8 minute read
FINE ARTS
Special collection now on display includes Warhol, Grandma Moses
Andy Warhol (American, 1928–1987), Lamentation, from the series Martha Graham, 1986, original unique screenprint with hand-coloring on Lenox Museum Board Andy Warhol, Moonwalk, 1987, original unique screenprint with hand-coloring on Lenox Museum Board
The Society of the Four Arts thanks Michel Witmer, Chairman of the Fine Arts Committee, for loaning six works on display in the Esther B. O’Keeffe Building corridor between the art galleries and the Walter S. Gubelmann Auditorium. Collectively, they represent the breadth of American visual arts and complement this season’s focus on American art in the exhibitions A Beautiful Mess: Weavers & Knotters of the Vanguard and In a New Light: American Impressionism 18701940.
The oldest work in the collection is Paetus and Arria (1770) by Benjamin West (1738-1820), one of the most acclaimed artists of his day.
West was born into a Quaker household in Pennsylvania. Growing up, he showed a talent for painting and at the age of 21 traveled to Europe. On his way home to America, West stopped in London and met with enough success to remain there the rest of his life, earning an international reputation as a Neoclassical painter of historical subjects. He became a founder and one of the charter members of the Royal Academy, and King George III appointed him historical painter to the Royal court in 1772. West trained generations of American artists who traveled to England, bringing West’s style and technique back to the United States, providing a foundation for the growth of American art in the
Works from the Michel Witmer Collection
ON DISPLAY
Through Saturday, April 16, 2022 Esther B. O’Keeffe Building, 102 Four Arts Plaza
TICKETS
No charge
DAYS AND TIMES
Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m. Monday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday - Four Arts members only: 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Face masks may be required indoors. Additional protocols may be in effect, go to fourarts.org.
Federal period and creating an American Neoclassical style of considerable sophistication. Paetus and Arria, which is based on an account described in Pliny the Younger’s letters, exemplifies this tradition.
Maximillien Luce (French, 18581941) lived in Paris, where he became acquainted with Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat, and Paul Signac, and adopted their Pointillist style, quickly becoming one of the leaders of the NeoImpressionist movement. He became a highly respected painter whose work was admired by the numerous American artists who came to Paris for training.
Le Percement de la Rue Reaumur (1906-8) depicts the Rue Reaumur, which runs through Paris’ second and third arrondissements. The street offers a glimpse of the new urban architecture that emerged in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century.
Anna Mary Robertson Moses, more commonly known as Grandma Moses (1860-1961), was a self-taught American painter. Grandma Moses did not start painting until she was 77 years old when arthritis made embroidering difficult.
Building a Barn (1951) depicts a nostalgic scene of American life on farms in rural New York and Virginia. Her style is characterized by flat patterns resembling textiles and bright color schemes. Today, her paintings are in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among many others.
Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is synonymous with celebrity culture and mass consumerism associated with New York City life in the Post World War II era. He combined the screenprint technique with hand-painting, elevating the commercial printing technique to fine art. Warhol’s career was also defined by his portrayal of famous individuals across disciplines. Lamentation, from the series Martha Graham (1986), showcases the physical and emotional depth of Graham’s dance technique, which was characterized by her ability to create movements based upon the expressive capacity of the human body. This work was the one in the series that Martha Graham chose and hung in her New York City living room.
Two works from Moonwalk (1987) encapsulate one of the most important moments of the 20th century. Taking Neil Armstrong’s photograph of Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon in 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission, Warhol turns this historic event into a Pop Art masterpiece.
The works were intended to be part of a larger series titled TV that would include other key moments from American history. However, Warhol’s untimely death from surgery complications meant that Moonwalk was the only part of the series that was completed, making this an extremely rare work in his oeuvre.
― Rebecca A. Dunham
ABOVE: Grandma Moses (American, 1860–1961), Building a Barn, 1951, oil on pressed wood
Don’t miss In a New Light: American Impressionism 1870-1940, Works from the Bank of America Collection, now on display through Saturday, April 16.
