Gary Monroe: Curated by Eleanor Heartney

GARY MONROE APRIL 27 - JUNE 3, 2006 CURATED BY ELEANOR HEARTNEY

CUE ART FOUNDATION

\\'(' are honored and grateful to pr('se11t this l'\hihition generously curated h) Eleanor I leartney. :-Vis. I l('artne}, n·nown(•d critic and writ('r 011 art. a11d Contributing Editor to Art i11 f\111erirn and Art press. has chosen th(' artist Cai; Monro(' from Knoxville. TN. :-Vis. I l('artncy's appn•ciation of �1r. Monroe's work demonstrat('S how th(' Fo11ndation 's discretionar; S('l('ction proc('SS allows a natural cross-pollination to occur between differing forms of artistic expressio11. \\'e appreciatl' that artists. intermittently in tlwir careers, feel compC'lled to (•,pion• and transform their means of (•,pn•ssion. \\'(' wish to encourag(' such exploration hy showing thl'ir work and celebrating their efforts. Thus CUE is pleased to offer Mr. Monro(' the opportunity for his first solo exhibition in J\:ew York. �Is. I leartney and\\'('. togl'lhC'r. wish him a f11t11r(' of fulfillrnent and su<X'l'SS.

THIS EXHIBITION 1s SUPPORTED IN PART BY

Accademia Charitable Foundation, Ltd.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT I planned to start out with 011(' d rawing in a planned group of

Southern themed works; howcl'cr these Serpent I landlcr d rawings haH' occupied 111e for sc,¡c ral

years now. All arc composed with images f'rorn Hcnaissance religious art. A f'pw of the earlier

d rawings arc fit'tilious narratives. The latter d rawings arc nar raliH'S based on actual indh iduals.

This is Ill) first show in!\('\\' York. l would like lo thank tlw CUF: Art Foundation

and Eleanor I lcartney for this opportunit).

Gary ,\1011roe

CURATOR'S

STATEMENT "And these signs shall follou; them that belier<';

111y 11r1111<' they shall rnst out derils;

i11

they shall speak with new tm1gues; they shall take up serpe11ts; a11d if they drink any deadly thing.

ii shall not hurt them; they shall lay hr111rls

011

the sick. a11rl tlH'Y slw/1 r<'Cocer. ··

- Mark 16:17 This short text at the end of' the gospel of' St. Mark forms thl' basis for the ritual practice of snak(, handling in rural Appalachia. Fo11nlkd in the earl) 20th century by Tennessean George\\'l'nt I IC'nsk'y. snake handling is a rnriant of' Pl'ntC'costal Chris­ tianity in which dl'votecs "take 11p serpents". specifically rattlesnakes, in the comsl' of' l'<:static transports hro11ght on during religious sen ices. Their immunity from the snake's \"('110111 is a sign of God's favor. This practice, which strikes outsiders as both bizarre and willfully dangerous, f

Sl'rves practitionl'l"s as a means of af irming their faith in Cod and their s11bmission to his will.

Thl' practice of' snake handling forms the point of dcpart11re for tlwse remarkabll' works by Tl'nm'ssel' native Cary Monrol'. l\'ot hims('lf' a practitionn of thl'sc rit11als. ,\,Ionroe l)('came aware of tlw serpent handl('rs d11ring his childhood in the mountains of'Tcnn('SSe('. In his monunwntal drawings. he roots this exotic practicl' in a symbolic system which co11ld not lw 111on• familiar to students of\\'estern art history. I lis paintings nwld the legends and famous personagl'S of the snake handling tradition with quotations from the works of' artists lik(• Titian, M ic:lwlang<'lo, Hubens . Caravaggio and El Greco.

In Monrol'S intricate. pulsing compositions, one can find rd<'rl'nC:l'S to snakl' n'latl'd scenarios as depicted by tlw Old .\1astNs. Among ti}(' recurring rnotifa in his works arc figures adapted from the Sistine Chapel's representation of' thC' sto,y of the Brazen Serpe11t whom the Israelites were punished for worshiping in place of Cod. OthN works quote from M icll('langelo 's depiction of' the Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden following thl'ir C'ncounter with the Satan in serpl'nt guise. Monroe also makes frequent us(' of' writhing figmes from tlw Laocoon, the classical Creek sculptme which represents a father and two sons wrestling with deadly sea serpents unleashed by the god Pos('idon. Such snake relatl:'d motif:� are intermingled ,,�th quotations from other well known Henaissancl' and Baroque era paintings. and with sly references to rnorl' c:ontempora,y sources. 1 n Sl'vcral works one'

Gill

glimpsl' .\1 ale, ich 's c:onstrnctidst cross, the face's

of Picasso and Jackson Pollock or even a quotation from tlw Pollock painting The D<'l'/1·

