August 2 - September 13, 2014
Monday - Saturday, 10:00am - 5:30pm
Reception: Tuesday, August 5, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Catalogue Design: Dallas Dunn Photography: Jeffrey Sturges Printing: Project Graphic Management, Long Island City, NY
(Back cover) BARBARA TAKENAGA Wine Dark with Star, 2013 Acrylic on canvas, 42 x 36 inches
VANCE KIRKLAND (1904–1981) Explosions of Energy on a Sun 21 Billion Light Years from Earth, 1980 Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
RESTLESS
UNIVERSE
Inner Thought / Outer Space
We are living in an advanced age. More than in any period of mankind’s history, technology has enabled us to have access to knowledge literally at our fingertips. Questions are not denied answers for long. We have set up systems of communication so advanced that we are able to carry on multiple conversations on different platforms simultaneously and over great distances. This sounds like order and yet, more often than not, it feels like chaos.
There is, however, a great cosmic equalizer. For access, one only has only to “look up.” We are a species unified by a fascination with the mysteries and grandeur of the universe. Its sheer immeasurable size challenges us, makes us question our existence, our origins, and our spirituality.
Interest in the worlds beyond our own, whether metaphysical or purely scientific, has produced some of the most evocative works in the history of art. Featured in our current exhibition Restless Universe are eight visionary artists, whose curiosity or compulsion encouraged them to “look up” and contemplate the cosmos. While these artists’ interpretations vary, the
motivation to express the humbling and inspiring experiences with the universe has been singular.
WANG MING, a Chinese born, self-taught artist first became interested in the cosmos while working as an air traffic controller in Taiwan (1947-1951). In 1951 Wang immigrated to the United States, residing in Washington, DC. It was here that he devoted himself to painting full-time, developing a personal aesthetic that combined the calligraphic nature of Chinese painting with the current trends of abstract expressionism in Western Art. He stated, “I have never limited myself to Eastern or Western standards of beauty. My standard of beauty comes from the beauty of the cosmic world in the infinity.”
Circles, used in many cultures to symbolize unity, wholeness, the cosmos, and infinity, are often featured in Wang’s work. In addition, Wang's paintings frequently lack a sense of gravity. This is evidenced in the majestic painting Moment of Joy (1986-91) in which circular forms float weightlessly above a grayblue ground painted with splatters in what the artist calls “an imagined idea of space.”
In 2009 the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC mounted a solo exhibition of Wang Ming’s work.
BARBARA TAKENAGA’s work, much like the work of Wang Ming relies heavily on the circle as an important device. Takenaga’s approach, though meticulously ordered, produces a psychedelic kaleido-
ENRICO DONATI (1909 – 2008) Mystery of a Birth, 1993 Acrylic and ground quartz on linen, 36 x 32 inches (left) Le Corpuscule et la Cité , c.1940 Oil on canvas, 26 x 44 inches
scope that resembles mandalas, crop circles, planetary or celestial formations. Small circles of varying size undulate across the canvas in dizzying patterns. In Lines of Force (2013) a thin horizontal line separates the canvas into two sections with concentric circular “bursts” of precisely arranged dots radiating out from the center. These “bursts,” which float on a swelling background varying in shades of red that range from dark to an almost burning brightness, suggest a major galactic action playing out on a limitless scale. Takenaga’s painting evokes awe in its masterful technique. The harmony created in her spirited constellations draw us closer to a nature well beyond our imaginations.
ENRICO DONATI was an artist fully imbued with a mysticism based on the natural world and the cycle of life. His surrealist paintings from the early 1940s capture distant atmospheric scenes enlivened with delicate forms that could easily be perceived as plants or animals, though certainly not of our planet. Looking at Le Corpuscule et la Cité (c.1940s) it seems as if Donati was predicting imagery that would be seen fifty years later when the Hubble telescope was launched into space. The primary forms of the painting, situated on a restless background of inky blacks, blues, and reds, glow with a vibrancy not unlike to the Hubble images of individual galaxies floating through our universe. Though Donati eventually moved on from his Surrealist approach, his works continued to maintain a sense of mystery deeply tied to the natural world.
