread
42 Indigo Grid Series 4, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
51 90/225, 1998
photography, foanicore, acetate, wood,
thread
15x15
12% x 12%
43 Indigo Grid Series 5, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
12% x 12%
44 Indigo Grid Series 6, 1995
indigo dyed paper, photography
12% x 12%
x 15
52 92/225, 1998
photography, foamcore, wood, thread
15 x b
�-^ggggsag
EXHIBITION
UNDERWRITERS
Friends of the Sordoni Art Gallery
M & T Bank
Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The John Sloan Memorial
Foundation, Inc.
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Wilkes University
SPONSORS
The Business Council
CBI-Creative Business Interiors
Marquis /\rt and Frame
PNC Bank, NA
Panzitta Enterprises, Inc.
STAFF
Stanley I Grand, Ph.D., Director
Nancy L. Grand, Coordinator
Earl W. Lehman, Preparator
Gaiter)' Attendants
Deidre Blake
Peter Czwalina
Natalee Felten
Marcy Fritz
Jill Klicka
Christopher Rehmann
Casey Williams
advisory
COMMISSION
Bonnie C. Bedford, Ph.D.
Freddie Bittenbender
Christopher N. Breiscth, Ph.D.
Marion M. Conyngham
Virginia C. Davis, Chair
Stanley 1 Grand, Ph.D.
Robert J. Heaman, Ph.D.
Mary Jane I lenry
Keith A. Hunter, Esq.
J. Michael Lennon, Ph D.
Melanie Maslow Lumia
Theo Lumia
Kenneth Marquis
Hank O’Neal
.Arnold Rifkin
Charles A. Shaffer, Esq.
Susan /Adams Shoemaker, Esq.
William Shull
Helen Farr Sloan
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Sanford B. Sternlieb, M.D.
Mindi Thalenfeld
Joel Zitofsky
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This catalogue has been made possible
through the generous support of Wilkes
University, inchiding the Offices of the
President, the Vice President for Academic
Affairs, and the Dean of the College of Arts,
Sciences & Professional Studies.
The Sordoni Art Gallery appreciates the
generosity of the following individuals who
lent works to this exhibition; Dr. Robert W.
Bohlander, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Chance,
Dr. Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ms. Laura
Moses, Dr. and Mrs. Stuart Richardson,
and Mr. Herbert B. Simon.
1000 copies were printed
by Llewellyn & McKanc
Catalogue design: John Beck
Photography: Michael Thomas
Calligraphy: Fuyoko Umcda
Typefaces
Display: Centaur (Bruce Rogers, 1915)
Text: Electra (W. A. Dwiggins, 1937)
ISBN 0-942945-18-2
�■J /■,
r1.-
■■■■■I
WILKES UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
t
GAYLORD FG
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��
Dublin Core
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The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
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An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
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The Sordoni Art Gallery
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Wilkes University
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The Sordoni Art Gallery
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1973-present
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English
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1999 October 24 Manifestations of the Indigo Spirit: Shibori Works of Richard Fuller
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Richard Fuller
Stanley I. Grand
Richard Fuller
Stanley I. Grand
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1999 October 24 - December 15
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PDF
Description
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In 1984, while on sabbatical leave from the Art Department at Wilkes College, Richard Fuller went to Japan to learn the art of shibori. There, under the tutelage of a master textile artist and dyer Hiroyuki Shindo, he studied the fundamentals of shibori, which involves resist-dyeing textiles as to create patterns.
Type
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Exhibition program
Subject
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shibori
Japan
Japanese
dyeing
dye
Richard Fuller
Wilkes College
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/5b6ece92173b1a84c239dd3fda85d8d3.pdf
13dfe29e39fdf96d374208f64a6556f8
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https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/f4a5a6a977d6f1884c1a05f842fa4ee7.pdf
df888bd881e0fe01a92617160edf5823
PDF Text
Text
M
I
SORD GA
ND1290
S349
2000
��- ' V.-
Portrait of Edward Schmidt
Drawing by D. Jeffrey Mims
T1
Sordoni Art Gz
�~Edward Schmidt
i
MYTHOLOGIES
Exhibition Curated
with Commentaries by
Stanley I Grand
E.S. FARLEY LIBRARY
WILKES UNIVERSITY
WILKES-BARRE, PA
February 20-March 26, 2000
The Year 2000 Dr. Roy E. Morgan Exhibition
Sordoni Art Gallery, Wilkes University • Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
�ARCHIVES
The r
LENDERS TO THE EXHIBITION
Mr. and Mrs. David Berelson (California)
Thomas Cornell (Maine)
Tracy' Freedman (California)
Fredric Goldstein (New York)
Mark and Lisa Helprin (Virginia)
Innes Collection (Virginia)
Mark Lupke (Pennsylvania)
Mariano and Celia Pacheco (New York)
Mary' Salstrom and Brent M. Porter (New York)
Edward Schmidt (New York)
Henry and Amanda Vandeveer (Massachusetts)
David B. Wolf (New York)
Three Private Collections (California, Florida, Oregon)
ADDITIONAL THANKS
The American Academy in Rome
Tracy Freedman
David and Audrey Ginenthal
Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Inc.
Nancy L. Grand
Michael Hackett
Hackett-Freedman Gallery, San Francisco
Steven Harvey
Robert J. Heaman, Ph.D.
Arnie Lizan
James L. Merryman, Ph.D.
Jonathan Schmidt
Jane Schoelkopf
Jeremy Sheldon
Jennifer and John Sheridan
Elizabeth Tops
Oona von Spier
Cheryl Wheat
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
T. S. Eliot, "Burnt Nor
The Sordoni Art Gallery's annual exhibition in honor of Dr. Roy E.
Morgan (1908—2000) celebrates the accomplishments of a journalist,
administrator, and broadcaster, who left an indelible imprint on the
civic and cultural life of his community. Among many other honors,
he was an inductee into the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Dr. Morgan's
' 'long involvement
'
‘ with ‘the arts
included twenty-five years of thoughtful and generous reviews of
local art exhibitions, concerts, and theatrical performances.
Cover: Seduction of Callisto (Detail)
Copyright & 2000 Sordoni Art Gallery, Wilkes University
2000 copies were printed
by Becotte & Company
Catalogue design: John Beck
Photography: Michael Thomas, except photos on pp. 21, 22, 2S, 30, and 39
Typeface: Palatine
ISBN 0-942945-19-0
Edward Schmidt's Mythologies present an oblique, cultu
modern
modern way
way of
of looking
looking at
at reality.
reality. Informed
Informed by
by erudition,
erudition,
inspiration from the Classical tradition, and paying freqt
to the Old Masters, Schmidt's paintings conjure up an an
literally timeless, reality in which the past and present si:
neously exist.
His time spent in Rome clarifies this. An historian of It
and gardens, the late Georgina Masson repeatedly likene
to a palimpsest, a vellum manuscript where generations
pletely scraped-off writings insistently reappear and pok
later scribblings. Schmidt, winner of the 1983 Prix de Roi
frequent subsequent visitor to The American Academy, k
a reality where the omnipresence of the past coexists ana
and harmoniously with the present, where fashionably d
women talk animatedly on cell phones in the intercolum
of an antique temple filled in by a Baroque architect. Or,
another example, a reality where the distinctions betwee
and Christian seem to blur, where the church of Mary' Sts
�al exhibition in honor of Dr. Roy E.
the accomplishments of a journalist,
who left an indelible imprint on the
imunity. Among many other honors,
nsylvania Association of Broadcast
ing involvement with the arts
loughtful and generous reviews of
ad theatrical performances.
di)
y, Wilkes University
>t photos on pp. 21, 22, 28, 30, and 39
The Timeless Present
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
T. S. Eliot, "Burnt Norton"
Edward Schmidt's Mythologies present an oblique, cultured, yet
modem way of looking at reality. Informed by erudition, drawing
inspiration from the Classical tradition, and paying frequent tribute
to the Old Masters, Schmidt's paintings conjure up an anachronistic,
literally timeless, reality in which the past and present simulta
neously exist.
His time spent in Rome clarifies this. An historian of Italian villas
and gardens, the late Georgina Masson repeatedly likened that city
to a palimpsest, a vellum manuscript where generations of incom
pletely scraped-off writings insistently reappear and poke through
later scribblings. Schmidt, winner of the 1983 Prix de Rome and
frequent subsequent visitor to The American Academy, knows well
a reality where the omnipresence of the past coexists anarchisticly
and harmoniously with the present, where fashionably dressed
women talk animatedly on cell phones in the intercolumnar spaces
of an antique temple filled in by a Baroque architect. Or, to give
another example, a reality where the distinctions between pagan
and Christian seem to blur, where the church of Mary stands on the
site of a temple dedicated to Minerva. Schmidt is part of that world.
He is not a parochial artist; he is not a New York artist. Rather he is
Western artist who is both heir to and perpetuator of a great artistic
tradition.
That tradition is Classical Humanism, which in visual terms is
always concerned with the human figure in the sense that the
concerns of Humanism are expressed by means of and through the
figure. Historically, the first great era of the human form in Western
art spans the centuries between roughly 600 B.c. and 300 B.c. At the
onset, we see the gestalt of a younger civilization coming into
contact with an older culture and transforming its conventions to
express new truths. In the monumental stone sculptures that epito
mized permanence and stability for the Egyptians, the Greeks found
the essence of movement and change. At first, the Greeks freed the
Egyptians' stylized, striding forms from the confines of the stone
block. Within a century, however, these delightful, perpetually
smiling, rigid slim youths of the Archaic period give way to a more
sober and mature type of the Severe or early Classical style, who are
followed by the High Classical remote, ideal deities, whose reign
ends around the time of the final defeat of Athens in the
Peloponnesian war. The fourth century b.c. begins with a new
sensuality and ends with an expanded range of subjects, types, and
ages in the Hellenistic era. In this progression from youthful ideal
ism to duty to compassion we see a microcosm of the human
condition, a coming of age. We also see, as has been often observed,
5
JU '< ij/g,
�l
I
I
that the Greeks made their gods human and their humans divine.
Perfection of physical form became synonymous with divinity. How
different from the Christian viewpoint!
After two and a half millennia, the expressive possibilities of the
human form have not been exhausted. (That the figure fell out of
favor among certain artists during part of the last century is, rela
tively speaking, of small import.) Indeed, as our civilization has
become ever more complex, the tradition of figurative art has
become ever more nuanced, self-referential, and weighty. The old
tension between idealism and realism, between improving on nature
instead of merely "aping" or copying nature, is now but one of
many historical and aesthetic subtexts to be discovered in the
archaeology of painting.
Understanding a tradition, of course, presupposes knowledge.
When the tradition is as old and venerable as literature or painting,
a certain erudition is to be expected. In the Renaissance tradition,
Schmidt is an artist educated in the liberal arts who deals with
ideas. Selecting from a large lexicon of forms and subjects, Schmidt
employs visual and literary quotes, puns, and narrative distortions,
to create multireferential paintings. Unlike the pure abstractionists,
his hermeticism is not one of form but of subject. In this he is closer
to the Surrealists and Metaphysical painters than to the Formal
Modernists. His emphasis on subject matter, however, should not be
viewed as reactionary. As Edward Lucie-Smith observed in discuss
ing Schmidt's Nocturne: "Contemporary artists have, in fact, made
an interesting discovery: that, thanks to the chasm opened by
Modernism between the art of the twentieth century and that of the
more distant past, Old Master sources now share the kind of 'other
ness' which was once attributed only to non-Western art."1
Schmidt's relationship to the Old Masters is not an appropriation
strategy. His is a sincere, not ironic, investigation of meaningful,
universal, and inexhaustible themes. Nor should he be seen as a
pure history painter: His ends and means are both more ambiguous
and less didactic. Rather he seeks an intensification and deepening
of the visual experience. We should not be surprised that this
requires some work on our part as we go from being primary to
second-level viewers.
6
The Timeless Present
Schmidt's own maturation in terms of technique and subject is
manifest in this exhibition. His stylistic development is clear if one
compares Conversation bi/ the Sen (1991) with Psyche and Venus (1995).
In the former, the many characters are disposed as if on a stage. A
narrow ground separates their space from ours and reinforces the
impression of formality. The figures are drawn in clear relief, and their
individuality is heightened further by a limpid, defining light. The
atmospheric clarity associated with a dry, bright environment—one
thinks of Central Italian light, for example—is reflected in Schmidt's
limited palette of unsaturated colors applied with a minimum ot
medium. The paint itself is opaque and frequently left unblended,
which gives the painting's surface a modern, vigorous energy.
Psyche and Venus, on the other hand, is quite different The number
of figures has been severely restricted while their scale has become
more massive. Close cropping creates a claustrophobic space in
which the viewer changes from spectator to intruder Night has
begun to fall on Arcady, as twilight replaces midday. With this
change, the contrast of light and shade has become more pro
nounced. The overall tonality of the painting sounds a darker chord.
The paint itself has become juicy. Venetian opulence and sensuality
have displaced Tuscan lucidity and intellect: The geometry and rigor
of Piero della Francesca has yielded to the languor and carnality of
Giorgione. Unity replaces multiplicity as a few large interconnected
forms define the abstract, simplified composition. The overall finish
is higher. Glazing further enhances the unitv: Surfaces are more
uniform and blended. Although colors are saturated and glow with
a jewel-like intensity, it should be noted that Schmidt remains a
tonal painter: Line and value, not color, organize all his paintings.
Indeed, here as elsewhere, his choice of hues is mostly limited to the
primary triad, their complementaries, and earth colors. Finally, the
scale of the paintings themselves has increased.
Along with Schmidt's stylistic development, his narrative struc
ture has changed. In the earlier paintings, he addresses universal
themes such as Departure, Return, or Death allegorically and
lyrically. In these canvases, the actors tell their story more directly
and comprehensively, even when the narrative is somewhat unclear:
An accident has occurred, workmen build, classical figures gambol
in Arcadia. In contrast, the narrative paintings from the mid-19-a
tend to be more ambiguous and brooding. Although the titles
appear to be quite specific, Schmidt often chooses to play with and
modify the original literary sources. Coincident with the other
changes is Schmidt’s choice of narrative moment. In paintings sue!
as the Rape of Persephone or Departure, Schmidt shows the moment
when the drama is most intense. Subsequently, in the Seduction of
Callisto for example, he substitutes psychological introspection for
dramatic activity by showing quiet moments of no action. In this
strangely still painting, we experience both tranquillity and vulner
ability, repose and threat. The seducer's ambiguous, transgenderal
sexuality furthers the unsettling mood.
Schmidt's paintings are subject to multiple readings. Like an
orator, Schmidt has become increasingly proficient al both clarifyir
�tion in terms of technique and subject is
i. His stylistic development is clear if one
the Sea (1991) with Psyche and Venus (1995).
aaracters are disposed as if on a stage. A
their space from ours and reinforces the
le figures are drawn in clear relief, and their
further by a limpid, defining light. The
ted with a dry, bright environment—one
ht, for example—is reflected in Schmidt's
ited colors applied with a minimum of
s opaque and frequently left unblended,
; surface a modern, vigorous energy.
! other hand, is quite different. The number
ly restricted while their scale has become
ring creates a claustrophobic space in
from spectator to intruder. Night has
; twilight replaces midday. With this
it and shade has become more prolity of the painting sounds a darker chord,
e juicy. Venetian opulence and sensuality
idity and intellect: The geometry and rigor
is yielded to the languor and carnality of
multiplicity as a few large interconnected
simplified composition. The overall finish
mhances the unity: Surfaces are more
lough colors are saturated and glow with
>uld be noted that Schmidt remains a
ue, not color, organize all his paintings,
his choice of hues is mostly limited to the
jmentaries, and earth colors. Finally, the
selves has increased.
ylistic development, his narrative strucrlier paintings, he addresses universal
Return, or Death allegorically and
the actors tell their story more directly
i when the narrative is somewhat unclear:
(workmen build, classical figures gambol
in Arcadia. In contrast, the narrative paintings from the mid-1990s
tend to be more ambiguous and brooding. Although the titles
appear to be quite specific, Schmidt often chooses to play with and
modify the original literary sources. Coincident with the other
changes is Schmidt's choice of narrative moment. In paintings such
as the Rape of Persephone or Departure, Schmidt shows the moment
when the drama is most intense. Subsequently, in the Seduction of
Callisto for example, he substitutes psychological introspection for
dramatic activity by showing quiet moments of no action. In this
strangely still painting, we experience both tranquillity and vulner
ability, repose and threat. The seducer's ambiguous, transgenderal
sexuality furthers the unsettling mood.
Schmidt's paintings are subject to multiple readings. Like an
orator, Schmidt has become increasingly proficient at both clarifying
and obscuring his art. His sense of invention has become less
illustrative and more suggestive; his deportment of figures on the
canvas has become simpler and stronger; his elocution or manner
has become more refined; his memory more focused on essentials,
and his technique more refined, subtle, and pronounced. What has
remained unchanged is his gravitas. Schmidt's reality, timeless and
vaguely antique, seeks the universal and permanent in a world of
constant change.
This essay and the commentaries are dedicated to the memory of W.trren G.
Moon, Professor of Art I tistory and Classics, University of Wisconsin -Madison.
1. Edward Lucie-Smith, Art Today (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), 234.
The Timeless Present
7
�Workers (square), 1974
8% x 8%
Workers (vertical), 1975
10% x 7
Although modest in scale, the two Workers provide inklings of
Schmidt's future development. Perhaps most important, they clearly
underscore his commitment to abstract composition, his fluent
vocabulary of artistic forms, his knowledge of and respect for the
history of art, and his methodical approach to mastery. Like
Mondrian, Schmidt has divided his canvases into tightly interlock
ing squares and rectangles. Unlike Mondrian, however, he relieves
the architectonic structure with occasional diagonals, contrasts of
void and mass—light projecting forms and dark receding holes—
and a three-dimensionality that derives, ultimately, from the archi
tectural illusionism associated with Pompeian second-style painting.
On the controlling horizontals and verticals, Schmidt has added
movement. In the square painting, the eight figures are disposed in a
circular pattern that flows from the foreground cement mixers to the
seated architect, up the rising steps, and then downward through
the figure standing on the ladder. Movement in the vertical painting
8
comes from the zigzag line that sweeps upward from the wheel of
the barrow through the head of the climbing figure with upraised
arms and then horizontally through the three figures above. In both
works, the animating line simultaneously moves forward and back
through space. Schmidt's highly regularized, geometric figures—
which trace their ancestry back through Balthus, Seurat, and Pierofurther demonstrate his eclectic, synthesizing approach to painting.
