RC ELLIS
(1923-1979)
“The art of RC Ellis approaches the condition of music. And music is not about elegance, harmony, balance, serenity, tranquility, calm. It is corporeal, it IS these things.� - Joanne Forman, RC Ellis at The Harwood Museum
203
FINE ART
Early Modern to Contemporary
1335 Gusdorf Rd. Suite i . Taos . New Mexico 87571 575.751.1262 . art@203fineart.com https://203fineart.com/robert-c-ellis/
R.C. Ellis first arrived in Taos in 1942 to study at the Taos Summer field school with Andrew Dasburg, whom he developed a friendship with. In the 1950s, he completed his BFA at the University of New Mexico and lived intermittently in Mexico with the Tarahumara Indians of the Sierra Madre, an experience which profoundly influenced his work. During this time, his work moved through cubism and abstract expressionism. His compositions were luminous, as he pursued a stained-glass effect made up of textured brushstrokes. On a Helene-Wurlitzer grant, he returned to Taos in 1961, and again in 1964, before settling in the area in 1965. After a trip to Spain in 1969, he experimented with a minimalism. The paintings and drawings from this period may appear to have simple surfaces, yet upon further examination a unified complexity arises. The works presented in this catalogue are from the collection of Rosa Clark Ellis, whom R.C. Ellis married in 1957. Rosa has long been a patron of the arts in Taos, collecting the work of local artists. A gallery in the Harwood Museum is dedicated to R.C. and Rosa Clark Ellis for their contributions to the Museum. The significant works from his wife’s personal collection included in this selection represent a range of the artist’s work, from early studies in graphite, to the masterpiece of a luminous and bisected landscape entitled Paisaje Interceptado, to the minimal geometries of the pieces from the Spain and Series.
Paisaje Interceptado, 1958, 36 x 73.5’’, oil on linen Image 1
Adobe Ruin, 1942, 8.25 x 20’’, pencil on paper Image 2
Warriors, 1953, 44 x 28’’, casein on masonite Image 3
Mountains ed. 1/10, 1950, 12.5 x 22’’, wood block on paper Image 4
Ranchos Church, 1942, 9.5 x 13’’, pencil on paper Image 5
Untitled, 1958, 8 x 22’’, pastel on rag paper Image 6
Blue & Blue Drawing #3, c. 1970s, 23 x 17.5’’, crayon on paper Image 7
Wamina Kawici (the Voice), 1960, 21 x 51’’, oil on linen Image 8
Mar #1, 1960, 14 x 16’’, crayon on paper Image 9
Wanderers, 1962, 30 x 80’’, oil on canvas Image 10
The Day Before, 1962, 36.5 x 60’’, oil on linen Image 11
Elements #2, 1977, 21 x 29’’, graphite on paper Image 12
Wrong Way, c. 1970s, 5.25 x 7.25’, pastel on paper Image 13
Spain No. 102, 1973, 50.75 x 40.5’’, acrylic and oil on linen Image 14
Volcanoes Series Yellow 1 & 2, c. 1970s, 5 x 7’’ each, pastel on paper Image 15 & 16
Spain Series Grey Horizon, c. 1970s, 22 x 30’’, mixed media on paper Image 17
Pictured Left: Large Spain Series, c. 1970s 100 x 80’’, oil on linen Image 18
Volcanoes Series 1, 2 & 3, c. 197
Image 19
70s, 5 x 7’’ each, pastel on paper
9, 20 & 21
Spain Series Blue Horizon, c. 1970s, 22 x 30’’, mixed media on paper Image 22
Phase Series, c. 1970s, 14 x 18’’, mixed media and pastel on paper Image 23
1335 Gusdorf Rd. Suite i . Taos . New Mexico 87571 575.751.1262 . art@203fineart.com