In the later works of Donati, the viewer is offered a more primordial vision. The infinite backgrounds and sense of weightlessness are replaced with a strong sense of gravity. Sparked by an interest in native artifacts and fossils, Donati began to incorporate materials such as dust, sand, and crushed quartz onto the canvases. Monolithic forms jut up against each other on solid grounds that suggest barren lunar landscapes which he called "Moonscapes." Though the "Moonscape" paintings of the 1950s were largely colorless, consisting of earthy grays, blacks, and browns,
it was not long before Donati's strong sense of color reemerged in the work. Borrowing from his early Surrealist paintings, Donati began to build his textured forms on colorful aerial backgrounds, often with a distinct horizon line emphasizing the weight of his lunar fossils. Gashes in the heavily textured forms reference ancient mark-making or glyphs as seen in the seminal painting Lunar Island (1982).
In the late 1940s another Surrealist, GORDON ONSLOW FORD, was establishing a new kind of art based on the ideas of a shared unconscious and an “opening up of the mind” through a process he called “spontaneous painting.” Onslow Ford was already recognized in the global art community for his contributions to Surrealism and his lectures in New York City at the New School for Social Research, which introduced automatism to such artists as Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and William Baziotes. It was, however, in Onslow Ford’s solo exhibition, "Towards a New Subject in Painting" (1948) at the San Francisco Museum of Art, that he introduced his metaphysical concepts to a larger public.
Onslow Ford believed in a universal spirit of creation that could be attained through the experience of spontaneous painting. Inspired by Eastern philosophy and calligraphy - lines, circles, and dots, became essential forms in the artist's work starting in the late 1940s. As seen in Untitled (1999), Onslow Ford's artistic examination into the "inner worlds" perfectly reflects a commonly shared vision of outer space. As he continued to explore these concepts, Onslow Ford's paintings drew greater allusions to the cosmos. As in Cosmic Current (1999) the ground of the later paintings became almost entirely black which he referred to as "the void." “The void” is energetically populated by star-like shapes, circular planetary clusters, and white lines and spirals, which he called "live line beings." These “live line beings” suggest humanity’s place in the universe. JACK WRIGHT a fellow visionary artist and friend of Gordon Onslow Ford, was also deeply interested in
the spiritual aspect of art and its exploration of science and consciousness. A visual kinship is exhibited in both artists' relationships to inner thought and outer space.
Known for his pointillist technique, Wright’s abstract paintings typically consist of dots in harmonious color variations that seem to shimmer before revealing the subtle image underneath. The patterns that Wright so precisely employed radiate with an ethereal splendor that makes them appear like constellations. The dot forms subtly move around the canvas or often cluster close together evoking a galactic mass.
Wright's paintings bear a striking resemblance to art of the Australian Aborigines which often depicts the indigenous culture's concept of "Dreamtime.” This animistic concept, in which time and space do not exist and the past, present and future are one entity, sought to answer questions of origin. Wright also explored similar metaphysical questions through his work. In a 1991 letter to Gordon Onslow Ford, Wright wrote, “Indeed, I do have faith in the mysterious functioning of the universe, the galaxies, black holes and future surprises.”
GORDON ONSLOW FORD (1912-2003) Untitled (1999-027), 1999 Acrylic on paper on linen, 36 1/2 x 63 1/2 inches
Abstract Expressionist painter RICHARD POUSETTE-DART also believed in a reality beyond perception and saw the role of the artist to be that of a "seer." Though never fully expressionist or fully abstract, he was an ardent Transcendentalist and believed that the use of symbols had the power to provoke the viewer into deeper states of consciousness in which questions of what exists beyond ordinary reality could be contemplated. He felt paintings "reflected life as a continuum with infinite possibilities." There is no question that Pousette-Dart considered the cosmos in his exploration of greater truths. In his studio journals and many of his titles (Exploding Cosmos, Dance of Earth and Stars, Night Landscape) PousetteDart makes direct reference to the universe, galaxies, and the world beyond our own.