Although the paintings have a deliberate, constructed, almost
didactic quality, the solutions are elegant, respectful, and confident
without being brash. At this point in his development he is con
cerned with mastering multifigure compositions. His solution recalls
the isolated forms of the Italian primitives; subsequently he will
develop a more Baroque integration of figural elements.
In these modem yet timeless narratives, Schmidt wears his learning
lightly. The paintings maintain a vitality and freshness that is a direct
consequence of his brushwork and avoidance of excessive finish.
�I
I
l 2
■ J
I■
II
I
■
■■
I ’
jag line that sweeps upward from the wheel of
. the head of the climbing figure with upraised
zontally through the three figures above. In both
ig line simultaneously moves forward and back
nidt's highly regularized, geometric figures—
icestry back through Balthus, Seurat, and Piero—
? his eclectic, synthesizing approach to painting,
ntings have a deliberate, constructed, almost
■ solutions are elegant, respectful, and confident
i. At this point in his development he is con
ing multifigure compositions. His solution recalls
>f the Italian primitives; subsequently he will
oque integration of figural elements.
ret timeless narratives, Schmidt wears his learning
5 maintain a vitality and freshness that is a direct
irushwork and avoidance of excessive finish.
9
�-10x50
In the left foreground, a figure cloaked in a dark hooded robe turns
back impatiently from a flight of stairs in response to a restraining
hand. He pulls his hood tightly and glares grimly. One slippered,
stockinged foot extends beyond the tread of the top step as if to
underscore the urgency of the departure. The other figure, recalling
Donatello's Zuccone, is elderly, barefoot, and dressed in a green toga
like garment that falls in wide, flat folds. He has the veristic, topo
graphic features found in ancestor busts of the Roman Republic:
cropped hair, aquiline nose, no beard. Yet his head appears overly
small for his attenuated body. He carries a walking staff, a symbol of
both the traveler and the aged. In the middle distance, a small
silhouette of a bent-over figure, also leaning on a staff, slowly
ascends a zigzag staircase to a small plateau before an ochre ruin.
The land is uniformly barren, arid, and devoid of vegetation,
excepting only a few stunted trees and bushes. One thinks of a
Greek island from which heroes set sail upon the wine-dark sea.
Much like the staff that bisects the space between the men, the
flowing course of a dry arroyo divides the painting. The contrast of
active men on one side of the composition and reactive woman on the
other, separated by a charged space, recalls David's Oath of the Horatii.
The grieving, seminude woman sits on a solid cube and bows her
head. Neither of her companions offers any gesture of comfort.
Despite its rational composition, planar recession, limited palette,
and clear division into foreground, middle ground, and background,
10
the entire scene is decidedly unclassical in mood. One recalls
antique departure scenes on red-figure vases such as Munich 2415,
where the protagonists include an old, bearded man, women, and a
young warrior. No emotion is shown although all realize that death
might well await the young scion. Rather the scene is treated with
quiet dignity, as befits a solemn occasion. No exaggerations, no
pantomimes, no gestures taken from a Charles Lebrun treatise
intrude on the tableau. One also thinks of a melancholic statue of
Penelope in the Vatican Museum. Like our weeping woman, she sits
on a cubic seat. But whereas Penelope and her gestures are selfcontained, here the woman's gesture points toward the outward
source of her great grief—Death leading the old man on his final
journey.
The steps lead down the steep cliff to a harbor; the destination
involves crossing water; Charon is the guide. We sense his impa
tience as he pulls his body away. The balance of convex and concave
contours echoes the action of moving forward and pulling away.
In Departure, Schmidt employs continuous narration to show the
old man at the moment of his death and subsequently ascending a
staircase, a vision laden with Biblical and personal meanings.
Painted at the time his mother was dying, this work seeks to univer
salize a personal sorrow.
The light from the right indicates that the sun is still climbing, an
offshore breeze is blowing clouds inland; it is time to go.
�edly unclassical in mood. One recalls
s on red-figure vases such as Munich 2415,
ndude an old, bearded man, women, and a
ion is shown although all realize that death
mg scion. Rather the scene is treated with
solemn occasion. No exaggerations, no
s taken from a Charles Lebrun treatise
)ne also thinks of a melancholic statue of
Museum. Like our weeping woman, she sits
reas Penelope and her gestures are selflan's gesture points toward the outward
—Death leading the old man on his final
he steep cliff to a harbor; the destination
Charon is the guide. We sense his impaly away. The balance of convex and concave
>n of moving forward and pulling away,
employs continuous narration to show the
)f his death and subsequently ascending a
with Biblical and personal meanings.
lother was dying, this work seeks to univerit indicates that the sun is still climbing; an
ig clouds inland; it is time to go.
�Figures in a Forest, 1981-82
36x60
In the foreground, two ample, semicloaked females, their bodies
forming a triangle, pause momentarily. The reader marks her place
in the book and looks up at the listener, who—seated under a large
tree—touches her own breast. From the right, an aged man, pre
ceded by his walking staff, enters the glen. His face concealed and
body wrapped tightly against an inner chill suggest that the fire has
departed his bones long ago. He is an ominous presence, a memento
mori, an unpleasant reminder that Death too dwells in Arcadia. In
the center, framed by the trees, a nude youth runs, his movement
indicated by both his posture and his spreading red cloak, which
flies behind and offsets the form of his body. A couple proceed to the
stately pace of their private minuet. The woman, with her cloak
falling to expose both breasts, points at the fleeng youth. Her
partner, dressed in a short loincloth, raises his arms like a more
restrained version of the famous Dancing Satyr from Pompeii.
Whatever is going on matters not to the two old anchorites, one of
whom sleeps while the other, like a hooded Giotto interlocutor, rests
his back against a slender tree and drifts in reverie.
The artist has provided an explanation: "In my picture the two
women represent reader and listener. Behind and around [them] are
the imagined characters of this imagined book. The whole scene,
12
then, is the product of the imagination of the listener."1 The painting,
therefore, combines "real" and fictitious characters simultaneously,
as Edgar Wind believed Titian (?) had done in his Concert Champetre,
which Schmidt had copied during his student days in Paris.
Schmidt's interest in different levels of reality, in the separate but
unseparable realities of life and literature, furthers the allegorical
reading of this work from which emerges no single narrative or
myth. All that might be noted is the contrast between the vitality of
youth, underscored by the strong light, with the melancholy and
shadow of age.
It is typical of Schmidt that he here expresses his meaning by
gesture rather than facial expression. Indeed, he has left most of the
faces in a state of generalized finish. The composition embodies
multiplicity, not unity, which adds to the impression of multiple
realities overlapping in time. Recession into space is planar and
orderly, with alternating bands of light and dark that provide easy
access to the scene. Although abundant drapery evokes the Classic
past, Schmidt handles the drapery folds most unclassically, further
obscuring a literal reading of this allegorical painting.
1. Edward Schmidt, letter to author, February 2, 2000.
�iroductof the imagination of the listener."1 The painting,
mbines "real" and fictitious characters simultaneously,
nd believed Titian (?) had done in his Concert Champetre,
idt had copied during his student days in Paris,
terest in different levels of reality, in the separate but
realities of life and literature, furthers the allegorical
is work from which emerges no single narrative or
it might be noted is the contrast between the vitality of
■scored by the strong light, with the melancholy and
1 of Schmidt that he here expresses his meaning by
i than facial expression. Indeed, he has left most of the
te of generalized finish. The composition embodies
not unity, which adds to the impression of multiple
lapping in time. Recession into space is planar and
alternating bands of light and dark that provide easy
scene. Although abundant drapery evokes the Classic
t handles the drapery folds most unclassically, further
iteral reading of this allegorical painting.
Schmidt, letter to author, February 2, 2000.
13
�—
•I
The Tempest, 1981-82
24x36
In The Tempest, a storm assails eight figures on a desolate promon
tory bv the sea. The windswept trees, bending under the gale's lash,
express the violence. Two men struggle with billowing cloaks that
flare like the pitiful sails on that "brave vessel... Dash'd all to
pieces!'' off Prospero's island.1 In the middle ground, a nude figure
wearing a leafy garland on his head (we presume it's ivy, sacred to
Bacchus) incongruously appears to assault a maiden or nymph. In
front of this pair, at the base of a twisted tree trunk, a woman in a
blue cloak protectively hunches over her swaddled child. To the left,
a figure in a tan robe huddles in the meager shelter provided by a
few convenient boulders. The contrast between standing and notstanding figures—between contrasting responses to the gale—adds
tension and disorientation to the composition. This dynamic equilib
rium of opposing elements is manifested as well in the landscape's
sloping diagonal rebuffed by the wind's countering force.
Schmidt has recalled a violent storm that hit Brooklyn when he
was living there. He describes venturing out to Prospect Park, a
neighborhood fixture, and witnessing the havoc caused by the
winds: "I was in the park (a beautiful grand place, similar in scale to
14
Central Park) when the strong winds came up fast. The suddenness
and intensity of the storm, and the physical force against my body,
making it difficult to stand, much less get home, made a deep
impression."2 In the The Tempest Schmidt has stripped these memo
ries of specificity in favor of a distilled essence. Consequently, he
relies on rhetorical gestures and poses instead of facial expressions
to convey sentiment, and thus he leaves the faces concealed or
sketchily rendered.
At the time he painted this canvas, Schmidt was experimenting
with various underpainting techniques. The first layer consists of a
charcoal drawing which he then covered in a greenish-grey oil
grisaille. The figures in the monochrome layer were nude. The final
layer added both color and clothing, excepting only the nude figure
in the middle ground.
We recall Schmidt's interest in levels of reality and wonder if the
tempest is more psychological or meteorological.
1. Shakespeare, The Tempest, 1: 2, 6-8.
2. Edward Schmidt, letter to author, March 3, 2000.
�e strong winds came up fast. The suddenness
ton, and the physical force against my body,
tand, much less get home, made a deep
ie Tempest Schmidt has stripped these memoror of a distilled essence. Consequently, he
turns and poses instead of facial expressions
nd thus he leaves the faces concealed or
ed this canvas, Schmidt was experimenting
nting techniques. The first layer consists of a
-h he then covered in a greenish-grey oil
i the monochrome layer were nude. The final
' and clothing, excepting only the nude figure
interest in levels of reality and wonder if the
ological or meteorological.
"pest, 1: 2, 6-8.
iter to author, March 3, 2000.
�Dies Irae—Destruction of a City, 1982
36x48
Few words are more chilling than Dies Irae, the Day of Wrath
described by John in Revelation. For John had seen in the right hand
of God a scroll with seven seals whose unsealing inaugurates the
beginning of the end:
When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was
a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the
full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the
earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a
gale; the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every
mountain and island was removed from its place.
Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the
generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and
free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us
from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come,
and who can stand before it?"1
Dies irae has had a particularly significant role in Western Chris
tianity since at least the fourteenth century, when a poetic text attrib
uted to Thomas of Celano (active first half of the thirteenth century)
was included in the Requiem Mass and inserted into the Roman
Missal during the sixteenth. With an important role in the Mass for
the Dead, Thomas's poem has inspired a rich tradition of sacred
16
music with earlier compositions by Antoine Brumel, Ockeghem,
Giammateo Asola, Orfeo Vecchi, G. F. Anerio, and G. O. Pitoni, as
well as works created after the Council of Trent (1545-1563) by
Mozart, J. C. Bach, Cherubini, Verdi, Faure, and Britten, to name
only the most famous. In addition, the plainsong motif of the Dies
irae has haunted many composers through the years, including
Berlioz, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff. Although Penderecki's Dies Irae
(1967) does not depend on Thomas's text, it finds in the tradition a
way to memorialize the victims of Auschwitz.
Painted during a time of "major fires, cities being bombed, [and]
varieties of urban destruction," Schmidt desired to create "a 'heroic'
subject, a picture with seriousness and gravity."2 Equally fascinating
to him were formal concerns: "the wonderful possibilities of odd,
broken walls born of invention, geometry, and accidental views, the
free form abstraction of the smoke with its value and color rich
ness."3 Schmidt's painting continues a rich tradition of cataclysmic
works that include the Classical sculptural group, now dispersed, of
Niobe and Her Children being slaughtered by the arrows of Apollo
and Artemis, Raphael's Fire in the Borgo, and Poussin's Massacre of
the Innocents and Rape of the Sabine Women.
1. Revelation 6: 12-17.
2. Edward Schmidt, letter to author, February 3, 2000.
3. Ibid.
�ositions by Antoine Brume], Ockeghem,
> Vecchi, G. F. Anerio, and G. O. Pitoni, a
ter the Council of Trent (1545-1563) by
jbini, Verdi, Faure, and Britten, to name
i addition, the plainsong motif of the Dies
jmposers through the years, including
raninoff. Although Penderecki's Dies hue
>n Thomas's text, it finds in the tradition a
victims of Auschwitz.
of "major fires, cities being bombed, [and]
ction," Schmidt desired to create "a 'heroic'
riousness and gravity."2 Equally fascinating
;ms: "the wonderful possibilities of odd,
mtion, geometry, and accidental views, the
he smoke with its value and color richg continues a rich tradition of cataclysmic
assical sculptural group, now dispersed, of
ing slaughtered by the arrows of Apollo
ire in the Borgo, and Poussin's Massacre of
he Sabine Women.
to author, February 3, 2000.
�Rape of Persephone, 1982
51x67
I
I
We read of the Rape of Persephone in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter,
an epic poem once believed to have been composed by the author of
the Iliad. In the hymn, the anonymous author relates how Hades,
son of Cronos and Lord of the Underworld, swept away Demeter's
"trim-ankled daughter" while she was out "gathering flowers over a
soft meadow."1 Having wandered away from her companions, "the
deep-bosomed daughters of Oceanus," Persephone was set upon
suddenly by Hades: "wide-pathed earth yawned there in the plain
of Nysa, and the lord, Host of Many, with his immortal horses
sprang out upon her [and] caught her up reluctant on his golden car
and bare her away lamenting." The story is repeated subsequently
in the hymn; when Demeter asks Persephone to describe what
happened, she replies "we were playing and gathering sweet
flowers in our hands ... but the earth parted beneath, and there the
strong lord, the Host of Many, sprang forth and in his golden chariot
he bore me away, all unwilling, beneath the earth." Although the
versions differ slightly—in the second we learn that Persephone was
taken underground—both include Hades' chariot.
Artists, on the other hand, have often preferred the dramatic
possibilities inherent in distilling the scene to its essence of strug
gling figures—eliminating the horses and chariot. Completed in Italy
during his Prix de Rome fellowship, Schmidt's sketchlike painting
reflects a firsthand knowledge of Bernini's well-known marble
18
Apollo and Daphne in the Villa Borghese. Compared to this dynamic,
lusty conflict, Schmidt's abduction seems rather chaste and tender
as Hades grasps his quarry and she pivots on her left foot to face
him. A dynamic equilibrium is established between the pursuer's
movement to the right and the diagonally inclined trees behind.
Schmidt has populated his version with additional friezelike
figures not mentioned as being present at the abduction. To the lefts
woman—"dark-robed" Demeter we surmise—bends over in grief.
She is balanced by a second female, with Michelangelesque biceps,
who might be "tender-hearted Hecate," who heard Persephone's
"shrill cry." Although the identity of the two naked youths is
uncertain—they serve as witnesses to the event—their presence
furthers the Classical mood by recalling the compositions on antique
sculptural reliefs, including sarcophagi, and establishing a stable,
triangular arrangement of the figures.
The Rape of the Maiden, her eventual liberation from the Dark
Realm, and her obligation to return there for a third of each year
became the basis of an elaborate fertility mystery. Centered on t
gift of grain, the cycles of the seasons, and the disappearance an
reappearance of the deity, the myth retains its vitality to this day.
1. All quotations from the Homeric Hymns, II (to Demeter), Loeb Class'01
Library translation.
�ilia Borghese. Compared to this dynamic,
ibduction seems rather chaste and tender
ry and she pivots on her left foot to face
am is established between the pursuer's
d the diagonally inclined trees behind,
his version with additional friezelike
being present at the abduction. To the left a
emeter we surmise—bends over in grief,
id female, with Michelangelesque biceps,
irted Hecate," who heard Persephone's
identity of the two naked youths is
vitnesses to the event—their presence
d by recalling the compositions on antique
ig sarcophagi, and establishing a stable,
the figures.
1, her eventual liberation from the Dark
to return there for a third of each year,
borate fertility mystery. Centered on the
the seasons, and the disappearance and
the myth retains its vitality to this day.
Homeric Hymns, II (to Demeter), Loeb Classical
19
�The Shepherd's Dream, 1989
50x60
In The Shepherd's Dream, Schmidt again revives the old tradition of
continuous narration whereby a figure appears two or more times
within the composition. In the left middle ground, the shepherd
with his staff reclines like an antique hero or god on his rustic, rocky
throne. In the foreground, across a small stream—the River Lethe?—
he appears again, with upraised arm, gazing at a ministering
woman in perfect equipoise attended by a nude youth. The two
narratives, however, exist in different realms. The only "real"
personage in the composition is the seated shepherd since, accord
ing to the artist, the "foreground ensemble is meant as a projection
of the back shepherd's imagination."1 Schmidt emphasizes the
power of imagination by painting the ensemble in greater detail
than the rather sketchily rendered dreamer. The reverie of desire is
more vivid than life.
Originally titled The Shepherd's Dream—Thirst and Desire, the
painting is a study in contrasts: active-passive, tension-relaxation,
dream-reality, consciousness-unconscious. Even the values continue
this dichotomy: foreground in shade, the back figure in the sun. Yet
both episodes are linked by images of the alma mater or nourishing
20
mother. At the shepherd's feet, a lamb suckles. In the foreground, it
is the shepherd himself who receives a proffered plate, while the
ephebe holds a primitive vase that lacks handles. Both the plate and
vase appear to be unglazed and undecorated. We wonder whether
spiritual or corporeal nourishment is being offered. Slightly apart
from the central triangular composition, a young woman rests her
knee on a boulder, draws a red cloak around her waist, and turns
away from both the central scene and the dog that leaps up play
fully. The dog's shadow falls on her covering and on the rock.