B11l if' tlH'S(' \1orks pa) ho111ag(' lo tlH' figurati \(• traditions of \\ht('rn art. th(') also ar(' ,t('qwd in th(' lor(' ortlw snakP handl(•rs. S0111c• of th(' 11orks co111111e111orat(• sp(•tifie indi 1idu­ als. For instant(', The Dl'olh of Sisti'/" .\ldi11do BrcHc11 of Porotscillc•. TS dra\1, on lknai,sant(' rC 'pr('S('ntations of tlw d<"ath and assumption of th(' Virgin to d(•pict tlw dC'ath and s11bsl'quent apothposis of a pradition<"r \\'ho di<"d of a scrp('nt bit(· aft('r rC'fusin� nwclical can•. TIIC' \'ivi011 of Frc·c· Pc·11IC'Costol ShC'n11011 La1no11 of Path Fork. KY hl('nds p]enwnts fron, El Cn•co\ n•r,ion of Lao('oon with dancing figurps whosp pos<•s pcho thos(• of Maliss(''s dant<'l'S and sugg('st th<' (•estati(', ision of on(' of th<' mon•1ll<·nt \ foundC'rs. :\Ion· ominous!), The ,h\mtlt of Shi ff Glc•1ulo Dar/1'11<' Collin\ of Sco/1\horo. ,\/, quolC' s front Hub(•ns Hap<' of //1(' Da11ghta\ of Lc·11ciJJ/lllS to tC'll lh<' lnie st<H) of a 111<·n1b<"r of tlw s('et who alt<' mpt<'d lo kill his wif(' b) forcing hC 'r to thrust hC'r hand into a ho, full or 1(•nomou, ,Prpenh.

In th('S(' dr.111ings. :-.lonro(' mi\('s·n,od<' rn and traditional ('l<'nH·nts-fi�ur<'s in th<' S,llll(' drawing Illa) I)( ' ll<'aring eonh•mpora,: clollH's and garnH·nts familiar fron, Old ;>,laster d<'pictions of th(' biblical <'ra. SonwtinlC's hits or archit('('ltm• or landscapP <·cho r('naissanc<' painting. whik• in other \1orks th<') ar<' bas<"d 011 th<' 1ista, and dwl'llings or n,odC'rn da) \ppalachia. This hybridit) adds to tlw <k•lil)('rat< ' artifi('C' ortlH' works. Unlik<' rnon• jo11rnalisti('

pr('s('ntations of ,nak<' handling. \lonroC''s drawings pn·S<·nt a ,pirit11al practit'(' filt('n·d thro11�h th(' whol(' histo,: of W('Sl<'rn art.\\'(' ar<' n•rnind<"d of th<' l'nduring power of r('ligious h<"lier and th(' 1111usual fonlls that \H)rship can take.\\'<' an• also mad<' awar<' that th<· S('arch for rdigiou, tramport ma) bring both pl('as11r(' and pain. Blurring lhl' line> hl'IW<'<'ll art and rdigion. :'llonro(' rc•111inds 11s that both hold out the pro111ise orspiritual lranscc>ncl('nt'(', and both may cost tlwir practition('rs 11101'(' than th<') <''P<'t ' t('d.

Elc•o11or /1<'01·/1,ey

7 Miracle of the Triplets. 199 nd charcoal on paper. 60' X 48" Chalk a

Shorty Takes Up Serpents 199 8 Chalk and charcoaI on paper 60 " x 48"

The Annolntlng of Miss Hopi 1' 3

H

â&#x20AC;˘r f:

X 48"'

Meeting at the Brush Arbor 1999 Chalk and charcoal on paper 60" x 48"

St. George Went Hensley of Grasshopper Valley, TN Receives the Signs, 2002 Chalk and charcoal on paper. 70' x 59'

The Vision of Free Pentecostal Sherman Lawson of Path Fork, KY, 2004-06 Chalk. charcoal and pastel on paper 60" x 72"

The Death of Sister Melinda Brown of Parotsvllle, TN, 201)6

The Assault of Sister Glenda Darlene Collins of Scottsboro, AL, 2006

Chalk and pastel on paper. 59" x 59¡

ARTIST'S BIO

GAHY \tONHOE

Gary J\lonroe was born in Enterprise. AL in 1956. I le attended

\\'cst(•rn Kentucky University in Bowling Green. KY from 197,5-1978 and curT('ntly lives and

works in his hometown of' Knowille. T:\1. 1n the eighties, Monroe was an acli\'(' member of' the

,500X Gallery in Dallas, TX and frequently ('xhibitl•d at various galleries and institutions in T(•xas.