BARBARA TAKENAGA Lines of Force , 2013 Acrylic on canvas, 54 x 45 inches
In his early works Pousette-Dart employed a language of symbols that suggest fields of cosmic energy, celestial imagery and planetary orbs. The composition of these forms creates a kinetic force. As his work matured, Pousette-Dart, using pointillism, created a new kind of light-infused color field painting that obliterated any foreground or background. Though at first glance these paintings appear to be monochromatic, upon further viewing the complexities of the work is revealed in the intricate web of subtle color variations layered one over the other. Pousette-Dart is quoted as saying, “I strive to express the spiritual nature of the universe. Painting for me is a dynamic balance and wholeness of life; it is mysterious and transcending, yet solid and real.”
VANCE KIRKLAND’s dazzling painting Explosions of Energy on a Sun 21 Billion Light Years from Earth (1980) is an excellent example of the artist’s mature style. In viewing Kirkland’s early landscape works it is evident that the artist had always possessed a strong appreciation for the fantastic. It is not until the late 1950s, when Kirkland began to explore abstraction through a series of works made by combining oil paint and water, that he developed his highly personal visual flair.
Kirkland’s abstractions frequently begin with a gradient background onto which a mixture of oil and water is applied giving the picture plane nebula-like forms that bend and twist across the canvas like currents or shockwaves. The forms are then emphasized with dots in complimenting and contrasting hues. The intricate and unique color relationships in Kirkland’s paintings are among the most stunning aspects of the artist’s work. Kirkland possessed the remarkable ability of synesthesia, a phenomenon in which music can be perceived as color. Listening to classical music, he would make extensive notes of the tonal combinations and then transpose these into color arrangements. These glorious works, though always pure abstraction, are meant to convey the energy of space. In “Vance Kirkland’s Visual Language,” the 1994 documentary for PBS, Dianne Perry Vanderlip (Curator,
Modern and Contemporary Art, Denver Art Museum) observed, “Though he gives these paintings space age titles, such as Nebula Near Saturn, these are not science fiction paintings, these are paintings about the adventure of the human spirit.”
ROBERT McCHESNEY’s “Galaxy” paintings (1998-2004) are full of robust activity. With their references to clouds, stars, and globes, the works are abstract but certainly not non-objective. This distinction was important to McChesney who felt that he could “portray, in abstract painting, more of the true nature of things than in realism.”
Beginning with an underground of chaos achieved by squeezing and manipulating wet paint across the canvas, McChesney then began the process of achieving order from that chaos, emphasizing elements that pleased him and painting out those that didn’t. As in his early work, circles colonize the paintings. In many of the “Galaxy” paintings, such as Galaxy #48 (2004), the circles are banded and enclose swirling gaseous cloud forms, each a tiny contained universe. There is also a sense of biology present in the works. For example Galaxy #51 (2004) can as easily be perceived as cell forms or blood platelets as much as cosmic elements. It is this complexity that so completely captures the idea of cosmic art.