The juxtaposition of the sheep and the goat recalls Christ's parable
of the separation of the Blessed and Damned on Judgment Day
(Matthew 25: 31-46). The two creatures, one light the other dark,
also evoke conflicting values: The goat represents lust, one of the
seven deadly sins, while the nursing sheep might be seen both as a
metaphor for the Virgin and the sacrifice of Her innocent child and,
more generally, as Charity. But we are left uncertain.
1. Edward Schmidt, letter to author, January 24, 2000.
�pherd's feet, a lamb suckles. In the foreground, it
nself who receives a proffered plate, while the
mitive vase that lacks handles. Both the plate and
unglazed and undecorated. We wonder whether
eal nourishment is being offered. Slightly apart
iangular composition, a young woman rests her
draws a red cloak around her waist, and turns
e central scene and the dog that leaps up playadow falls on her covering and on the rock.
n of the sheep and the goat recalls Christ's parable
f the Blessed and Damned on Judgment Day
6). The two creatures, one light the other dark,
ing values: The goat represents lust, one of the
while the nursing sheep might be seen both as a
'irgin and the sacrifice of Her innocent child and.
Charity. But we are left uncertain.
It, letter to author, January 24, 2000.
�Conversation by the Sea, 1991
4316 x 56
Mystery' prevails in Conversation by the Sea. The identities of the
figures are unknown, as is their reason for coining together. The
absence of any softening vegetation or architectural details provides
no clues to the setting's locale. The time of day is unclear: We don't
know if the light that falls from the right is from a rising or setting
sun or if the ominous sky in the background is darkening or clear
ing. Time appears to have stopped as the players assume and hold
Classic poses, which serve to transform further the scene from the
quotidian into an eternal realm.
Painted contemporaneously with "its compositional doppel
ganger,"1 Four Muses and Pegasus, in Memory ofM.A. (not in exhibi
tion), Conversation shares that work's underlying elegiac mood. The
death of Milet Andrejevic, a painter and Schmidt's close friend,
which is specifically noted in the title of Four Muses, here seems to
inform Conversation with a quiet and understated sense of loss.
The figures resolve themselves into pairs. One grouping rests
firmly on the ground; the other is silhouetted against the sky. The
upper and lower groups are linked by a gracile dance of arms that
flows diagonally downward from the right. In the disposition of her
legs, the line of her back, face in profile, and outstretched arm; the
rightmost woman pays homage to Raphael's Venus and Cupid in the
Villa Famesina, Rome. Her upraised arm, however, differs from the
prototype. And what, we wonder, does the gesture itself signify: Is
she cupping her ear to hear better above the roar of the sea, or is
she—like the seer from the pediment of the Temple of Zeus at
Olympia—reacting to some disquieting vision? Looking at the small
red poppy—a classic symbol of death—held by the comparable
22
figure in Four Muses, we might answer that she brings the same sad
tidings. As she delivers her message to the woman in white, an
enigmatic figure, whose elaborate hat and scarf recall those of some
Tanagra figurines, stares out to sea—or eternity—like some lonely
visionary in a Caspar David Friedrich painting.
On the ground level, the leftmost figure squats in an elaborate
equilibrium of tension and relaxation, motion and countermotion:
The rotation of her head is balanced by the opposing twist of the
torso; the upward motion of one knee is countered by the other; the
bent and extended arms neutralize each other. Totally self-contained
within a closed, oval contour, the figure, so reminiscent of antique
Crouching Venuses, turns inward to reflect upon the words just
read. Her downward gaze, face in shadow, and compact form are
opposed by the figure draped in white, a balance of opposites that
continues in the coloration and attitudes of the sleek dogs or in
Schmidt's employment of primary and secondary colors in the
draperies.
Conversation represents a refinement of Schmidt's homage to
Andrejevic. The gestures are less exaggerated and dramatic than
those in Four Muses; symbols have been eliminated; and a more
Classical restraint and order prevail. Seriousness has replaced
emotion; the dross has been burnt away. Typifying this new attitude
is the transformation of the leftmost figure from a pleasant girl into
a dark and melancholic sibyl.
1. Edward Schmidt, letter to author, January 22, 2000.
1
!
�we might answer that she brings the same sad
irs her message to the woman in white, an
ose elaborate hat and scarf recall those of some
ires out to sea—or eternity'—-like some lonely'
• David Friedrich painting.
?1, the leftmost figure squats in an elaborate
n and relaxation, motion and countermotion:
?ad is balanced by the opposing twist of the
ition of one knee is countered by the other; the
ms neutralize each other. Totally' self-contained
contour, the figure, so reminiscent of antique
urns inward to reflect upon the words just
gaze, face in shadow, and compact form are
’ draped in white, a balance of opposites that
ation and attitudes of the sleek dogs or in
nt of primary and secondary' colors in the
ents a refinement of Schmidt's homage to
ires are less exaggerated and dramatic than
ymbols have been eliminated; and a more
i order prevail. Seriousness has replaced
s been burnt away. Typifying this new attitude
of the leftmost figure from a pleasant girl into
ic sibyl.
2tter to author, January 22, 2000.
�Nereids, 1991
40x50
Two Nereids, each bare to the waist, bask side by side near the calm
ocean. One closes her eyes from the intense sun overhead. The other
simultaneously shades her own face with an upraised arm and pulls
a blue, wavelike coverlet over the nude body of the sleeping child
whose head rests on her left thigh.
We know of the Nereids from many sources, both literary and
visual. In his genealogy' of the gods, Hesiod (Theogony 240-264)
writes that Nereus, the son of Pontus (Sea) and Gaea (Earth) married
Doris, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, and from their union were
bom fifty daughters. Known individually (Hesiod lists the names of
all fifty’) and collectively as Nereids after their eponymous father,
these sea nymphs appear frequently in Classical art—paired with
Poseidon, cavorting with Tritons, or (on a charming kylix [Boston
00.335, Museum of Fine Arts]) surrounded by lively dolphins whose
Minoan ancestors (c. 1450 b.c.) grace the walls of the Palace at
Knossos. In the Renaissance, Raphael painted his great Galatea
(1513), one of the Nereids, for the Sienese banker and bon vivant
Agostino Chigi. Inspired by Poliziano's poem "La giostra," Raphael
depicts a dynamic, triumphal sea nymph fleeing from the jealous
Polyphemus, a cyclops who had just surprised the Nereid and her
lover Acis, soon to fall victim to the one-eyed giant's well-aimed
stone.
Schmidt's Nereids are strangely still. They neither drive scallop
shaped water chariots, nor dance, nor frolic with sea creatures. They
merely repose on the beach. Even their identities are uncertain. One
might imagine, however, that the Nereid protecting the child is
Thetis who, along with Amphitrite and Galatea, is one of the best
known of the sisters. Like Galatea, Thetis was unlucky in love.
Sought after by both Zeus and Poseidon (who ultimately married
Amphitrite), Thetis found the ardor of her divine suitors cooled
upon hearing Themis prophesy that her son would eclipse his father.
Zeus, in particular, would have been sensitive to such a prophecy;
he had overthrown his own father, Cronos, who in turn had over
thrown his father, Uranus. The father destined to be outshone was
the hero Peleus—a mortal, an Argonaut alongside Jason, and a
participant with Meleager in the Caledonian Boar Hunt—whose
deeds of courage and marriage to Thetis are depicted on the famous
Francois Vase (c. 570 b.c.) from Chiusi, now in Florence. Their son
was Achilles who, despite his mother's best efforts to cloak him with
immortality; was fated never to enter the Olympian pantheon.
Although the precise identity of the foremost Nereid is ambigu
ous, her pose specifically echoes that of the Barberini Faun (Glyptothek, Munich), a Hellenistic nude, spread-legged sleeping satyr
dozing in a drunken state. The explicit eroticism of the Munich
sculpture, so atypical of the preceding Classic era, has been jetti
soned and replaced by concern expressed in a protective gesture. A
metamorphosis, but this is typical of Thetis herself who, like her
father, had the power to assume different shapes.
�the beach. Even their identities are uncertain. One
awever, that the Nereid protecting the child is
; with Amphitrite and Galatea, is one of the best
ers. Like Galatea, Thetis was unlucky in love.
□th Zeus and Poseidon (who ultimately married
is found the ardor of her divine suitors cooled
mis prophesy that her son would eclipse his father,
r, would have been sensitive to such a prophecy;
ti his own father, Cronos, who in turn had over
Uranus. The father destined to be outshone was
a mortal, an Argonaut alongside Jason, and a
Teleager in the Caledonian Boar Hunt—whose
and marriage to Thetis are depicted on the famous
70 b.c.) from Chiusi, now in Florence. Their son
, despite his mother's best efforts to cloak him with
fated never to enter the Olympian pantheon.
recise identity of the foremost Nereid is ambiguifically echoes that of the Barberiiti Faun (Glyptolellenistic nude, spread-legged sleeping satyr
en state. The explicit eroticism of the Munich
ical of the preceding Classic era, has been jetti•d by concern expressed in a protective gesture. A
mt this is typical of Thetis herself who, like her
wer to assume different shapes.
25
�Dryads, 1993
50x52
In discussing the fate of Areas in the Seduction of Callisto, Ovid was
the source. But Pausanias, the second-century traveler and geogra
pher, recounts a different destiny for the son of Callisto and Jove.
Upon the death of Nyctimus, Areas became king of Pelasgia, which
thereafter was known as Arcadia, and married Erato, "no mortal
woman but a Dryad nymph."1
The Dryads were woodland nymphs, minor female deities or
spirits who watched over and protected oak trees. Along with the
Oreads (who guarded hills and mountains), the Naiads (who dwelt
beside springs, rivers, and fountains), and the Nereids (who frol
icked in the sea), the Dryads possessed youth and beauty and
frequently' aroused the ardor of gods, mortals, sileni, and satyrs,
those naughty followers of Pan. Typical of the latter is a scene on a
red-figure kylix [Boston 01.8072 Museum of Fine Arts] in which
satyrs attack a sleeping nymph. Like Schmidt's, this nymph has a
hand behind her head in a pose common to sleepers whether on
vases or sculpture (the famous Ariadne that de Chirico appropriated
comes most readily to mind).
When we think of Dryads and other nymphs, the kingdom of
Areas most often comes to mind. As to how "that particular, not
overly' opulent, region of central Greece, Arcady, [came] to be
26
universally accepted1 as an ideal realm of perfect bliss and beauty, a
dream incarnate of ineffable happiness, surrounded nevertheless
with a halo of 'sweetly sad' melancholy"1 we turn to Erwin
Panofsky. The answer Panofsky' advances in his famous essay is
Virgil, in whose Eclogues is resolved that "vestpertinal mixture of
sadness and tranquillity."2 With Virgil the pastoral becomes elegiac.
In painting, the quintessential representation of the elegiac is, of
course, Poussin's second Et hi Arcadia ego, now in the Louvre. As
Panofsky' has convincingly' shown, Poussin compels the viewer to
mistranslate the title: the meaning of the phrase becomes "I, too,
[lived] in Arcady" rather than "Even in Arcady [there am) 1 (i.e.,
death personified)." In Poussin's fully developed interpretation of
the theme, the speaking tombstone becomes a memento mori, just as
the ruins in Schmidt's painting remind us that even in Arcadia,
where Dryads peacefully sleep, time devours all.
1. Pausanias, Descript ion of Greece 8.4.2, Loeb Classical Library translation.
2. Erwin Panofsky, "Et in Arcadia ego: Poussin and the Elegiac Tradition,
Meaning in the Visual Arts (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1955), 297.
3. Ibid., 300.
�deal realm of perfect bliss and beauty,
■ happiness, surrounded nevertheless
melancholy"1 we turn to Erwin
sky advances in his famous essay is
esolved that "vestpertinal mixture of
Vith Virgil the pastoral becomes elegiac,
al representation of the elegiac is, of
in Arcadia ego, now in the Louvre. As
hown, Poussin compels the viewer to
■aning of the phrase becomes "I, too,
tn "Even in Arcady [there am] I (i.e.,
sin's fully developed interpretation of
bstone becomes a memento mori, just as
ng remind us that even in Arcadia,
'ep, time devours all.
reece 8.4.2, Loeb Classical Library translation.
'din ego: Poussin and the Elegiac Tradition,"
City, N.Y: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1955), 297.
�Nocturne, 1993
4114 x 6414
Their passion spent, two lovers lie together in a small clearing in the
woods. Their bodies overlap, blend together, and seem to form a
new entity in a closed, or enclosing, contour. Within the single shape
their clavicles join in a continuous curve offset by the angular
rhythm of their bent elbows and arms. Their faces, separated by an
obscuring, in one case, upraised arm, repose like some cubist visage
in which the profile and frontal views appear simultaneously. So
closely are these figures linked that only the fall of light isolates one
from the other.
Regarding his arrangements with figures, Schmidt has observed
that "compositionally, two bodies can be placed in opposition, in
order to heighten or contrast—or 'doubled,' or posed similarily, as
an echoing of line and shape, to reinforce and enrich a composi
tional element."1 In Nocturne, Schmidt reinforces the composition by
"playing with a repetition of bodies, a double rhythm" that he
further enhances by having the "landforms echo the women's
outlines."2
How these two women arrived here is clearly indicated by the
rough pathway that catches a bit of stray light as it curves back into
the woods and sky. The dark shapes of the guardian trees, the
indistinct forms of the massed foliage, and the sky all possess an
atmospheric quality that, like the title, reminds one of Whistler. The
green sky evokes the silence and desolation of a de Chirico piazza
transformed by the misty light of a late George Inness landscape. A
28
curious mix of artificial and natural lighting further dislocates the
viewer.
Edward Lucie-Smith has noted that
Nocturne ... pays homage to the Italian Baroque, but as much
in stylistic terms as in those of content. The probable source is
Guido Cagnacci (1601-81). Cagnacci has caught the fancy of
twentieth-century art historians because his paintings, espe
cially those of the female nude, have a presence and an
immediacy of impact that make them seem anachronistic, in
terms of the sensibility of their time. Schmidt has obviously felt
this attraction, but his reaction has been to distance the
material once again?
Commenting on this observation, Schmidt notes that "I long ago
established a belief that all art exists in the present. Maybe I lack
that filter, common to artists and others of my time, which rejects the
past art's relevance and finds an unbridgable chasm. I was always
seeking a bridge to connect to my artistic ancestors."4
1.
2.
3.
4.
Edward Schmidt, letter to author, January 29, 2000.
Ibid.
Edward Lucie-Smith, Art Today (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), 234.
Schmidt, letter to author, January' 29, 2000.
�rural lighting further dislocates the
id that
the Italian Baroque, but as much
af content. The probable source is
'agnacd has caught the fancy of
ans because his paintings, espeie, have a presence and an
ake them seem anachronistic, in
dr time. Schmidt has obviously felt
)n has been to distance the
tion, Schmidt notes that "I long ago
xists in the present. Maybe I lack
d others of my time, which rejects the
i unbridgable chasm. I was always
ty artistic ancestors."4
lor, January 29, 2000.
/ (London: Phaidon Press, 1995), 234.
rry 29, 2000.
�Ariadne, 1994
50x65
On the beach at Naxos, Ariadne awakes with a start. She raises her
hand in a gesture of shock. The Athenians' ship is not in the quiet
harbor. She is alone. For love Ariadne had thwarted the will of her
father Minos, the lord of Crete. She assisted Theseus when he
entered the Labyrinth, the handiwork of Daedalus, wherein dwelled
the Minotaur, a monster born of the unnatural union between her
mother Pasiphae and a bull. After Theseus slew the monster, Ariadne fled
the palace at Knossos with her lover and the other tribute youths.
She was to be his bride. Their boat reached Naxos, the Cycladic
island known in ancient times for its wine and Dionysian worship,
and heaved-to. Now she is alone, abandoned by the fickle Theseus.
This version of the story was popular in the Renaissance. In
ancient times, however, it was not the canonical version. Homer, for
example, states that Artemis slew Ariadne on the island of Dia (which
Diodorus Siculus subsequently' identified with Naxos) while en route
with Theseus to Athens.1 The Roman biographer Plutarch records
several differing and conflicting traditions, including the legend that
after Theseus abandoned Ariadne on Naxos she gave birth to his
children Staphylus and Oenopion.2 Apollodorus, on the other hand,
states that Dionysos fell in love with Ariadne and carried her off to
Lemnos where she bore Thoas, Staphylus, Oenopion, and Peparethus.3
In any case, retribution befell Theseus. When he set sail for Crete,
King Aegeus had told his son Theseus to hoist white sails upon his'
3°
return as a sign that he was unharmed. But Theseus forgot. Seeing a
black (or scarlet) sail on the approaching ship, Aegeus presumed
that Theseus had perished and flung himself to his death, either
from the Athenian acropolis or into sea, which thereafter was known
as the Aegean Sea.
Just as the sea holds many secrets, Schmidt's Ariadne is not wholly
what it appears to be. Beneath the surface is a subpainting that
Schmidt has described as "complete, more complex, and more
finished" than the present work.1 The original painting, titled
Danae—a subject favored by Titian—had an interior setting in which
Jove appeared as "golden light (no coins)" to ravish the wholly
nude, splay-legged Danae.5Schmidt's decision to repaint and
simplify his composition, to layer the abandonment of Ariadne over
the impregnation of Danae (which resulted in the birth of Perseus),
and to move from boudoir to landscape, produces a haunting
archeology of symbols and paint.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Homer, The Odyssey 11: 321-325.
Plutarch, Lives: Theseus 20.
Apollodorus, Epitome 1.9.
Edward Schmidt, letter to author, January 30, 2000.
�i that he was unharmed. But Theseus forgot. Seeing
!t) sail on the approaching ship, Aegeus presumed
ad perished and flung himself to his death, either
tian acropolis or into sea, which thereafter was known
Sea.
:a holds many secrets, Schmidt's Ariadne is not wholly
s to be. Beneath the surface is a subpainting that
:scribed as "complete, more complex, and more
the present work.4 The original painting, titled
set favored by Titian—had an interior setting in which
as "golden light (no coins)" to ravish the wholly
;ged Danae.’Schmidt's decision to repaint and
nposition, to layer the abandonment of Ariadne over
on of Danae (which resulted in the birth of Perseus),
am boudoir to landscape, produces a haunting
ymbols and paint.