Af'll'r s(•v(•ral years as a predominately abstract artist and at mid-career, Monroe began

a group of figurative drawings based on Southern narrati\'es, of' which the Appalachian Serpent

llandlers became the fc>cus. Th(•s(• large-scale drawings illustrate this tmusual religious practic(• of a small numlwr of llolin(•ss churches in Southern Appalachia. Primarily based on classical

works of H(•naissance religious and mythological art. one can also notic(' abstract referenC('S in

tl H' likes of' Jackson Pollock and Kasimi r Malevich. On(• work, The A11oi11ti11g of Miss I lopi, inj('cts

visual n•fr•r('llC('S of Nath·(• American I lopi Cuhun>, which had a snake handling ritual early in the

twentieth century. Monroe showed Serpe11/ flrmdlers and Other Saints at the T(•nnessc•c• Valley

Unitarian Universalist Church, Knox,·ille. T'.\J in 2002, and in 1999 he• showed Neu; Dmu.;i11gs at the Hoelman Townsend Sr. .\,lemorial Gallery in the Knoxville Muse11111 of Art Anne•,. I lis work

was also exhibited in the group show Thresholds: Expressions of Art & Spirilual Life curated hy

Eleanor I leartney which showed at The Gn•c•n 11ill Center for l\orth Carolina Art in Greensboro.

NC; The fvlcColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, '.\JC; Transylvania University in Lexington, KY in 200.5; The State Museum of South Carolina in Columbia, SC and Owensboro Musc•um

of' Fine Art in Owensboro, KY in 2004 as well as City Museum of Charleston, SC in 200.'3.

The exhibition at CUE will repn•sc•nt his first solo exhibition in New York.

CURATOR'S BIO

ELEANOH IIEAHTNEY

Eleanor I leartn(')' is a Contributing Editor to Art it1 A111erica

and ArtprC'SS and received the College Art Association's Frank Jewett .\,father Award for

distinction in art criticism in 1992. I IC'r books inc:ludc: Critical Condition: A111cricrm C11/t11n' at the Crossroads, 1997; Postmodernis111, 2001; Post111odern Ileretics: The Catholic lt11agitwlion ill Contemporary Art, 2004 and Defending Complexity: /\rt, Politics and the New World Order.

2006. I Ieartney is c:urr('ntly working on a sur,'(')' of' c:ontemponuy art f'rorn the 1980s to the

present which will b(' published by Phaidon in 2007. Sine:<' 2003, she has been Co-President

of' A ICA-USA. the A mcric:an section of' tlw International Art Critics Association.

CUE ART FOUNDATION MISSION CUE Art Foundation, a non-profit organization. provides

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

l'ducational programs for young artists and aspiring art professionals in New York and from

C regory Amenoff

around thl ' country. These programs draw on thl' unique' cornrnunity of' artists, critics, and

Thl'odore S. Berger

C'ducators brought together by thl' Foundation's season of c•xhibitions, public lectures, and its

Patricia Caesar

in-gallery studio prograrn. Galle,y internships and stipends afford tlw next gc'nc•ration of' art

Thomas C. De\'illl'

prof'Pssionals intirnall', working knowll'dge of' the art-making and exhibition processl's. CU E's

Thomas K. Y. 1 lsu

2000 sq. ft. galll'ry and of'ficl's, locatl'd in New York's Chelsea galll'ry district. sC'r\'l'S as the base'

Brian J). Star('r

for tlw various educational programs conduclC 'd by CUE. The Foundation's exhibition season giws unknown or undC'r-recognizC'd artists profl'ssional c•xposurl' comparabll' to that offered by nl'ighboring commercial galleries, without the usual financial rl' slrainls. CUE dm•s not promol(' a particular school of artistic praclicl' or regional bias; WC' only requirl' that c•xhibiting artists rnusl eilhl'r not have had a solo exhibition in a con11n(•rcial vc•nm•, or have' rC'cei\'l'd rninirnal recent public exposiu·(•.

CUE's AdvisOt)' Council, an honorary group of artists and leading figures frorn tlw arts C'ducation, applic•d arts. art histo,y, and literary communities, has thl' rC'sponsibility of' sl'lccling Pxhibition curators. The curators, in turn, nominate artists to exhibit at CU F:. and continue to play a roll• throughout tlw l'xhibition procc•ss, helping thl' artists catalogul' their work for exhibition. Hoth the Adviso,y Council and the P,hibition curators actively participate in the public lectures and l'ducational programs.

ADVISORY COUNCIL Gregory Anx•nofl' \\'illiam Corlx•tt MegCmnslon \IC'mon Fisher Malik Gaines l)plxlrnh K,t�s J,,ing Sm1dlc•r EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jeremy Adams DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Elaine' Bowen PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

CUE Art Foundation ,s supported 1n part by public funds from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs. and the New York State Council on the Arts through the Lower Manhattan Cultural Counc,1 and the Exoenmental Television Center.

ISBN 0-9776417·3·2 Ad artwork Gary Monroe Photo5 Gary Heatherly Catalog des,gned by Elizabeth EIits

Beatrice \ \'olert-\\'eesc· PROGRAMS ASSISTANT Kara Srnith

2005/6

CUE ART

51

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