From the tiniest organisms on our planet to the furthest reaches of deep space there are patterns in life that are unavoidable and which tether us together. The word cosmos defines the world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system. The artists who challenge themselves to capture the phenomenon, emotional significance, and vastness of the universe create works that inspire us to see that which is not always immediately evident, but is, at its core, the truth of life. Dallas Dunn 2014
ENRICO DONATI (1909 – 2008) Lunar Island, 1982 Mixed media on canvas, 50 x 50 inches
WANG MING (right) Moment of Joy, 1985/1996 Acrylic on canvas, 68 x 60 inches
WANG MING The Search of Infinite Cosmic World, c.1964 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 37 inches
(right) I'm Always In Space To See The World Of Beauty, circa 1985 Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 48 inches
ROBERT McCHESNEY (1913–2008) Galaxy #51, 2004 Acrylic on panel, 24 x 28 inches
JACK WRIGHT (1919-2003) Untitled (8803), 1988 Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 72 inches
JACK WRIGHT (1919-2003) Metamorphosis, 1982 Acrylic on canvas, 19 x 19 inches
CHECKLIST
ENRICO DONATI (1909 – 2008) Araignée, c. 1945 Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches
Galaxy #47, 2003 Acrylic on panel, 28 x 36 inches
Le Corpuscule et la Cité, c. 1940 Oil on canvas, 26 x 44 inches
WANG MING (b.1921)
Birth of a Malachite, 1990 Mixed media on canvas, 30 x 36 inches
Lunar Island, 1982 Mixed media on canvas, 50 x 50 inches
Mystery of a Birth, 1993 Acrylic and ground quartz on linen, 36 x 32 inches Tribe, c. 1970 Acrylic and sand on linen, 36 x 32 inches VANCE KIRKLAND (1904–1981)
Color Vibrations in Space, 1970 Oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches
Explosions of Energy on a Sun 21 Billion Light Years from Earth,1980 Oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches Red on Blues (Valhalla Series), 1965 Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches
The Illusion of Mysteries Near Mars, 1975 Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches Untitled (Pure Abstraction/Nebulae), 1959 Oil on canvas, 36 x 22 inches ROBERT MCCHESNEY (1913–2008)
Arena #73, 1960 Enamel and sand on canvas, 69 x 41 inches Barranca #18, 1978 Acrylic on panel, 36 x 36 inches
Galaxy #12, 1998 Acrylic on panel, 24 x 36 inches
Galaxy #51, 2004 Acrylic on panel, 24 x 28 inches Artist's Creation Has Unlimited Way To Decide The Final Vision, 1982 Acrylic on Lucite box, 44 x 80 inches I'm Always in Space To See The World Of Beauty, c. 1985 Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 48 inches
Inner World and Outer World, 1985/1995 Acrylic on Japanese paper, 22 3/4 x 17 3/8 inches
Moment of Joy, 1985/1996 Acrylic on canvas, 68 x 60 inches One Two Three, 1988 Acrylic on canvas, 64 x 36 inches
The Search of Infinite Cosmic World, c.1964 Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 37 inches GORDON ONSLOW FORD (1912-2003)
Cosmic Current, 1999 Acrylic on paper on linen, 36 x 71 1/2 inches
Heart to Heart (2), 1990 Acrylic on canvas, 27 1/2 x 38 1/2 inches Premonition, 1947 Casein on cardboard, 18 7/8 x 24 inches Strawberry Fair, 1949 Casein on paper, 17 5/8 x 21 5/8 inches Untitled (1966-043), 1966 Acrylic on linen, 74 1/2 x 51 inches
JACK WRIGHT (1919-2003) Signals from Where, 1985 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 48 inches
Serpentine Saffron, c. 1960 Acrylic on paper, 9 x 11 1/4 inches
Untitled, 1976-77 Acrylic, oil and watercolor on paper, 22 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches BARBARA TAKENAGA (b.1949) Green Light, 2013 Acrylic on canvas, 42 x 36 inches
Lines of Force , 2013 Acrylic on canvas, 54 x 45 inches
Wine Dark with Star, 2013 Acrylic on canvas, 42 x 36 inches
JACK WRIGHT (1919-2003)
Metamorphosis, 1982 Acrylic on canvas, 19 x 19 inches
Signals from Where, 1985 Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 48 inches
Soro Mystica, 1981 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 inches Three Possibilities, 1991 Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Two Figures, 1976 Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 72 inches
Untitled (8803), 1988 Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 72 inches
DAVID FINDLAY JR GALLERY E S TA B L I S H E D 1870 724 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 212-486-7660 www.davidfindlayjr.com