Odyssey 11: 321-325.
ves: Theseus 20.
s. Epitome 1.9.
imidt, letter to author, January 30, 2000.
�Demeter and Persephone, 1994
50x60
Mother and daughter sleep peacefully on sandy soil near the sea. In
the foreground, Persephone reaches out and gently touches her
mother's wrist. On the earth between them sit an open book and a
linen-lined basket—two white points of light, one hard and geomet
ric, the other soft and convoluted.
The story of Hades' abduction of the Maid has been told previ
ously in conjunction with The Rape of Persephone. Now mother and
daughter are reunited. At her daughter's disappearance, Demeter
had forsaken Olympus and for nine days neither bathed nor ate as
she sought the whereabouts of Persephone. Despite her grief,
Demeter rewarded those who treated her hospitably, her greatest
gift being the art of plowing and wheat cultivation that she taught to
Triptolemus on the Rharian Plain. Schmidt's basket (should we call
it an artophorion?) symbolizes Demeter's great gift to Triptolemus.
When Demeter finally learned the awful truth—and of the complic
ity of Zeus, father and uncle to the unfortunate girl—she ordered
that a temple be built for her at Eleusis. In sorrow, she retreated into
her sanctuary and no longer watched over the fields. All the crops
32
withered, and the gods became alarmed that mankind would perish
from the earth. To the gods, who sought to placate her with gifts, she
would not yield. Finally, great Zeus sent Hermes to demand the
return of Persephone, but as she had already eaten seeds of the
pomegranate, she was unable to leave the underworld until Rhea
brokered the great compromise between her children Hades and
Demeter. Henceforth, Persephone would spend a third of the year
in the chthonic realm and the remainder with her mother. By her
actions, Demeter unshackled her daughter from the fetters of the
Host of Many. Although the Mysteries celebrated in her honor at
Eleusis have remained inviolate and hidden down through the
centuries, they doubtless concerned death, rebirth, and the initiates
hope of immortality.
Schmidt alludes to the cycle of life by quoting a famous Hellenis
tic sculpture of a Hermaphrodite, now in the National Museum,
Rome. Combining the sexual attributes of both male and female, the
hermaphrodite represents a perfect, but flawed, manifestation of the
generative principle.
�red, and the gods became alarmed that mankind would perish
the earth. To the gods, who sought to placate her with gifts, she
1 not yield. Finally, great Zeus sent Hermes to demand the
i of Persephone, but as she had already eaten seeds of the
granate, she was unable to leave the underworld until Rhea
red the great compromise between her children Hades and
ter. Henceforth, Persephone would spend a third of the year
chthonic realm and the remainder with her mother. By her
is, Demeter unshackled her daughter from the fetters of the
if Many. Although the Mysteries celebrated in her honor at
s have remained inviolate and hidden down through the
ies, they doubtless concerned death, rebirth, and the initiate's
)f immortality.
nidt alludes to the cycle of life by quoting a famous HellenisIpture of a Hermaphrodite, now in the National Museum,
Combining the sexual attributes of both male and female, the
phrodite represents a perfect, but flawed, manifestation of the
itive principle.
�Echo, 1995
50x60
Once, loquacious Echo had a form. A nymph then, she would often
sit beside Juno, spinning long stories, while Jove, taking advantage
of his wife's distraction, would pursue his amorous escapades on
earth. When Juno finally realized cunning Echo's true motive, she
curtailed the nymph's power of speech, allowing her only to repeat
the last few words uttered by others. Such was Juno's wrath.
One day Echo came upon Narcissus, a youth of transcendent
beauty', hunting in the fields. In that moment, she fell in love and,
concealing herself from sight, followed him stealthily. She longed to
win his heart with sweet declarations. But unable to speak first, she
only echoed and repeated back his own shouts to his hunting
companions. Finally she approached him, longing to embrace his
neck, but at the sight of the nymph, Narcissus fled, declaring Death
a better mistress. Shamed and shunned, Echo abandoned the bright
mountainsides and dwelt apart in dark woods and darker caves.
Fueled by grief, her love ultimately consumed her body, leaving
naught but a disembodied voice.
In Schmidt's painting, Echo's metamorphosis is in the future. For
the present her body remains full. Her pose is complex-—the head in
profile and the torso frontal. The force of gravity causes one breast
34
to appear almost in profile. The deportment of her legs and arms in
the pinwheel manner of a triskelion seems to set the body in motion.
She rests her curiously masculine, almost Deco, head on curled
fingers. Though the gesture is closely associated with Melancholy
(Durer's engraving comes readily to mind), it here lacks that conno
tation. In the background, a tree fallen in its prime echoes the
quiescent figure's fate. Echo sleeps beside still waters that foretell
the watery mirror of Narcissus's destruction and her retribution. For
Narcissus could love only himself, but unable to possess his own
image, he was destined, like Echo, to wither away.1 To Ovid's poetic
story, Pausanias provides a skeptical rejoinder: "They say that
Narcissus looked into this water, and not understanding that he saw
his own reflection, unconsciously fell in love with himself and died
of love at the spring. But it is utter stupidity to imagine that a man
old enough to fall in love was incapable of distinguishing a man
from a man s reflection."- And yet where love exists, utter stupidity
is often to be found.
1. Ovid, Metamorphoses 3.344 ft.
2. Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.31.7, Loeb Classical Library translation.
�. The deportment of her legs and arms in
triskelion seems to set the body in motion,
sculine, almost Deco, head on curled
e is closely associated with Melancholy
readily to mind), it here lacks that connoa tree fallen in its prime echoes the
to sleeps beside still waters that foretell
ssus's destruction and her retribution. For
himself, but unable to possess his own
ce Echo, to wither away.1 To Ovid's poetic
i skeptical rejoinder: "They say that
water, and not understanding that he saw
ciously fell in love with himself and died
: is utter stupidity to imagine that a man
vas incapable of distinguishing a man
And yet where love exists, utter stupidity
44 ff.
Greece 9.31.7, Loeb Classical Library translation.
�T'-s
£
■I
Psyche and Venus, 1995
44 x 56
Human hubris always annoyed the gods. When Marsyas picked up
Athena's pipes and challenged Apollo, "Lord of the Silver Bow, to
a musical competition, his reward was a flaying. When Psyche's
incomparable beauty caused men to neglect their worship of Venus,
the goddess determined to punish the interloper. After all, how
could she, whom Paris had pronounced the most beautiful in a
contest among goddesses, be surpassed by a mortal!
In The Golden Ass, Lucius Apuleius recounts the travails of Psyche.
At first, jealous Venus simply instructed Cupid (Eros) to employ one of
his mischief-making darts and cause Psyche to fall in love with the
most ugly, vile, and miserable man imaginable. But on beholding
Psyche, Cupid felt the sting of his own arrow and—ignoring his
mother's instructions—took Psyche as his wife. This disobedience
further enraged the goddess, who then set upon Psyche three seem
ingly impossible tasks, of which the last involved descending to Hades
to obtain some of Proserpina's beauty. Then—having paid Charon
twice for ferrying her across the River Styx and back, having thrown
both sops to Cerberus, the three-headed guardian hound of hell, and
indeed having returned to the world of the living—Psyche, against all
advice, opened the box she bore. Instantly, she was overcome by deep
and deathlike sleep, and remained so until Cupid finally awoke her.
The story, much abbreviated here, has long inspired artists.
Among paintings, the classic rendering is Raphael's on the ceiling
36
and spandrels of the Villa Farnesina loggia. The scene that Schmidt
depicts of Psyche sleeping while Venus watches, however, does not
correspond exactly to any in Apuleius or by Raphael.
The conflict and its outcome are well expressed in the underlying
abstract design of Schmidt's painting. The opposition of the concave
arc of Venus's body, suggestive of confidence and sexual openness,
with the convex arc of Psyche's back, denotative of self-protection
and closeness, implies dominance and subjugation. Psyche is
earthbound, not only by sleep but symbolically by the color of her
drapery. Venus, the goddess of love, lies on a deep red cloth, the
color recalling her attribute, the rose, with a golden yellow cloth
wrapped turban-like about her head. Her dominant light tonality
further enhances the Triumph of Venus over a broken, dejected, and
exhausted Psyche.
Venus's triumph, however, is short lived. Distraught, Cupid
pleads his case to Jove and secures divine approbation for his
marriage to Psyche. Perhaps then the golden cloth heralds a new
golden age, when mother-in-law is reconciled with daughter-in-law,
when peace returns to the family, and when even the gods can smile
on a most unlikely union. One recalls Plato's Phaedrus, where
Socrates instructs llissus how love (Eros) gives wings to the soul
(Psyche). Here Schmidt prolongs the moment just before the soul
awakens by the power of love and takes flight.
�1
1
!
loggia. The scene that Schmidt
us watches, however, does not
is or by Raphael.
ell expressed in the underlying
The opposition of the concave
nfidence and sexual openness,
, denotative of self-protection
id subjugation. Psyche is
'mbolically by the color of her
lies on a deep red cloth, the
, with a golden yellow cloth
. Her dominant light tonality
ms over a broken, dejected, and
t lived. Distraught, Cupid
livine approbation for his
e golden cloth heralds a new
econciled with daughter-in-law,
id when even the gods can smile
Is Plato's Phaedrus, where
Eros) gives wings to the soul
e moment just before the soul
akes flight.
i
�•sj
Seduction of Callisto, 1995
50 x 70
Among the constellations in the nighttime sky, none recalls a more
poignant story than Ursa Major. As retold in Ovid's Metamorphoses,
Callisto was a woodland nymph whose beauty smote omnipotent
Jove. One day, when the sun had passed its apogee, Callisto retired
to a secluded spot, known to her, and laying aside her bow and
arrows "she took her quiver from her shoulder, unstrung her tough
bow, and lay down upon the grassy ground, with her head pillowed
on her painted quiver."1 Consumed with passion, Jove approached
her after having "put on the features and dress of Diana and ...
kissed her lips, not modestly, nor as a maiden kisses."2
In Schmidt's painting, the seduction has begun: Jove, disguised as
Diana, gently pulls back a red cloak to expose Callisto's breast. In
perfect profile, he stares at what one writer quaintly called the point
of her belly, while she covers her eyes against the light that falls
from the left. Only his slightly darker skin, which follows an ancient
Egyptian convention that men are dark and women light, contra
dicts what our eyes perceive. The mood is calm; the pace relaxed.
We are witnesses to seduction, not rape.
That Jove's legs are immersed in water is a small detail that
foreshadows Callisto's undoing. Pregnant, she seeks to avoid the
bosky baths that Diana so loved: "when the goddess ... came to a
cool grove through which a gently murmuring stream flowed over
its smooth sands. The place delighted her and she dipped her feet
into the water. Delighted too with this, she said to her companions:
'Come, no one is near to see; let us disrobe and bathe us in the
38
brook.' [Callisto] blushed, and, while all the rest obeyed, she only
sought excuses for delay. But her companions forced her to comply,
and there her shame was openly confessed."3
When Callisto gave birth to Areas, Juno, consort of Jove, flew into
a rage, denouncing her as an adulteress whose son would "publish
my wrong by his birth, a living witness to my lord's shame."1 In
punishment, Juno transformed her into a bear. Callisto spent the
next fifteen years wandering the woods, alternately hiding from
hunters and from savage beasts, until one day the boy, out hunting
"chanced upon his mother, who stopped still at sight of Areas, and
seemed like one that recognized him. He shrank back at those unmov
ing eyes that were fixed forever upon him, and feared he knew not
what; and when she tried to come nearer, he was just in the act of
piercing her breast with his wound-dealing spear."5 Then Jove
"stayed his hand, and together he removed both themselves and the
crime, and together caught up through the void in a whirlwind, he
set them in the heavens and made them neighbouring stars."6
1. Ovid, Metamorphoses 2: 420ff. All quotations are from the Loeb Classical
Library translation.
2. Ibid, 2: 425ff.
3. Ibid., 2: 453ff.
4. Ibid, 2: 472ff.
5. Ibid, 2: 500ff.
6. Ibid, 2: 505ff.
�I
■
vhile all the rest obeyed, she only
r companions forced her to comply,
confessed."3
teas, Juno, consort of Jove, flew into
ilteress whose son would "publish
vitness to my lord's shame."4 In
ter into a bear. Callisto spent the
woods, alternately hiding from
until one day the boy, out hunting
topped still at sight of Areas, and
lim. He shrank back at those unmovpon him, and feared he knew not
> nearer, he was just in the act of
nd-dealing spear."5 Then Jove
le removed both themselves and the
irough the void in a whirlwind, he
le them neighbouring stars."6
j
•f
1
11 quotations are from the Loeb Classical
39
�Terpsichore and Erato, 1995
46x58
How different from Courbet's working girls sleeping by the Seine
are Terpsichore. Muse of dance and song, and Erato, Muse of lyric
and love poetrv? Of their birth in Pieria, Hesiod tells us in the
TTtecyctr.. that great Olvmpian Zeus had lain with Mnemosyne
i Memory) for nine nights; when a year had passed and the seasons
run their cycle, she bore nine daughters, the Muses. Protectoresses of
the arts, the Muses frequented Hippocrene on Helicon, Castalian on
Parnassus, and other magical springs whose waters possessed
powers of inspiration. For company, they kept the lovely Graces,
Htmerns (Desire), and Phoebus Apollo.
The Muses combine primordial inspiration with the rise of the
r.ew anthropocentric Olympian deities. Memory, henceforth, as
sumes order and discipline, rather than existing in a great chaotic
mix. The Muses determine how the past is preserved and under
stood. Thus Clio eventually came to oversee history, Melpomene
tragedy, Thalia comedy, and Urania the heavens. The other sisters
concentrate on poetry, whether epic, lyric, pastoral, or love, along
with music, song, and dance. When the Muses first appear in Hesiod,
Homer's epics had existed in written form for only two centuries.
Prior to the eighth century b.c., the Iliad and Odyssey had been
transmitted orally from generation to generation for hundreds of
years. The birth of the Muses signals the end of the era of memory,
4«
the end of the oral epic tradition, and the ascendancy' of the text.
The Muses too reflect the beginnings of a new, more personal era,
in which a softer lyric genre expressive of more private feelings and
moods coexists with the public, heroic epic poem. In the Iliad Homer
sings of the final year of a decade-long struggle between aggrieved
Greeks and defending Trojans. Although many gods actively partici
pate in the events on the Ilian plain, Dionysos and Aphrodite appear
infrequently. Indeed, when Aphrodite ventures onto the furious
battlefield, she suffers a blow from mighty Diomedes and promptly
retires from the fray'. But then Aphrodite and Dionysos, gods of love
and wine, are more appropriate to Ivric poetrv (although, it should
be noted, Aphrodite receives her due in Virgil's great epic poem).
Which Muse is which in Schmidt's painting? Characteristically, he
avoids depicting the attributes that identify them. Neither viol nor
lyre nor harp lies at the side of Terpsichore. No garland of flowers
crowns her head. Likewise, Erato has no tambourine or Ivre. and no
mischievous potto frolics at her feet. Still, the deep red drapery and
open pose suggest the heat of love and by extension Erato. If this
conjecture be so, then it must be Terpsichore who, encircled by a bit
of golden cloth, begins to stir, to stretch, to wake her sister from a
peaceful dream. Unlike Goya’s Sleep of Reason, that of the Muses
produces no monsters.
�?