This sweeping survey of American Impressionism features paintings, prints, and drawings from acclaimed artists such as George Inness, Childe Hassam, Thomas Moran, John Sloan, Ernest Lawson, Daniel Garber, and Guy Carleton Wiggins, among many others. There are 135 works by 90 artists.
“There are some famous Impressionists in this show,” said Rebecca A. Dunham, The Society of the Four Arts’ head of fine arts and curator. “However, there are also a lot of lesser-known artists who were key figures in American Impressionism but not in a national, household-name kind of way. This exhibition wisely puts these two categories of artists together.”
In a New Light reflects the changing mindset of America from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. The exhibition is organized by regional art colonies crucial to the American Impressionist movement, from the Northeast to the Midwest and the American West. A tranquil place for artists to share ideas and resources, these collaborative enclaves were often established in rural areas of great natural beauty, yet not far from growing urban centers.
“This exhibition highlights where these artists lived and worked,” Dunham said. “You get a sense for each geographic region, the unique subject matter that was popular there. You also can see the small variations in how the artists were adopting Impressionism and the stylistic devices for which the Impressionists were known.”
Local artists interpreted America’s rural, maritime, and urban spaces and portrayed daily life using the Impressionistic devices of capturing moments with brisk brushstrokes, a vibrant palette, and atmospheric effects.
“How they applied paint to the canvas, their interest in light and in painting ‘en plein air,’ being outdoors directly in front of that subject matter and capturing it in the exact moment it happened,” said Dunham. “A lot of the colonies’ locations were in areas where the artists could take advantage of beautiful vistas and
Frank Henry (Hector) Tompkins (American, 1847–1922), detail of Springtime, 1891, oil on linen, Bank of America Collection
ON DISPLAY
Through Saturday, April 16, 2022 Esther B. O’Keeffe Building, 102 Four Arts Plaza
TICKETS
$10 ■ No charge for Four Arts members Walk-ins welcome, advance tickets also available Via The Four Arts app ■ Online at fourarts.org customerservice@fourarts.org ■ (561) 655-7226
DAYS AND TIMES
Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m. Monday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday - Four Arts members only: 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Face masks may be required indoors. Additional protocols may be in effect, go to fourarts.org.
GUIDED TOURS
Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at 11 a.m. Tours are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and are included in the price of admission.
Childe Hassam (American, 1859–1935) Old House, East Hampton, 1917, oil on linen, Bank of America Collection
make them the subject of landscapes.” In a New Light has been loaned through the Bank of America Art in our Communities® program and is presented in partnership with Bank of America. Bank of America debit and credit card holders are eligible for free admission on March 5-6 and April 2-3.
“We are excited at the opportunity to partner with The Four Arts to bring this incredible exhibition as part of our Arts in our Communities program that loans exhibitions at no cost to nonprofit community museums” said Fabiola Brumley, President, Bank of America Palm Beach County. “We recognize that the arts matter as both a cultural and economic driver to our local community. Palm Beach County has a tremendous arts and culture landscape, and we encourage everyone to visit and experience it.”
Impressionism began later in the United States than in France, not taking shape until after the Civil War. The movement originated on the East Coast and spread westward and remained popular in the American West longer than in other parts of the country. In a New Light traces the emergence and evolution of this truly American style and provides historical context for American Impressionism by positioning it between the Hudson River School and the modernist trends in later pieces on view. “The Bank of America curators have provided great context and a visual timeline with works in the style and movements that were popular before and after Impressionism, placing it in the timeline of American art,” Dunham said. “Impressionism was popular at different times in these art colonies, centers, and regions. This show really highlights the distinct nature of what is Impressionism in America, an art form that was popular across the nation, but with different styles and approaches.”
Curator lecture: Jennifer S. Brown, Art Program Curator at Bank of America
Monday, April 4, 2022 at 11 a.m. No charge ■ Reservations required Dixon Education Building
Hear Bank of America curator Jennifer S. Brown, Ph.D., discuss the dissemination of Impressionism from its French roots into the American idiom and how Impressionism led to a reinterpretation of American landscape painting. She will also explore the regional art colonies that played a role in the development of American Impressionism.
― David Darby