tradition, and the ascendancy of the text,
thebeginnings of a new, more personal era,
enre expressive of more private feelings and
■ public, heroic epic poem. In the Iliad Homer
a decade-long struggle between aggrieved
rojans. Although many gods actively partici’ Ilian plain, Dionysos and Aphrodite appear
ren Aphrodite ventures onto the furious
blow from mighty Diomedes and promptly
t then Aphrodite and Dionysos, gods of love
ropriate to lyric poetry (although, it should
eives her due in Virgil's great epic poem),
i in Schmidt's painting? Characteristically, he
ributes that identify them. Neither viol nor
side of Terpsichore. No garland of flowers
rise, Erato has no tambourine or lyre, and no
cs at her feet. Still, the deep red drapery and
leaf of love and by extension Erato. If this
must be Terpsichore who, encircled by a bit
to stir, to stretch, to wake her sister from a
Goya's Sleep of Reason, that of the Muses
�I
Checklist of the Exhibition
(Dimensions are given in inches, height
precedes width)
The Accident, 1969
oil on paper, 1214 x 10
Courtesy of the Artist
The Accident, 1969
oil on linen, 50 x 41
Courtesy of the Artist
Composition with Fallen Figure, 1969
oil on paper mounted on cardboard, 12 x 11
Courtesy of the Artist
Dance, 1969
oil on cardboard, 15 x 20
Courtesy of the Artist
Judgment of Paris, 1969
oil on paper, 11 x 1316
Courtesy of the Artist
The Philosopher (composition sketch), 1969
oil on paper, 11 x 1614
Courtesy of the Artist
The Tempest, 1981-82
oil on linen, 24 x 36
Collection of David B. Wolf
Workers (square), 1974
oil on board, 816 x 816
Collection of Thomas Cornell
Destruction of a City (small version), 1980
oil on linen, 18 x 27
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
Workers (vertical), 1975
oil on masonite, 1014 x 7
Collection of Thomas Cornell
Family at Rest (Flight into Egypt), 1980
oil on masonite, 1014 x 19
Collection of Mary Salstrom and
Brent M. Porter
Departure, 1981-82
oil on linen, 40 x 50
Innes Collection
Figures in a Forest, 1981-82
oil on linen, 36 x 60
Innes Collection
Dies Irae—Destruction of a City, 1982
oil on linen, 36 x 48
Private Collection
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
Rape of Persephone, 1982
oil on linen, 51 x 67
Collection of Mark and Lisa Helprin
The Shepherd's Dream, 1989
oil on linen, 50 x 60
Private Collection
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
43
�Conversation by the Sea, 1991
oil on linen, 43H x 56
Private Collection
Courtesv of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
Nereids, 1991
oil on linen, 40 x 50
Fredric Goldstein Collection
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
Drwids, 1993
oil on linen, 50 x 52
Tracv Freedman Collection
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
Nocturne, 1993
oil on linen, 4114 x 6414
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. David Berelson
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
44
Edward Schmidt
Ariadne, 1994
oil on linen, 50 x 65
Courtesy of the Artist
Demeter and Persephone, 1994
oil on linen, 50 x 60
Collection of Mariano and Celia Pacheco
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
Echo, 1995
oil on linen, 50 x 60
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
Psyche and Venus, 1995
oil on linen, 44 x 56
Collection of Henry and Amanda Vandeveer
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
Seduction of Callisto, 1995
oil on linen, 50 x 70
Collection of Mark Lupke
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
EDUCATION
SOL(
1978
2000
Atelier 17, Paris
(Studied with S. W. Hayter)
1972-74
M.F.A., Brooklyn College, Brooklyn,
New York
"Drai
Oe:
"Edw
Art
Wil
1998
Terpsichore and Erato, 1995
oil on linen, 46 x 58
Private Collection
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
1967-68
Oreads, 2000
oil on linen, 42 x 84
Courtesy of the Artist
1966—71
Hamadryads at Rest, 2000
oil on linen, 50 x 74
Courtesy of the Artist
1964-71
Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris
"Figu
Gal
1967
1997
Skowhegan School of Painting, Maine
"Drat
Phi
The Art Students League, New York City
(Studied with Robert Beverly Hale)
B.F.A., Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
(Honors)
1962—63
1995
"Rece
Gal
1993
"Rece
rar
Ecole Internationale, Geneva, Switzerland
1992
Boni: Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1946
"Worl
Ne’
�I
Edward Schmidt
I i
EDUCATION
Seduction of Callisto, 1995
oil on linen, 50 x 70
Collection of Mark Lupke
Courtesv of Hackett-Freedman Gallery;
San Francisco
1978
2000
Atelier 17, Paris
(Studied with S. W. Hayter)
1991
"Drawings & Works on Paper," Marguerite
Oestreicher Fine Arts, New Orleans
Edward Schmidt: Mythologies," Sordoni
Art Gallery, Wilkes University,
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
New York Academy of Art, New York City
1972-74
M.F.A., Brooklyn College, Brooklyn,
New York
1998
a Pacheco
Gallery;
Gallery,
a Vandeveer
Gallery,
Terpsichore and Erato, 1995
oil on linen, 46 x 58
Private Collection
Courtesy of Hackett-Freedman Gallery,
San Francisco
Oreads, 2000
oil on linen, 42 x 84
Courtesy of the Artist
Hamadryads at Rest, 2000
oil on linen, 50 x 74
Courtesy of the Artist
I
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1967-68
Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris
"Figures & Landscapes," Lizan-Tops
Gallery, East Hampton, New York
1967
1997
Skowhegan School of Painting, Maine
"Drawings & Paintings," The More Gallery,
Philadelphia
1966-71
The Art Students League, New York City
(Studied with Robert Beverly Hale)
1995
"Recent Paintings," Contemporary Realist
Gallery, San Francisco
1990
"Muses of Music—Paintings for Riverbend,"
Gallery West, Suffolk County Community
College, Brentwood, New York
1988
"Drawings & Paintings," Brooklyn College
of Art, Brooklyn, New York
1983
"Drawings," Temple University' Tyler
School of Art in Rome, Italy
1982
Robert Schoelkopf Gallery' New York City
1964-71
B.F.A., Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
(Honors)
1993
"Recent Paintings & Drawings," Contempo
rary Realist Gallery, San Francisco
1962-63
Ecole Internationale, Geneva, Switzerland
Bom: Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1946
1992
"Works on Paper," Stiebel Modern,
New York City
1980
"Images & Ideas," Bayly Art Museum,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville,
Virginia
Salve Regina Gallery, Catholic University,
Washington, D.C.
�Museum, Charleston, South Carolina
(traveling exhibition)
"Chateaux Bordeaux," Palais de Beaulieu,
Lausanne, Switzerland
1989
Suffolk County Community College,
Brentwood, New York
1998
s'.
"The Artist as Subject," The Art Students
League, New York City
"Mural Projects—The National Society of
Mural Painters," The Art Students
League, New York City
1997
"10th Anniversary Exhibition," HackettFreedman Gallery, San Francisco
"Contemporary Drawing," Shasta College
Art Gallery; Redding, California
"The Derriere Garde," The Kitchen,
New York City'
"Re-presenting Representation III," Arnot
Art Museum, Elmira, New York
"Instructor Exhibition," The Art Students
League, New York City
46
Edward Schmidt
1995
"Eight Artists: Eight Views of the Figure,"
Koplin Gallery, Santa Monica, California
"NYAA Graduate Faculty Exhibition," Plaza
Gallery, Fordham College,
New York City
1994
"Centennial Banners," The American Acad
emy in Rome, Italy
"Gallery Artists," Stiebel Modern,
New York City
"Parallax Views," Koplin Gallery, Santa
Monica, California
"Art Miami," Contemporary Realist Gallery
at the Miami Convention Center, Florida
1993
"Drawing on the Figure," Carlsten Art Gallery,
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
1992
"New American Figure Painting," Contem
porary Realist Gallery, San Francisco
(traveled to Rudolph E. Lee Gallery,
Clemson University, Clemson,
South Carolina)
1991-92
"Artists from the Contemporary Realist
Gallery, San Francisco," New York
Academy of Art, New York City
"The Modern Pastoral," Robert Schoelkopf
Gallery, New York City
Union League Club, New York City
"Drawing: Points of View," Belk Art Gallery,
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee,
North Carolina
"Design U.S.A.," United States Information
Service, Moscow, USSR (traveling exhibi
tion)
1988
"Works on Paper," Robert Schoelkopf
Gallery, New York City
"Chateaux Bordeaux," Centre Georges
Pompidou, Paris (traveling exhibition)
1987
1991
"Gallery Artists," Robert Schoelkopf
Gallery, New York City
1990
"Figure," Contemporary Realist Gallery,
San Francisco
"The Italian Tradition in Contemporary
Landscape Painting 1960-90," Gibbes
"Storytellers," Contemporary Realist
Gallery, San Francisco
Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, New York City
"Modem Myths: Classical Renewal," Boise
Gallery' of Art, Idaho (traveling exhibition)
"Studies from Life: Paintings by Contempo
rary Artists," Bayly Art Museum, Univer
sity of Virginia, Charlottesville
1986
"Short S
Penn
"Michaf
Solwc
"Figure
Galle
1985
"Art &.
Pega;
Muse
"Michai
Colla
York
"Artists
labor
Cleve
1984
"Clos P
Univ
Prine
Robert
"Figura
Phila
"Instru
Leag
1983
Americ
�'4I
’ z.
■?
A
5 of Figuration: Selections From the
fork Academy of Art," Contempoealist Gallery, San Francisco
igs by American Artists," Contemr Realist Gallery, San Francisco
gs III," Koplin Gallery,
Monica, California
" Contemporary Realist Gallery at
s Angeles Convention Center,
igeles
nerican Figure Painting," ContemRealist Gallery, San Francisco
ed to Rudolph E. Lee Gallery,
m University, Clemson,
Carolina)
rom the Contemporary Realist
', San Francisco," New York
ny of Art, New York City
Museum, Charleston, South Carolina
(traveling exhibition)
"Chateaux Bordeaux," Palais de Beaulieu,
Lausanne, Switzerland
1989
"The Modem Pastoral," Robert Schoelkopf
Gallery, New York City
Union League Club, New York City
"Drawing: Points of View," Belk Art Gallery,
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee,
North Carolina
"Design U.S.A.," United States Information
Service, Moscow, USSR (traveling exhibi
tion)
1988
"Works on Paper," Robert Schoelkopf
Gallery, New York City
"Chateaux Bordeaux," Centre Georges
Pompidou, Paris (traveling exhibition)
1987
Artists," Robert Schoelkopf
' New York City
Contemporary Realist Gallery,
mcisco
an Tradition in Contemporary
ape Painting 1960—90,' Gibbes
"Storytellers," Contemporary Realist
Gallery, San Francisco
Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, New York City
"Modem Myths: Classical Renewed," Boise
Gallery of Art, Idaho (traveling exhibition)
"Studies from Life: Paintings by Contempo
rary Artists," Bayly Art Museum, Univer
sity of Virginia, Charlottesville
1986
Short Stories—Narrative Painting," One
Penn Plaza, New York City
"Michael Graves & Edward Schmidt," Carl
Solway Gallery, Cincinnati
"Figure in Architecture," John Nichols
Gallery, New York City
1985
"Art & Architecture & Landscape, The Clos
Pegase Competition," San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
"Michael Graves/Edward Schmidt: A
Collaboration," Academy Gallery, New
York Academy of Art, New York City
"Artists & Architects: Challenges in Col
laboration," Contemporary Arts Center,
Cleveland
1984
"Clos Pegase Winery Designs," Princeton
University School of Architecture,
Princeton, New Jersey
Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, New York City
"Figurative Drawings," The More Gallery,
Philadelphia
"Instructors Exhibition," The Art Students
League, New York City
1983
American Studies Center, Naples, Italy
"Alumni Exhibition," Pratt Institute,
Brooklyn, New York
"Prix de Rome Fellows," The American
Academy in Rome, Italy
Grand Central Gallery, New York City
Academy Gallery, New York Academy of
Art, New York City
"Realistic Directions," Zoller Gallery,
Pennsylvania State University,
University Park
•■'i
A
1982
"Contemporary Arcadian Painting," Robert
Schoelkopf Gallery, New York City
"Juried Biennial Exhibition," National
Academy of Design, New York City
First Street Gallery, New York City
"Casts and Cast Drawings," Bayly Art
Museum, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville
"A Painter's Appreciation of Realism,"
Williams Proctor Institute, Utica,
New York
Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, New York
"Art on Paper," Weatherspoon Gallery,
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
1981
"Contemporary Figure Drawings," Robert
Schoelkopf Gallery, New York City
Mythologies
47
�•• -.i- ■
I
>979
"Huit Voyages a Ners," Musee de la Grande
Combe, Ales, France
"Toward a Renewal of Classicism," Tatistcheff and Co., New York City
Bayly Art Museum, Charlottesville, Virginia
1978
"Mural Projects for New York," Theodore
Roosevelt Birthplace Museum,
New York City
"Metaphor in Painting," Federal Memorial
National Hall, New York City
■
I
IJ
I
I
i
>977
"Art on Paper," Weatherspoon Gallery,
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery,
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville
>975
"Annual Invitation," First Street Gallery,
New York City
"New Talent," Robert Schoelkopf Gallery,
New York City
The Residence, Pratt Institute, Ners, France
1974
"Annual Invitation," First Street Gallery,
New York City
48
Ii
1
Edward Schmidt
>973
"Annual Invitation,” I 11.1 Street Gallery.
New York City
"Drawings,” Viterbo College Ari Gallery.
1 aCrosse. Wisconsin
M U R A t C O M MIS S10 N S
>989
I 1 her 1 foils*-, '
HONORS, (.RAN I
Pratt Manhattan Art Center < iallery.
NewYork( it.
>97°
Brooklyn Museum of Art, Bmol.h n. Nev. 'mrl
"The Representational Spirit,' Univ.-rsilv
Art Gallery, SUNY, Albany, New York
1968
Le Salon National des Beaux Art-.. Pan
SELECTED PUBLIC COLL1X I IONS
Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock
Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia.
Charlottesville
The American Academy, Rome, Italy
The National Academy of I tesign,
New York Citv
The Elizabeth Greenshields Memorial
Foundation, Montreal
Crown .America Corporation, Johnstown,
Pennsylvania
i'ork < it .
Quantum Corporation. N<-w
Award 111 P
New Y01 k < il,
y
. Cm.
>9®7
l<J7fe
Art! 1 Grae
11)9<>
Nati<ii 1 il * >< xietyof
Mm >11'nni,., .
I Intel Giorgio, 16-n*. er I 1 mural.;
1994
>985
Al II'.f■. < •! .11 II, A 1 li >•
Irafalgar 1 Ion , New York ( it-, <Ki.hn
Peder ert I ov. Arihitix!’.)
•984
Cm* mn.iti Symphony 1
tra Pax ilion,
Cincinnati, (Mi* had Grave.. Art hitixtj
Alwyn Court l andmark Butldm
New York City
>977
Ahgr.i industri
•9*3
l‘|r* lie 16,r
Academ*
H)<)8
19HH
>972
G \RDS
I >.fh.-I ( . ttlub
I emulation, ! ho a \ ( i‘7
*99'»
AfA Honor. Av- rdf..-' t ■, pi ,■■■ ■ Wmt 1 •;
( ollaboi.ilmn (with Mi- heel Crave 1
1972
Artist , Gr,
I oundati
MI I ( ff
'985
Competition Win
loi <
>974
f
J
Brookjyi
. P
)
rd
■■
I ). sign < oil-.txir.it 1
.
1 r .1 I a o
Mu ..-urn of Modern Art
Visual J eilov. ship <.rant,.'. ition.il Endow
ment for the Arts, Wa-iiingtoii, D.C
>984
So; iety of 1 >-lit, . ., I hr American Academy
in Rome, New York City
Artist'-. Grant, Ingram Merrill f ounda..
New York City
Bratt, Phyll
lurv.” 7/;.
Bresson, ,M
Paint," I
'■
■■'
i >
■,
San I ran
Gallery,
Campbell,
Schoelko
19S3).
Ch :
Interior h
1988.
�AL COMMISSIONS
House, New York City
am Corporation, New York Citv
Siorgio, Denver (4 murals)
ar House, New York City (Kohn
■rsen Fox, Architects)
HONORS, GRANTS, & AWARDS
1983
199s
Prix de Rome Fellowship, The American
Academy in Rome, Italy
Award in Painting, Arthur Ross Foundation,
New York City
1976
1996
Artist Grant, Change, Inc., New York City
National Society of Mural Painters
1974
Graduate Fellowship, Brooklyn College,
Brooklyn, New York
1994
Artist's Grant, Adolph and Esther Gottlieb
Foundation, New York City
1990
1972
Artist's Grant, Elizabeth Greenshields
Foundation, Montreal
ALA Honors Award for Clos Pegase Winery
Collaboration (with Michael Graves)
nati Svmphony Orchestra Pavilion,
innati, (Michael Graves, Architect)
Court Landmark Building,
York City
Industries, New York City (2 murals)
SELECTED LITERATURE
1985
Competition Winner (with Michael Graves)
for Gos Pegase Winery, Architect—Artist
Design Collaboration, San Francisco
Museum of Modem Art
Visual Fellowship Grant, National Endow
ment for the Arts, Washington, D.C.
1984
Society of Fellows, The American Academy
in Rome, New York City
Artist's Grant, Ingram Merrill Foundation,
New York City
Braff, Phyllis. "Classicism in the 20th Cen
tury," The New York Times (October 20,1997).
Bresson, Michael. "Telling Stories with
Paint," The New York Times (July 25,1986).
Bolt, Thomas. New American Figure Painting.
San Francisco: Contemporary Realist
Gallery, 1992.
Campbell, Lawrence. "Edward Schmidt at
Schoelkopf," Art in America (February
1983).
Cass, Caroline. Grand Illusions—Contemporary
Interior Murals. London: Phaidon Press,
1988.
Clubbe, John. Cincinnati Observed: Architec
ture and History. Columbus: Ohio State
University Press, 1993.
Cohen, Ronny H. "The Symbolist Renewal,"
Drawing (September-October 1985).
Cooper, James F. "Contemporary Artist
Linked to 17th Century French Painting,"
Weekend World (June 11,1982).
Delman, Frederic E. "Au Clos Pegase,"
Gazette des Beaux Arts (January 1985).
Filler, Martin, and Helen Fried. Art &
Architecture & Landscape: The Clos Pegase
Design Competition. San Francisco: San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1985.
Fort, Ilene Susan. "Contemporary Arcadian
Painting," Arts Magazine (February 1983).
Godfrey, Robert. "Art Exhibitions Say As
Much about Curators As Artists," Asheville
Citizen-Times (January 24,1989).
Goldberger, Paul. "Too Much Italian Flavor
in a California Winery," The New York
Times (October 11,1987).
Gordon, Douglas E. "AIA Corporate Honor
Award, Clos Pegase Winery," Architecture
(March 1990).
Grand, Stanley I. Drawing on the Figure.
Stevens Point, Wisconsin: Carlsten Art
Gallery, University of Wisconsin, 1993.
--------- . Edward Schmidt: Mythologies. WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania: Sordoni Art Gallery,
Wilkes University, 2000.
Mythologies
49
�Helprin, Mark. "In Appreciation of Edward
Schmidt," Edward Schmidt. San Francisco:
Contemporary Realist Gallery, 1993.
—----- . "The Arcadian Lyricism of Edward
Schmidt," American Arts Quarterly (Spring
1993).
Hollander, John. The Italian Tradition in
Contemporary Landscape Painting, 1960-90.
Charleston, South Carolina: Gibbes
Museum, 1990.
Jencks, Charles. Post-Modernism: The New
Classicism in Art and Architecture. London:
Academy Editions, 1987.
--------- . I Mia* Is Post-Modernism? London:
Academy Editions; New York: St. Martin's
Press, 1986.
Kaufman, Jason. "Academy of the Future,"
American Arts Quarterly (Spring 1988).
Kohn, Benjamin. The Centennial Directory of
The American Academy in Rome. New York:
The American Academy in Rome, 1995.
Ligare, David. "Premodernism," Artweek
(August 19, 1993).
50
Edward Schmidt
--------- . Art Today. London: Phaidon Press,
1995.
Merkel, Jayne. Michael Graves and the
Riverbend Music Center. Cincinnati, Ohio:
Contemporary Art Center, 1987.
O'Hern, John D. Re-presenting Representation
III. Elmira, New York: Arnot Art Mu
seum, 1998.
Perl, Jed. "How Simple Everything Could
Be," The New Criterion (May 1989).
--------- . "Still Life Painting Today," ACM: The
Journal of Artists' Choice Museum (Fall 1982).
--------- . "Life of the Object," Arts Magazine
(December 1977).
Phillips, Patricia C. "Figure in Architecture:
Michael Graves, Edward Schmidt, Ray
mond Kaskey," Artforum (March 1986).
Rosenthal, Deborah. "Metaphor in Painting:
The Struggle for a Tradition," Arts
Magazine (June 1978).
Russotto, Ellen Romano. The Representational
Spirit. Albany, New York: University Art
Gallery, SUNY Albany, 1970.
Stabler, Wendy. "Mural Painting," Interiors
(September 1985).
Stanger, Karen. "Edward Schmidt: Images
of Arcadia," American Artist (December
1993).
Tapley, George M., Jr. "The Arcadian Ethos
in Contemporary Painting," Arts Maga
zine (February 1983).
Taylor, Julie. "That's Italian," The Designer
(January 1989).
Thorton, Gene. "In Praise of Academic
Drawing," American Artist (December
1982).
Who's Who in American Art, 20th Edition.
New Providence, New Jersey: R. R.
Bowker, 1994.
Wolfe, Tom. "The New Radicals in the Fine
Arts," American Arts Quarterly (Fall 1990).
Woodbridge, Sally. "The Mountain of
Pegasus," Progressive Architecture (Decem
ber 1984).
EXHIBITION UNDERWRITERS
AD
Friends of the Sordoni Art Gallery
M & T Bank
Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The John Sloan Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Wilkes University
Bon
Free
SPONSORS
The Business Council
CBI-Creative Business Interiors
Marquis Art and Frame
PNC Bank, NA
Panzitta Enterprises, Inc.
Funding for this exhibition and catalogue is
provided by the Commonwealth of Penn
sylvania through grants administered by the
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state
agency funded by the Pennsylvania General
Assembly, and the National Endowment for
the Arts, a federal agency.
Chr
Mai
Virj
Star
Rob
Mai
Keil
J.M
Mel
The
Ker
Hai
Arr
Ch;
Sus
Wil
Hel
An
Sar
Mil
Joe
�hwartz, J. P. Artists & Architects, Challen'gt’s
in Collaborations. San Francisco: San
Francisco Museum of Modem Art, 19S5.
nith, James E. American Ethos in Contemporary
Drawing, Drawing Points of View. Cullowhee.
North Carolina: Belk Art Gallery, Western
Carolina University, 1989.
abler, Wendy. "Mural Painting," Interiors
(September 1985).
anger, Karen. "Edward Schmidt: Images
of Arcadia," American Artist (December
1993).
pley, George M., Jr. "The Arcadian Ethos
in Contemporary Painting," Arts Maga
zine (February 1983).
ylor, Julie. "That's Italian," The Designer
(January 1989).
torton, Gene. "In Praise of Academic
Drawing," American Artist (December
1982).
ho's Who in American Art, 20th Edition.
New Providence, New Jersey: R. RBowker, 1994.
olfe, Tom. "The New Radicals in the Fine
Arts," American Arts Quarterly (Fall 1990).
oodbridge, Sally. "The Mountain of
Pegasus," Progressive Architecture (Decem
ber 1984).
EXHIBITION UNDERWRITERS
ADVISORY COMMISSION
STAFF
Friends of the Sordoni Art Gallery
M & T Bank
Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
The John Sloan Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Wilkes University
Bonnie C. Bedford, Ph.D.
Freddie Bittenbender
Christopher N. Breiseth, Ph.D.
Marion M. Conyngham
Virginia C. Davis, Chair
Stanley I Grand, Ph.D.
Robert J. Heaman, Ph.D.
Mary Jane Henry
Keith A. Hunter, Esq.
J. Michael Lennon, Ph.D.
Melanie Maslow Lumia
Theo Lumia
Kenneth Marquis
Hank O'Neal
Arnold Rifkin
Charles A. Shaffer, Esq.
Susan Adams Shoemaker, Esq.
William Shull
Helen Farr Sloan
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Sanford B. Sternlieb, M.D.
Mindi Thalenfeld
Joel Zitofsky
Stanley I Grand, Ph.D., Director
Nancy L. Grand, Coordinator
Earl W. Lehman, Preparator
SPONSORS
The Business Council
CBI-Creative Business Interiors
Marquis Art and Frame
PNC Bank, NA
Panzitta Enterprises, Inc.
Funding for this exhibition and catalogue is
provided by the Commonwealth of Penn
sylvania through grants administered by the
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state
agency' funded by the Pennsylvania General
Assembly, and the National Endowment for
the Arts, a federal agency.
I
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Gallery Attendants
Deidre Blake
Peter Czwalina
Natalee Felten
Marcy Fritz
Jill Klicka
Christopher Rehmann
Casey Williams
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
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The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
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Wilkes University
Publisher
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The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
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Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
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English
Type
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Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
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PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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2000 February 20 Edward Schmidt: Mythologies
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Edward Schmidt
Stanley I. Grand
Stanley I. Grand
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2000 February 20 - March 26
Format
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PDF
Description
An account of the resource
Edward Schmidt's Mythologies prsesnt an oblique, cultured, yet modern way of looking at reality. Informed by erudition, drawing inspiration from classical tradition, and paying frequent tribute to Old Masters, Schmidt's paitnings conjure up an anachronistic, literally timeless, reality in which the past and present simultaneously exist.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition program
Subject
The topic of the resource
Edward Schmidt
old masters
painting
painter
mythology
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Information about rights held in and over the resource
SAG
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https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/ed4855a99076ad69df69b2b5107b4c8f.pdf
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Text
Tiains That Passed in the Night
The Railroad Photographs
of O. Winston Link
AN ExrmmoN
oRGANTZED BY
Srmroox Mruonrer Anr Genrny
exl Scurprunr GenoBN
Uxnrrnsrry or NTSRAsKA-LTNCoLN
FoR TRAVEL THRouGHour
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UNrreD Srerrs, 1998-2000
Thomas H. Garver Guest Curator
/
January 7- March 22, 1998 Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery Lincoln Nebraska
April 21- Jane 21.,1998 Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, Mrginia
Jriy 21.- September 20,'1,998 / Virginia Historical Sociery Richmond, Mrginia
October 20- December 20,7998 Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, 'West Virginia
January 1.2- March 1.4, 1.999 / Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas
April 13- June 13, L999 Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio
July 13- September 1,9, 1999 Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, South Carolina
October 15- November 26, 1,999 Cantor-Fitzgerald Gallery Haverford, Pennsylvania
January 11- March 1.2,2000 New York State Museum, Albany, New York
April 18- June 18, 2000 Sordoni Art Gallery, rJflilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
August 20- November 5,2000 Stanford Museum of Art, Stanford, California
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�The Photographs of O. Winston Link
inston Link was a young practitioner of an old photographic tradition, one still
much used, but which now colrlmands little public notice. He developed a strong
personal style within the technique of using cameras that were usually fixed in
place, mounted on heavy tripods and using large negatives, typically 4 x 5 inches in size. The
dynamic qualities of photographs made this way came through their careful planning: the
precise placement of the camera, and equally careful placement of the lighting sources, with
people and objects also being arranged with an eye for the final effect. Photographs using this
technique were (and still are) made by the millions for advertising and illustrative purposes.
\X4rile this manner of photography is still widely used, we have come more often to think
of photographic "truth" through another aesthetic, one created by photographers using
small hand held cameras. Sometimes described by the generic term "street photography,"
photographers who work in this way usually move rapidly and invisibly through their
surroundings, making images using only the light available and leaving the environment
untouched and unchanged.
Not only did \Winston Link use a different photographic technique, his motivations were
different from street photographers. His interest, in all his work, was to create as precise
and careful a record as possible of the scene being photographed. Using lessons he learned
from his commercial advertising photography, Link had less interest in documenting life as
he found it than in creating images of life as he (or his clients) might wish it to be. Thus in
his railroad photos, Link built a record that not only documented the locomotives and
trains themselves, but emphasized the benefits of the railroad to the life of the communities
through which it passed. He was, in his way, preparing and executing an advertising campaign for the "American Sream Railroad," and the good life in the United States which it
,upport.d. In many of his photographs, the passing train is incidental to the activity in the
foieground, be it buying groceries, taking a swim or herding cows. Yet, even in the background, the steam railroad was still the essential element which stitched together'$Tinston
Link's personal vision of this good life in America'
Sometimes the Electricity Fails, Vesuvius, Virginia, 1956
�O. Winston Link and the Norfolk and Western Railway
inston Link has loved railroads for just about as long as he can remember. As a
teenager, he and his friends would take the subrvay from Brooklyn to
Manhattan and cross the Hudson on a ferr,v to spend the day in the Jersey
Central or Baltimore & Ohio railyards in New Jersey. He photographed the railroads
then, and continued to do so during the early part of his professional photographic career,
but just for pleasure. Gradually, however, Link realized that the steam locomotive was disappearing, and with it a network of railroad towns and repair shops which it supported.
Also disappearing was a quality of life that he saw as a personalized relationship benveen
the railroads, their employees and the powerful but very labor intensive steam locomotives.
The desire to preserve a record of this time and these places was the basis of the motivation that gave him the energy to create a visual document of a whole manner of life that
was fast disappearing. It was a massive private undertaking, financed entirely by the photographer, that resulted in the creation of a five year long cycle of photos of the last years
'West
of steam railroading on the Norfolk and \Testern Railway (N&\7) in Virginia,
Virginia and North Carolina.
N&\7 was the last major American railroad to operate exclusively with
The N&W (since merged with the Virginian Railroad and the Southern
By 1955, the
sream power.
Railroad and now known as Norfolk Southern) was one of the country's major coal
haulers, moving coal from the mines in'West Virginia east to Norfolk, Virginia, for ocean
shipment up and down the coast and overseas) and west to users in the Midwest. The railroad was true to its major customers, but the steam locomotive is a hugely labor intensive
machine, and despite the cheap fuel available, parts were becoming scarce and by the mid1950s it was clear that its days were numbered.
Early in 1955 Y/inston Link was sent to Virginia on assignment, and he took the opportunity to watch N6C\ff/ steam trains at'Waynesboro, nearby. After one night of watching, he
activated an idea which had been a fantasy in his mind for more than a decade. He would
photograph the railroad at night, using flashbulbs synchronized to the camera's shutter. This
way he would be able to stop or slow the motion of the train, while being able to control the
light on his subject, just as a cinematographer controls light, to emphasize certain areas while
making distracting elements disappear. He went back to Waynesboro the next night, January
21., andtried his ideas by photographing an arriving passenger train. They worked perfectly.
Link approached the management of the N&'!7 with a proposal. He asked for no compensation, but wanted permission to enter onto railroad property to make photos. The
president of the N&IX/ at rhe time, R. B. Smith, had been with the railroad more than 40
years and loved his steam locomotives. The N6cW responded positively and in March,
'S7inston
Link made the first of at least 20 trips to the N&S7 to begin the project
1955,
which continued until March, 1960, just a few weeks before the N&'S7 terminated all
sream operations. He financed the entire five year cycle of photographs from the profits of
his successful photographic practice, and recovered almost none of his expenses until his
work began to be exhibited and collected in the early 1980s.
Link began his task by spending the first year photographing along the railroad's right of
way or in its shops and yards. He worked mostly at night, but photographed in daylight as
well, primarily along the railroad's mountainous Abingdon Branch, a 55 mile spur that ran
'West
one rrain a day, six days a week, from Abingdon, Virginia to
Jefferson, North Carolina.
He perfected his flash equipment during this time and in its final form this flash power supply
could fire 60 flash bulbs synchronized to the shutters of up to three cameras in an instantaneous blaze of light equal to 50,000 watts of illumination. He also spent days traveling on
the railroad's passenger trains, watching for possible photo sites from each side of the train.
Maps and suggestions from railroad men also provided leads for good spots to photograph.
As he came to know the railroad, its often rugged environment and the colorful people
who worked for the road or lived along it, Link expanded his vision. In many of the pho-
�tos he made beginning in 1956. the trains became the background to the life lived along the
tracks. Whether chatting quietlr, pumping gas or going to the drive-in, the train was always
there. He also returned to the Abingdon Branch that r-ear to create some of his most memorable photos made during davlight hours.
By 1957,steam had been removed from several divisions of the railroad, and Linkconcentrated on recording the splendid J class streamlined passenger engines before they were withdrawn from service on most runs. B,v 1958 steam u,as regularly found only in the western
end of the N&\X/, working in the coal fields of Vest Virgini a. By 1,959 there was not much
steam left, and \Tinston Link again concentrated on rhe engines themselves, so soon to be
gone, bur this time photographing them in a more expressionisric way, trying to record in static images some sense of that incredible surge of flailing, ground shaking energy as these
engines, some weighing upwards of one million pounds, thundered past in the dark.
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Hawksbill Creek Swimming Hole, Luray, Virginia,
1956
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�O. Winston Link and History
ne lesson \Tinston Link learned from his father was how to tell a good story. His
skills at weaving a tale were transposed into his photographic vision as well. He
was able to see an image in his mind that would exist in reality only for the split
second it took for the flashbulbs to ignite and record the event on film. He often worked
in all but perfect blackness, on occasion spending days to make a single photo-all for the
benefit of adding a page or chapter to his story of this steam railroad.
While he loved railroads, Link never considered himself to be a "rallfan." He didn't
travel around the country to visit railroads, nor was he interested in making static photos
'lfhen
he was shown such photos, he dismissed
of as many steam engines as he could find.
them as "hardware shots," because the locomotives were no longer in their normal environment of their life on the tracks or along the line.
Like a good story teller, Link was also willing to wait until his audience was ready for
the tale. He made little effort to have his railroad work seen, beyond publication of a few
photos reproduced in railroad magazines, until the mid-1970s, and it was not until 1983,
almost thirty years after he started the project, that these photographs received their first
museum exhibition. Since that time they have been widely exhibited and published, and
many people who otherwise would have no interest in photographs of railroads have
warmly responded to them. The reason for their wide appeal must lie in the breadth of the
project's conception, and in the care taken in its execution. These photographs are period
pieces, bits of another time and place, but they are also images created with deep respect
for the people photographed, the places where they iived and worked, and the splendid
machines they operated.
T. H. G.
Maud Bows to the Virginia Creeper on the Ahingdon Branch, Green Cove, Virginia, 1956
�O. Winston Link
Winston Link was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1.9L4, the son of a school
teacher. Early on, Link showed an aptitude for technology, and his father, a
demanding man but a good instructor, introduced him to a variety of options.
The elder link trained his son to handle tools well and encouraged his interest in photography. It was at this time that he also developed an interest in steam railroading which
was to remain with him for life. Link attended the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn,
where he was a good student and a popular one, being particularly well known for his
practical jokes. He graduated in 1,937 with a degree in civil engineering, but photographrwas to claim him before engineering could.
Engineering jobs were scarce in Depression America, but Link was offered a position as
photographer for a large public relations firm. His job was to make photos for his clienrc
which were submitted for free use in newspapers and magazines. The photos had to carn'
the clients' messages, and do it with such cleverness and wit, or be so unusual, that photo
editors couldn't resist using them. In this job he learned to use people to animate his pictures, and how to give them both compositional "punch" and the vivacin' editors rvanted.
'!7ith
the onset of World \\ar [.
Link used both his engineering and
photographic skills as a photographer
and researcher for a secret militanproject, designing and building der-ices
to detect submerged eneml-submarines from airplanes flring orerhead. The research laboraton'rvas
located in Long Island. adiacent to rhe
tracks of the Long Island Rail Road
which was porvered br- steam ar that
point. Link reneu'ed an interest in
steam locomotives and railroads that
had been all but dormant tbr some
years, and began to phorograph them.
In 1,945, with the end of the s'ar. he
chose to become an independenr tree
lance photographer and opened hi>
own photographic studio. tirsr in
Brooklyn and later in \Ianhaman. His
clients included manl' major ^\merican
companies and leading adr-errising
agencies who called him s'hen therneeded a photographer with a knowledge of large cameras and complex lighting serup":. It
was during this time, from January, 1955 to March, 1960, that he created the da-umenra'Western
Railrvar'. He rerired
tion of the last years of steam railroading on the Norfolk &
from active practice in 1983, and now lives in ITestchester Counry Nerv York.
'Western
Railway are documenred in
Winston Link's photographs of the Norfolk &
two books, Steam, Steel dt Stars, L987, with text by Tim HensleS and Tbe La-<t Steent
Railroad in America, 1,995, with text by Thomas H. Garver. Both are published br HarnN. Abrams, Inc., New York, and both are in print.
0. Winston
tink (left) and George Thom, and Night Flash Equipment, New York,
Cover: Hot Shot Eastbound, laeger, West Virginia, 1956.
1956
�Checklist of the Exhibition
Photographs are listed chronologically, with the negative index number following the photo title.
Most of the prints in the exhibition are black and white, gelatin silver photographs printed either
L6x20 or 20x24 nches in size. Ten color coupler prints printed 16x20 inches are indicated by the
"C" or "K" in the negative numbers. AII
the prints in the exhibition have been lent
ZidegPortola
Valley, Califomia.
either by the photographer or Cheryl and Robert
The title for this exhibition is taken from a video program on O. \Tinston Link created and
direaed by Paul Yule, Berwick Universal Pictures, London, England, for presentation on British televisiont Channel Four in 1990, and is used by permission. All photographs in the exhibition and
desigrations
reproduced here are O O.'STinston Link, and are used by permission.
1. Station Interioq Waynesboro, Virginia, 1955 (N!73)
2. J.W. Dahlhouse Polishes a Headlight, Shaffers
11. J. O. Hayden, Engine Greaser at Bluefield
Lubritorium, Bluefield,'West Mrginia, 1955 (N\)f330)
Crossing Yard, Roanoke,Mrginia, 1955 (NWB)
12. Y6 Locomotive Moving out of the Wash Bay,
Bluefield Yard, Bluefield, West Mrginia, 1955 (N$f342)
3. VashingJ
Class Locomotive 605, Shaffers Crossing
4.
13. A Summer Evening With Tiain No. 2, Lithia,
Virginia, 1955 (NIf362)
5. Y5
Virginia, 1955 (NW419A)
5. Troy Humphries and a Cracked
15. Locomotive 104 Thking Water, Bristol
Roundhouse, Bristol, Virginia, 1955 (N!f612)
Yard, Roanoke, Virginia, 1955 (NW13)
Filling a Tender with Water, Shaffers Crossing Yard,
Roanoke, Virginia, 1955 (N!f14)
Locomotive on the Turntable, Shaffers Crossing
Yard, Roanoke, Virginia, 1955, (NW28)
S7indow, lTaynes-
boro Station, rWaynesboro, Virginia, 1955
(N!f32)
Locomotive Drive \Wheels, Lubritorium, Bluefield
Yard, Bluefield, \X/est Virginia, 1955 (NX786)
8. Abingdon Branch, Ralph lil/hite, Conductor, and
7.
Fresh Laundry, Damascus, Virginia 1955 (N$f114)
9. Abingdon
Branch, Children at Nella, North
Carolina, Wait for Lollipops, 1955 (NI7149)
14. Ghost Train - Freight, Moving'West at Norfolk,
16. R. E. Boother Polishes the Bell, Locomotive 104,
Bristol Roundhouse, Bristol, Virginia, 1955 (NW617)
1.7. l. H. Pope Washes Locomotive 104, Bristol
Roundhouse, Bristol, Virginia, 1955 (NW620)
18. Abingdon Branch, Train No. 201 Arrives in
Alvarado, Virginia, 1955 (Nlf639)
10. Abingdon Branch, Locomotive Taking Water at
19. Abingdon Branch, Train No.202 Passing over
Bridge 8, South of Abingdon, Mrginia, 1955,
'West
(N!r666)
Jefferson, North Carolina, 1955 (N!7152)
A Class Locomotive and Fast Freight on a Foggy Day, Blue Ridge, Bonsack, Virginia,1959
�20. Abingdon
Branch, Tiain No. 202 Crossing
Keller's Field at Harvest Time, Watauga, VA, 1955
(N!(/573)
5.[. Locomotive 104 on the Turntable, Bristol
Roundhouse, Bristol, Virginia, 1.9 57 (NW 1 372)
52. The Birmingham Special Passes Max Meadows
21. Coaling Locomotives, Shaffers Crossing
Yard,
Station, Max Meadows, Virginia, 1957 (NW1518)
Roanoke, Virginia, 1955 (NW691)
53. The Birmingham Special Gets the Highball at
22. Father and Son Watch
Rural Retreat, Virginia, 1957, (N!71635)
a Coal Extra, Montgomery
Tunnel, Christiansburg, Virginia, 1 955 (NW704)
54.
23.
Mrginia, 1957 (NWl537)
Hester Fringer's Living Room on rhe Tracks,
Lithia, Virginia, 1955 (N!7720)
Christmas Time at Bridge 322, Seven-Mile Ford,
24. Norvel
55. Giant Oak and the Birmingham Special, Max
Meadows, Mrginia, 1957 (NW1643)
25.
Train, Max Meadows, Mrginia, 1957 (NW1648)
Ryan and His Son Herd Cows as Train
No. 3 Passes, Shawsville, Virginia, 1955 (N$f723)
S7inston Link, His Assistant George Thom, and
Night Flash Equipment, New York, 1955 (N!7792)
26. Locomotive
Backing Past Hager Toweq
Hagerstown, Maryland, 1956 (N!7798)
27.
Archie Stover, Crossing Guard at Luray, Virginia,
1956 (N$r817)
28. Loray Crossing at 3 AM, Luray, Virginia, 1956
(N!7821)
29. Winston Link and
George Thom Making the
Photo of Archie Stover, Luray, Virginia, 1955 (NW829)
30. Train No. 2 Arrives at Natural Bridge Station,
Natural Bridge, Mrginia, 1956 (N!f873)
31. Train No. 2 and Gooseneck Dam on the Maury
River, Near Natural Bridge, Virginia, 1955 (N!7883)
56. The
Popes Watch the Last Steam Powered Passenger
57. Uncoupling on the Fly (Six Photo Sequence), Blue
tudge Grade, Virginia 1958 N$f1909, N!f1916-1920)
58. Swimming Pool,'Welch, \7est Virginia, 1958
(N!r1963)
59. Main Line on Main Street, North Fork, West
Mrginia, 1958 (N!f1955)
60. The Honey Hole: Waiting for the Next Train,
Boaz Siding, Vinton, Mrginia, 1958 (NW1977)
61. S1a Switch Engine and its Crew, Shaffers Crossing
Yards, Roanoke, Virginia, 1958 (N!71980-93)
62. A Class Locomotive and Freight on a Foggy Day,
Blue Ridge, Bonsack, Mrginia, 1958 (NW1998)
63. Contact
Sheet. The Cavalier Leaves Williamson,
Virginia on a Rainy Day, 1,959 (N\f2018-2029)
Tiain No. 2 Passes in
the Background, Lithia, Mrginia, 1956 (N'S71081)
'West
33. Hot Shot Eastbound at the Iaeger Drive-In,
Iaeger, rVest Vrginia, 1956 (NX71103)
34. Tiain No. 2 on Bridge 425 (Back View), Arcadia,
on a Rainy Day,1,959 (NXf2024)
32. The Keith Children Fish
as
Virginia, 1955 (N!71107)
35. Trairr No. 2 on Bridge 425 (Front View), Arcadia,
Virginia, 1956 (N!f1108)
36.
Sometimes the Electricity Fails, Vesuvius,
64. The Cavalier Leaves W'illiamson, West Mrginia,
65. A Class Locomotive in a Hurry, Near Bonsack,
Virginia, 1959 (NW2128)
66. Coal Extra \Testbound Hauling Empty Hoppers,
Near Bonsack, Virginia, 1959 (N!72129)
67. Joe Estis, Fireman on a Y5 Locomotive, Near
'lfilliamson,
(N$f2159)
West Virginia, 1960
Virginia, 1956 (NW1122)
68. The Second Pigeon, on a Kermit-Bound Mine Run,
37. Hawksbill Creek Swimming Hole, Luray,
Virginia, 1955 (NXf1126)
Near I7illiamson, West Mrginia, 1,960 (l{W21,771
38. Abingdon Branch, Maud Bows to the Virginia
69. Y6 at the Massey Mine, Near Gilbert, West
Mrginia, 1960 (NW2222)
Creeper, Green Cove, Virginia, 1955 (N\71230)
39. Abingdon Branch, Train No.201 Leaving Green
Cove, Virginia, 1956 (NW1236)
40. Abingdon
Branch, Train No.201 Leaving Green
Cove, Wginia, Ford Car in Foreground, 1955, (Nlf1238)
41. Abingdon
Branch, Folks Wait for the Creeper at
the Station, Green Cove, Virginia, 1955 (N!71248)
42. Abingdon Branch,
Creeper, Tuckerdale,
Joe Dollar'Waits for the
North Carolina, 1956 (N\71252)
43. Abingdon
Branch, Train No. 202 Arrives Late at
Bridge 7, Near \Watauga, Mrginia, 1956 (NSfl1264)
Color Photographs
70. The Powhatan Arrow on the Bridge
West
of
Cooper Tunnel, West Mrginia, 1955 (NI75K)
71. Colonna
Shipyards at Night, Norfolk, Virginia,
1955 (NW10K)
72. Abingdon Branch, Maud Bows to the Virginia
Creeper, Green Cove, Mrginia, 1956 (NW39K)
73. Coal Train Moving Westbound, Montgomery
Tunnel, Christiansburg, Virginia, 1956 (N]X/121K)
Branch, Train No. 201 Passing by
Overlook, South of Damascus, Virginia, 1955 (N$f1291)
74. Two Class A Locomotives Hauling a Coal Extra
Eastbound, Blue Ridge Grade,Yirginia, L957
(NW26C)
45. The Meet of N&'S7 Tiain No.2 and B&O Tiain No.
7 at Shenandoah Junction, Maryland, 1957 (NIf1333)
75. Abingdon Branch, Train No. 201
44. Abingdon
45.
Ghost Town, Stanley, Virginia
at3 AM,1,957
(N'{r1345)
47. The Volunteer Fire Department and Train No.2,
Grottoes, Virginia, 1957 (NI71349)
48.
Solitude Siding and Train No. 2,Yirginia,1,957
(NW1350)
46.
and Train No. 2. Vesuvius, Virginia, 1957
Cloverdale, Virginia, 1957
Crosses a Forked
North Carolina, 1957 (Nlf44K)
76. Abingdon Branch, Train No. 201 at Creek
Junction, Virginia, 1957 (NW64K)
77. Abingdon Branch, Train No.202 Passing the
General Store, HuskAJella, North Carolina, 1.957
(NW7sK)
78. The Pocahontas Eastbound, Blue Ridge Grade,
Egg Stove and Bananas, Vesuvius General Store
50. The Lone Star Shifter
Stream, Tuckerdale,
(N!f1352)
Passing the Station,
(NIf1359)
Virginia, 1958 (N!f34C)
79. Highball for the Double Header, Blue Ridge
Grade, Virginia, 1959 (N$f32K)
�
Dublin Core
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Title
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The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Wilkes University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
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Title
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2000 April 18 Trains That Passed in the Night: The Railroad Photographs of O. Winston Links
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
O. Winston Links
Thomas H. Garver
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2000 April 18 - June 12
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Description
An account of the resource
Winston Link was a young practitioner of an old photographic tradition, one still much used, but which now commands little public notice. In this exhibition, he uses a different photographic technique to capture life as he might wish it be.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition program
Subject
The topic of the resource
O. Winston Link
train
trains
photography
photos
train photography
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/724178dd6791013b5aebddb9d124a166.pdf
3ce65d0b044aa765e96398277ef1e7b1
PDF Text
Text
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Wilkes University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
2000 September 5 Hank O'Neal Portraits 1971-2000
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Hank O'Neal
A.D. Coleman
Stanley I. Grand
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2000 September 5 - October 15
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Description
An account of the resource
In this comprehensive exhibition, Hank O'Neal's portrait photography and the endearing stories they tell are on display.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition program
Subject
The topic of the resource
Hank O'Neal
photography
photos
photographer
portraiture
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/adf90d0e40fc7a40070b4b6e7c06d128.pdf
8efbc7056150a559a3df803c24527ff8
PDF Text
Text
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Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Wilkes University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
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English
Type
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Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
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Title
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2001 January 15 Michael Thomas: Cables
Creator
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Michael Thomas
Stanley I. Grand
William Sterling
StanleyI.Grand
KarenEvansKaufer
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2001 January 15 - February 25
Format
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PDF
Description
An account of the resource
As a designer, Michael Thomas has chosen to engage in architectural issues primarily through the medium of photgraphy. This choice has allowed him to focus on the essential components of the most practical of the fine arts. This exhibition is a show of his photographic series of architectural structures from around Pennsylvania
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition program
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michael Thomas
photography
photograph
architecture
Pennsylvania
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
SAG
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/c573164ec5e62f94903d5b26c00e2aae.pdf
30298b14d93c9a5e26372f78e2b9016d
PDF Text
Text
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Wilkes University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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2002 March 10 Pamela Earnshaw Kelly
Creator
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Pamela Earnshaw Kelly
Karen S. Chambers
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2002 March 10 - April 21
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PDF
Description
An account of the resource
Pamela Earnshaw Kelly's subjects are ordinary---farm or jungle animals---and her material is humble----clay. But there is nobility in her depiction of her subjects, and thousands of years of ceramic history to show clay's potential to move, provoke, memorialize, honor.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition program
Subject
The topic of the resource
Pamela Earnshaw Kelly
ceramacist
clay
ceramics
animals
farm animals
jungle animals
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/dd2abb76273de88e4525375d483166a1.pdf
673b6bb766ea643c7667774b30e618a5
PDF Text
Text
MICHAEL DE IONG
F
�s0 0T HSqa Mo.fi;I CI4()[ 3A leAHf IM
���ExhiL-.,ition Curatcd bv
Ror-rald R. Bclnier, Ph.D.
Karcn Irvans Kaufcr
With an lJssay b1'
Ronal.l R. Ilcrnier, Ph.[).
F'ROM L,DE N TO OZ
Arrgtrst 25
to Octobcr 13, 2002
Art Ga11e11'
\\'ilk.'. Univcr 'it1
S,rrcloni
\\'ilkct-B,rrle. P.'nn.vl
r
:trti;t
�Copyright @ 2OOZ Sordoni Art Gallery
ISBN 0-942945-ZZ-O
2000 copies were printed by Zodiac Printing Corporation
Catalogue design: John Beck
Typeface: Centaur, a classic American face designed about I9
I5 by Bruce Rogers
by
Doug
Burg
landscapes
by
MichaelThomas;
Photography: ciryscapes
�I;It.OM EDEN TO OZ
l{onrl.l I{.
Berr.rier, Ph.D.
In Utopia. . . everyone is rich-for what greater wealth
of mind, and
frcc.lom from anxiety? . . .The Utopian way of life
provi.les r-rot only the happiest basis for a civilized
cor.r.rr-r-rur-rity, but also one which, in all human probability,
c;rn there be than cheerfulness, peace
will last forever.
Thornas More, Utopia
(I5I6)l
MAI-l- Al)l:l{ltJlltls I,UNrTIt,\l-t, white walls, opening onto public
in gold, they depict the intimate and
l.rivrtc
scnsuous cnclosurc of a deep forest interior, while from dizzying
lr, iqlrts, ll:unt'.1 in black, are footless views of a glistening metropolis,,rclr tirry :rs pr36iq115 object yet imrncnsc as content.The miniature
s(:rl(';uld cxxcting.lctail prompt us closer, inviting us to peer, as if
illi, irly, into thcsc distant spaces. We advance, an.1 in that closeness,
,,tlrcl lrotlics .lisappcar, falling away at the edges of our awareness;
visiorr is crrt ,rf}, isolated from the presentness of the body. In this way
lVli, lr;rt'l [)c Jong's irnages perforrn an operation of rndividr-ration,
,1,'lirrirrg 1l1p yi1-1ys1-1he self-as isolated, withdrawn from the worl.1,
r', t s11,irrg trpon it. What is beyond, what is on the'other'side, is the
rrrlinitcly rcnr()tL', the visionary ideal-Utopia. In the early watercolors,
rt r5 r'('r)(lclcd es tht'full baroque spectacle of rugged mountain terrait-t
;ur.1
spaces. Framed
of nineteenth-century
,'\nr.ri(';ur l:r..lsc:r1.e'painting that told the heroic story of a New
,rrr,l lrrrrrirrotrs vista, the romantic drama
h
World, here borrowed and reformatted to miniature scale. For those
artists, painted vistas of uncultivated nature symbolized a desire for
domir-rance and possession, confident expressions of a privileged
national identity tinged with the romantic myths of paradise, innocence
and Mar-rifest Destiny.r America as the Great Experiment, the discovery
of an unspoiled contir-rer-rt where man could escape the contamination
of the OldWorld. Reduce.l in size and crushing in detail, De Jong's
fetishes speak iror-rically to this tl-reme of America as the new Golden
In its postn-rodcnr vcrsior.r, tlris paradisc of abundancc is recast as
the sylvan rctrcat of a Pcr.rr-rsylvar-ria garden ancl the towering pageantry
Age .
of
uptowr-r Manhattan.l
The Garden/City-5",.,..7au11u1g-dixlgctic is ideologically
loaded with paiired associations of private and public, individnal arrd
society, self and world, solitude and community. Nature, as the subject
of landscape painting, lras long been invested with the physical, moral,
and spiritual qualities of peace and equilibrium. It is the space of
health, the sanctuary of remoteness and restorative wholeness in
schizophrenic modernity. To experience nature is to step inside the
subjectivity of private sensation and the good life.The city, by contrast,
is nature's antithesis, the space of moral malaise, r-rumbing spectacle,
choking densitp and alier-rating salneness. And within the present
exhibition, the artist holds out the possibility of being simultaneously
in two seemingly incompatible spaces, able to dip into that other,
restful and refreshing asylum of rural virtue, while holding fast to the
�;,
Copyright @ ZOOZ Sordoni Art Gallery
rsBN 0-942945-ZZ-O
2000 copies were printed byZodiac Printing Corporation
Catalogue design: John Beck
Typeface: Centaur, a classic American face designed about 19I5 by Bruce Rogers
Photography: cityscapes by MichaelThomas; landscapes by Doug Burg
�FROM EDEN TO OZ
Ronald R. Bernier, Ph.D.
In Utopia . . . everyone is rich-for what greater wealth
can there be than cheerfulness, peace of mind, and
freedom from anxiety? . . . The Utopian way of life
provides not only the happiest basis for a civilized
community, but also one which, in all human probability,
will last forever.
Thomas More,
Lltopia
(I5I6)I
MALL APERTURES pENETRATE white walls, opening onto public
and private spaces. Framed in gold, they depict the intimate and
of a deep forest interior, while from dizzying
hcights, fiamed in black, are footless views of a glistening metropoliscrrch tiny as precious object yet immense as conrent. The miniature
sensuous enclosure
prompt us closer, inviting us to peer, as if
spaces. We advance, and in that closeness,
otlrer bodies disappear, falling away at the edges of our awareness;
vision is cut ofI, isolated from the presentness of the body. In this way
Michael De ]ongt irnages perform an operation of individuation,
,lcfining 6he yigy/6s-1he self-as isolated, withdrawn from the world,
),ct spying upon it. What is beyond, what is on the'other'side, is the
irrfinitcly remote, the visionary ideal-Utopia. In the ea4 watercolors,
sc,rle and exacting detail
illicitly, into these distant
it
is rcn.lcre.1 as the
full baroque spectacle of rugged mounrain terrain
the romantic drama of nineteenth-century
r\rrrt'r'ican lar-rdscape painting that told the heroic story of a New
:rrr.1 ltnr-rinous vista,
World, here borrowed and reformatted to miniature scale. For those
artists, painted vistas of uncultivated nature symbolized a desire for
dominance and possession, confident expressions of a privileged
national identity tinged with the romantic myths of paradise, innocence
and Manifest Destiny.2 America as the Great Experiment, the discovery
of an unspoiled continent where man could escape the contamination
of the O1d World. Reduced in size and crushing in detail, De Jongt
fetishes speak ironically to this tl-rerne of America as the new Golden
Age. In its postmodern version, this paradise of abundance is recast as
the sylvan retreat of a Pennsylvania garden and the towering pageantry
of uptown Manhattan.r
The Garden,/City-Nature/Cul6l116-di2ls6tic is ideologically
loaded with paired associations of private and public, individual and
society', self and wor1d, solitude and community. Nature, as the subject
of landscape painting, has long been invested with the physical, moral,
and spiritual qualities of peace and equilibrium. It is the space of
health, the sanctuary of remoteness and restorative wholeness in
schizophrenic modernity. To experience nature is to step inside the
subjectivity of private sensatiolr. and the good life.The city, by contrast,
is nature's antithesis, the space of moral malaise, numbing spectacle,
choking density, and alienating sameness. And within the preser-rt
exhibition, the artist holds out the possibility of being simultar-reously
in two seemingly incompatible spaces, able to dip into that other,
restful and refreshing asylum of rural virtue, while holding fast to the
�of its oppobreached.
momentarily
two
worlds
sigg-shs
the
wooded
of
warmth
the
suffused
golden
As presented here-in
of
urban
collage
and
hallucinatory
flickering
interior and the cool,
sglfx6g-6f6y arc both lJtopia. On the one hand, the prelapsarian
perfection of the Garden of Eden, and on the other, the City of Oz'
end of the journey, "a place where there isnt any s16u!16"4-gle city as
final fulfillment of the original promise of America as Utopia. And Oz,
like Eden, is precisely thae a fabled, fantastic, self-contained world-
heady exhilaration, opulence, and breathless excitement
boundary between che
paradise regained.
It is fitting, then, that utopia takes the form of the geometric figure
that sFmbolizes harmonp unity, coherengs-1hg circle- And here we
return to the procedure of painting itself-the miniature- In these
manipulations of scale, place, and proportion, the normal equations
between picture and observer are altered. The beholdert experience is
simultaneously intimate and distant, the body bereft of spatial
coordinates. In drawing 6165g1-whi.h in the conventional viewing of
painting allows us to engage in detail, dissolving distance through the
privacy of individual f66u5-ghs viewer is presented with the panoramic view of a perfectly miniaturized world, paradoxically dwarfing
the observer through its own kind of immensity.
This dislocating expedence is what aesthetic theory
has defined as
the Sublime, wherein our ordinary perceptual faculties' rendered
incapable of taking in the sheer immensity of the world's manifold, are
overwhelmed, awed, resulting in a kind of stupelring power which
forces us into an awareness of our own Puny position in the universe, a
kind of "existential vertigo."s Our glimpse into Utopia-just beyond
1g26h-5sgrn5 an utterly unreal and unfathomable ideal; as such, ttr
imagination is launched into a vain attemPt to comprehend iu
magnitude in a way that ultimately leads to the consolation thr!
something'beyond' transcends the limitations and imperfectioru
ordinary phenomenal being-infiniry, perfection, the ideal. Thri
fact, the literal translation of SirThomas Moret punning word to
describe his visionary state, Utopia-no place-while maintaininS
hopeful belief in the possibility, the necessiry, of discovering
Beyond subject itself-beyond the wistful desire for Eden and I
what invokes the sublime here is the overwhelmingly infinitesimrl
De Jong assigns the sublime to the immeasurably tiny, to the ncu
dismissible, through the procedure of painting itself, where thc
indescribable-perfection, the ideal, Utopia-is lodged in tle
imperceptible.
NOTES
I.
Tians. PaulTirrner, 1965: I28-I3I.
See exhibition and catalogue, Borrowed Paradkr, Krannert
College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois at
2.
Art
I998.
3. Both of which the artist claims as home. The peacefulness of hir
northeastern Pennsylvania retreat is easily traveled from NewYork City
7O-mile stretch of roadway.
4. Spoken by the central character, Dorothy, as she dreams
of her
o
unrealized utopia from the drabness of the American heartland in thc l9l
technicolor fantasia of L. Frank Baum's I900 story Tbe WondetJulWizeil {
5.
Paul Crowth
e\
The Kantian Sublime, From
Morality
to
Art, 1989: I70.
����Ir
I
rl
I
�ll
���EXHIBITION
CHECKLIST
(2) Untttlt d, 19 9 2-19 9 8
watercolor on paper
22h" x 30" (paper size)
(12) Untitltd,200I
oil on panel
gold leaf frame
2/4"
diameter (landscape image size)
(14) Untitbd,2002
oil on panel
ebonized frame
3/4" diameter (cityscape image size)
�CHAEL DE JON
Chicago Heights, Illinois, I962
2OOO Borrowed Paradise,
Northern Illinois University. DeKalb, IL
(catalogue)
1999
1998
TION
of Illinois (M.F.A. 1988)
d'Ardritecture, Versailles, France, 1987
Illinois University (B.F.A. 1984)
AND HONORS
Foundation Fellowship, I999-2OO0
Neil Kinley Memorial Foundation Fellowship, I995
Foundation Fellowship, 1992-199 3
of Illinois Fellowship, 1985-1988
P. Bates Memorial Scholarship, 1984
Iota Xi Annual Scholarship, 1980
D SOLO EXHIBITIONS
FromEden to
Oz,Sordoni Art Gallery,Wilkes University,
Wilkes-Barre, PA (catalogue)
ForatJor the Trus, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland,
OR (catalogue)
200I
ForestJor tbeTrees,
ForestJor tbe
Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City, IA (catalogue)
Art Museum, Waterloo, IA (catalogue)
Trees,Waterloo
Borrowed Paradise, I-Space,
Borrowed Paradise,
Champaign,
IL
Chicago,
(catalogue)
Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois,
IL
(catalogue)
1997 P.P.O.W, NewYork, NY
I996
Feigen Contemporary, Chicago,
IL
1995 P.P.O.W NewYork, NY
I988 Rastovski Gallerp NewYork, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Exhibltlon,Ltttlejohn Contemporary Fine Art, NewYork,
2OOl
Summer
2000
Shlfting Grounk: Tran{ormed lhnus oJ
NY
Art Gallery, University of
the
American Landscape,
Hemy
Washsott
Seatde,WA (catalogue)
College
of Art Gallery, City
1999 As Far as the E1e Can Su,The Adanta
Atlanta,
GA
(catalogue)
Gallery at Chastain,
1998 Summer Exhib*ion/Calltry Artists, PP.O.W, NewYork, NY
Dfuining Nature, Sottheastern Center for Contemporury Art,
Winston-Salem, NC (catalogue)
Remembering Beautl, The Seductfue and Nostalgic Nature oJ the American
South Bend Regional Museum of Art, South Bend,
IN (catalogue)
1997 Summer Exblbition/Galbry Arrrsts, P.PO.W, NewYork, NY
Landscape,
,.ii
�19 9
6
Toale Gallerp Boston, MA
Summer Exhibitior/Gollrry Art*rs, P.PO.W:, NewYork,
Small Works, Bernie
Watertolors, P.PO.W:,
NY
NewYork, NY
Monique Knowlton Gallery, NewYork, NY
Seattle Arc Museum, Seattle, WA
l, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, MA
Field G,Stream,
100 NewYork Artlsts, Weatherholt Gallery, Washington, DC
1989 TwelJth Annitersary BeneJit Auaion,-fhe New Museum of Contemporary Art, NewYork, NY
1988 Made in New York Gr1,, Rastovski Gallery, New York, NY
Sebaior,is From Private Colleaions,
I995
Nature Studies
Summer Exhibkion/Gallery Artisrs, P.P.O.W.,
NewWorks, Feigen
NewYork, NY
Contemporarp Chicago,
200I
IL
Portrait, Figure, Landscape, Brave-Post-Lee Gallery, New
1994 Sur*
Garden,
York, NY
Curnrnings Art Center, Connecticut College, New
London, CT
1993
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Quo Quo on Queens Road Central, Queens Road Central Gallery,
Ronald R. Bernier, Ph.D. "Forest for theTiees,Works by
Michael De Jong," exhibition catalogue, February-]une 200I.
Sioux City, IA: Sioux City Art Center.
"shifting
Ground: Transformed Vews of the American
2000
Landscape," exhibition catalogue, curated by Rhonda Lane
Honq Konq
Exquk,The Drawing Center, New York, NY; The
Corcoran Gallery of Arr, Washington, D.C.; Foundation for
Contemporary Art, Mexico City; The Santa Monica
Museum, Los Angeles; The Forum, St. Louis, MO; The
American Center, Paris, France
Cada'tre
lmmanent Domaln, Selections/Fall I993, The Drawing Center,
New York, NY (catalogue)
7992 Contemporary lcons: From the Sublime to the htisbistic, Bertha and Karl
Leubsdorf Art Gallery at Hunter College, NewYork, NY
(catalogue)
Group Summer Exhibition, Galerie George-Philippe Valois,
/ Lifile Men,White Columns, New York, NY
lmmediate Rrallty, Postmasters
I99I
1999.
Henri Robinson,Ph.D. 'As Far as the Eye Can See,"
exhibition catalogue, January-March I 999. Atlanta: Atlanta
Joyce
I998
College of Art Gallery, City Gallery ac Chastain.
Ron Bernier andTim Porges. "Borrowed Paradise," exhibition
catalogue, Contemporary Art Series No. I7, ScptemberNovember I998. Urbana: Krannert Art Museum, University
of Illinois at Campaign-Urbana.
"Divining Nature," exhibition catalogue, April-July I998. Winston-Salem, NC: South Eastern
Center for Contemporary Art.
Linda Johnson Dougherty. "Divining Nature." Art Papers,
September-October I998.
Susan LabowskyTalbot.
Paris, France
Little Wmen
I999
Howard, February-August 2000. Seattle: The Henry Art
Gallery, Faye G. Allen Center for the Msual Arts, University
of Washington.
James Yood. "Michael De Jong." The New Art Examiner,February
Gallery, NewYork,
NY
NewYork, New Yori, Museum Gallery, San Francisco Museum
Modetn Art, San Francisco, CA
of
�Susan Visser and Leisa
of the American
October 4, L993,
Landscape,"
exhibition catalogue, August-October 1998. South Bend,
IN:
South Bend Regional Museum of Arl
Alan G. Artner. "Catherine Opie, Terri Zrtpanic, Michael De
ebruary I 6, I99 6.
"Voice
& Michael De Jong."
Pid<s:TomWoodruff
Kim Levin.
ice,
March
I
995.
Vo
Tbe Vilkge
Claire McConaughy. 'Sdll-Life, Portrait, Landscape." Flash Art,
VoL I8, no. I82, May-)une 1995.
Kim Levin. 'Voice Picks: Michael De Jong." TbeVillageVoice,
February 22, 1995.
Richard Hsu "Exposure" exhibition catalogue, December 1993.
Ingrid Sdraffner, Mary Ann Caws, and Charles Simic, with Foreword by Ann Philbin. "Return of the Cadawe Exquisj'exhibition
Jongl'
"Goings on AboutTown: Immanent Domain." TheNmYorker,
Rundquist. "Remembering Beauty: The
Seductive and Nostalgic Nature
New York Times,Weekend
Chicago Tribune, F
catalogue, December 1993. NewYorkThe Drawing Center.
Kim Levin. "Voice Choices:The Return of the Cadavre Exquis."
The Wlkge Voiee, November 23, 1993.
Midrael Kimmelman. "The Exquisite Corpse Rises from the
Dead!' The NewYorkTima, Sunday, November 7,1993' p 4I.
"Word of Mouth Big Art (Cadawe Exquis)." Harpers Bazaar,
November 1993,p. I20.
Arlene Raven. "Immanent Domain." Tle l4lkge %ice,SePtember
p.34.
Robert Mahoney. "Immanent Domain," exhibition catalogue,
September-October I 993. New York The Drawing Center.
1992 Roberta Smith. 'Art in Review: I0 StepsToward the Best." Ile
Section, December 4, L992.
to the
Fetishistic," exhibition catalogue, November I 992. New York:
The Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Art Gallery at Hunter
Susan Edwards. "Contemporary Icons: From the Sublime
College.
Joshua Dector
.
Arx, Aprl.1992.
Kim Levin. "Voice Choices: Immediate RealiryJ'
I99I
Janrary 15, 1992.
Kim Levin. "Vllage Listings:Value!'TheWlkge
Tltel4llageVoice,
Zoire,
November
26, t991, p.79.
Roberta Smith. "New Galleries in Soho, From Glittering to
Not So."
NauYorkTimes,Weekend
Section, November 15,
I99I'
Robert Mahoney. "Official Guidebook House of Value, 252
Lafayette Street, NYC: AITRACTIONS," exhibition
handbook, November
I99I.
1989 Robert Mahoney. Arts, Merch 1989'
Joshua Dector. Flash Art lnurnational,March/ April 1989.
Lois Nesbitt. Arforum, March 1989.
29, 1993.
.,/.d
�EXHIBITION UNDERWRITERS
ADVISORY COMMISSION
Friends of the Sordoni Art Gallerv
Bonnie C. Bedford, Ph.D.
loseph Butkiewicz
Marion M. Conyngham
Vrginia C. Davis, Chair
Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour, Ph.D.
Robert ]. Heaman, Ph.D.
Keith A. Hunter, Esq.
J. Michael Lennon, Ph.D.
M&T
Bank
Maslow Lumia Bartorillo Advertising
The John Sloan Memorial Foundation, Inc
Andrew'J. Sordoni,
III
Wilkes University
STAFF
Melanie Maslow Lumia
Theo Lumia
Kenneth Marquis
Allison Maslow
Hank O'Neal
Ronald R. Bernier, Ph.D., Director
Karen Evans Kaufer, Associate Director
Earl Lehman, Preparator
Arnold Rifkin
GALLERY ATTENDANTS
Charles Shaffer, Esq.
_[illian Ford
Brianna Herron
Susan Adams Shoemaker, Esq.
Sara Scalzo
Helen Farr Sloan
Andrew J. Sordoni, III
Sanford B. Sternlieb, M.D.
William Shull
Sarah Leskosky
MindiThalenfeld
JoelZito{sky
Thk project was supported in part b1
the
Pennrylvania Council on
tbe
Arts, a
state
agenry Junded b1 the Commonwealth oJ Pennsllt'ania and tbe National Endowment
Jor
the
Ar*,
aJederal agencl.
���
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Wilkes University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
2002 August 25 Michael De Jong
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Michael De Jong
Ronald R. Bernier
Ronald R.Bernier
Karen Evans Kaufer
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2002 August 25 - October 31
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Description
An account of the resource
Michael De Jong's images perform an operation of individuation, defining the viewer---the self---as isolated, withdrawn from the world, yet spying on it.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition program
Subject
The topic of the resource
Michael De Jong
watercolor
oil
painter
paintings
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
SAG
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/09bb92646261dae371630d5580dd606a.pdf
956b6fe9ca5759b3c7f1003908cde1ee
PDF Text
Text
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Wilkes University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
2002 October 27 Collecting At Century's End: Selections from The Maslow Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Willy Heeks
Terry Winters
Melissa Meyer
Jane Hammond
Robert Cummings
John Beerman
Ronald R. Bernier
Ronald R.Bernier
Karen Evans Kaufer
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2002 October 27 - December 15
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Description
An account of the resource
This exhibition covers a few artists whose work has joined the Maslow Collection at the end of the twentieth century.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition program
Subject
The topic of the resource
Maslow Collection
collecting, collection
paintings
painters
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/998d8ef552a6c6267efaf8969722744c.pdf
e83679cf84dd712a90c4a6bfb9230044
PDF Text
Text
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Wilkes University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
2003 March 10 Birds in Art 2003
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Carl Brenders
Al Agnew
Edward Aldrich
Neil Allen
Charles Allmond
Wayne Anderson
Tony Angell
John Banovich
Barbara Bathien
Al Barnes
Larry Barth
Robert Bateman
Linda Besse
Henry Bismuth
Allen Blagden
Francois Blin
Jules Bouchard
Stefane Bougie
Carel Brest van Kempen
KerriBurnett
DianeBurns
NatalieCaproni
TimCherry
LewisCisle
C.D.Clarke
GuyCoheleach
IanColeman
EwouddeGroot
AdeleEarnshaw
MarkEberhard
SallyElmer
DawnEmerson
BethErlund
MelanieFain
AnneFaust
JohnFelsing
JoeGarcia
UlcoGlimmerveen
EllenWelchGranter
Shirley Greene
Grant Hacking
Joyce Hall
Charley Harper
Janet N. Heaton
MatthewHillier
Cindy House
NancyHowe
MarthaHudson
Colle Johnson
LarsJohnson
M.C.Kanouse
Eugene Kisselmann
JoshuaKnuth
DavidEdward Kuecherer
Mark Larson
Katie Lee
Karen Leffel-Massengill
Stephen Left
Sherry Loehr
Franna Lusson
Harro Maass
Walter T. Matia
Jan Martian McGuire
Larry McQueen
Janice Meister
Krystii Melaine
Terry Miller
Dirk Moerbeek
James Morgan
John Mullane
Rock Newcomb
Elliot Offner
Peter Olson
Mary Louise O'Sullivan
Dino Paravano
Patricia Pepin
Jonathan Pointer
Greg Postle
Tony Pridham
JulioPro
Thomas Quinn
Don Rambadt
Gamini Ratnavira
Maynard Reece
Bill Rice
Andrea Rich
John Richen
Michael James Riddet
Sue ellen Ross
Kimberly Roush
Bart Rulon
Linda St.Clair
Sherry Salari Sander
Randall Scott
John T. Sharp
Juan Varela Simo
Richard Sloan
Daniel Smith
Dee Smith
Matt Snebold
Jan McAllaster Stommes
Karl Taylor
Kent Ullberg
BarryW. Van Dusen
Pieter Verstappen
Bart Walter
Paula Waterman
Dale A. Weiler
Sandra Wiesman Weiler
Tim Wider
Ronnie Willford
Lin-HueYen
Pete Zaluzec
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2003 March 10 - May 4
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Description
An account of the resource
Birds in Art is a comprehensive catalogue of artists depictions of birds of various species and in various forms. From hyperrealistic to abstract and in 2D and 3D mediums, artists share their love of ornithology.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition program
Subject
The topic of the resource
Birds in Art
birds
bird
ornithology
watercolor
acrylic
oil
bronze
2D
3D
mixed media
gouache
pencil
pastel
oil pastel
graphite
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
-
https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/457d2f698ecbf5cdf28fd3cda682821f.pdf
ebd879049aa0ce30680a22891bfaa0c1
PDF Text
Text
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition Programs, 1973-present
Description
An account of the resource
Exhibition programs created by the Sordoni Art Gallery from 1973 to the present.
Digitized by Wilkes University Archives interns, Zachary Mendoza and Sophia Kruspha.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Wilkes University
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
The Sordoni Art Gallery
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1973-present
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Wilkes University retains copyright of these exhibition programs.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Exhibition programs, flyers, and calendars.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
2003 June 18 People, Places, and Things: Photographs from the Permanent Collection
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2003 June 18 - August 10
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
PDF
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Invitation
Subject
The topic of the resource
N/A