ForrestMoses The Monotypes: Reflections of a Painter
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Forrest Moses The Monotypes: Reflections of a Painter
LewAllenGalleries Railyard Arts District | 1613 Paseo de Peralta | Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 | tel 505.988.3250 www.lewallengalleries.com | info@lewallengalleries.com cover: Forrest Moses, M11/02, 2011, Monotype, 30in x 22in All sizes listed are paper size
The Monotypes: Reflections of a Painter Born out of the kinetic intensity of Post-World War II Modernism, but tempered by the quiet spiritual meditations of the Hudson River School and Zen Buddhism, the work of Forrest Moses goes on exhibit from January 29th through February 21st at LewAllen Galleries in Santa Fe’s Railyard Art District. The show is entitled The Monotypes: Reflections of a Painter and brings together more than thirty elegant monotype paintings in what will be the artist’s first solo exhibition in several years. Now in his ninth decade, Moses has long lived and worked in Santa Fe and is widely known for his intuitive and spiritual interpretation of being in nature. Converging elegant abstraction with vague reference to the familiar, Moses is celebrated for his unique expression of a sublime experience of landscape. Far from being pictures of any particular location, Moses’s paintings exist as imprints of the beautiful, mediated through authentic spontaneity and deft painterly mastery that allow pure exaltation to become the artist’s subject matter. This exhibition features Moses’ unique monotypes which the artist describes as a medium that offers him an exhilarating opportunity for intense creativity. He makes these one-of-a-kind monotypes by painting with oil pigments onto a Plexiglas plate and then impressing that painting onto thick Arches paper through the pressure of a large etching press. Moses is regarded as one of the great masters of the monotype medium. These works involve the same landscape subjects as his canvases but have the advantage of allowing the artist greater freedom of looser line and subtlety of hue in order to express poetically his intuitive understanding of the rhythms and pulses of what he calls “being present in nature and its truth.” These works are visual articulations of the artist’s experience of the landscape characteristic of his oeuvre. Reflecting on his long career as a painter, Moses writes “I am the product of my lifetime and the paintings are the byproduct.” From time spent in deep contemplation of the experience of place, Moses’s poetic expressions transcend mere representation and become evocative of the profound experience of simply being in the natural world. Giving over to the divining influences of nature, Moses approaches his materials with the concept of what he calls “an open heart.” Inspired by Eastern philosophy, Moses creates work separate from his ego, emulating the discipline of the craftsman and the heart of the Buddha: mindless of the process but mindful of the moment. His seemingly effortless works come from a place of surrender, conceding his own individual consciousness to nature’s currents, resulting in a striking balance between abstraction and the recognizable. The process of surrender is echoed in Moses’s adept use of the monotype medium, allowing for greater experimentation and refinement of his vision.
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The monotypes in this exhibit exemplify the unmistakable aesthetic for which Moses is so widely regarded: reductive elegance and simple grace distilling essential forms of nature and combining restraint of line, delicacy of color and richness of emotional response. The works resonate with life and transport the viewer with meditative enchantment. Where much of contemporary art has concerned itself with the tragedies of the modern era, Moses has stood steadfast in his commitment to create visual meaning through abandoning the profane of the everyday and reveling in absolute beauty. Each work invites the viewer to join Moses in experiencing the vibrant rhythms of the natural world as explored masterfully by the artist.
L 06/29, 2006, Monotype, 30 in x 42 in
Forrest Moses was born in 1934 in Danville, Virginia. He holds a B.A. in fine art from Washington and Lee University and studied at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. With a career spanning more than 65 years, Moses has had work presented in solo and group exhibitions in a wide array of premier national and international museums, including the World Collection, Yokohama, Japan; Pratt Institute, New York; Art Dumonde, Tokyo; and the New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, among others.
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M 13/24, 2013, Monotype, 41 in x 29 in
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L 10/26, 2010, Monotype, 42 in x 29.75 in
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M 13/21, 2013, Monotype, 29 in x 41 in
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M 08/29, 2008, Monotype, 41.5 in x2 9.5 in
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M 08/17, 2008, Monotype, 41.5 in x 29.5 in 7
L 10/24, 2010, Monotype, 29.75 in x 42 in
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M 06/24, 2006, Monotype, 30 in x 22.25 in
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L 05/54, 2005, Monotype, 30 in x 22.25 in
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M 08/24, 2008, Monotype, 30 in x 22 in
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M 12/04, 2012, Monotype, 30 in x 22 in 12
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L 04/28, 2004, Monotype, 29 in x 41 in 14
L 10/01, 2010, Monotype, 29.75 in x 22.5 in
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L 10/08, 2010, Monotype, 29.75 in x 22.5 in
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L 05/73, 2005, Monotype, 30 in x 22.25 in
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M 12/05, 2012, Monotype, 30 in x 22 in
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M 11/02, 2011, Monotype, 30 in x 22 in
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M 08/12, 2008, Monotype, 30 in x 22.5 in
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M 13/06, 2013, Monotype, 30 in x 22 in
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M 13/27, 2013, Monotype, 41 in x 29 in
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M 13/14, 2013, Monotype, 30 in x 22 in
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M 13/10, 2013, Monotype, 30 in x 22 in
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M 06/20, 2006, Monotype, 30 in x 22.25 in
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M 13/07, 2013, Monotype, 30 in x 22 in
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Winterfield #1, 2002, Monotype, 29 in x 41 in
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L 95/28, 1995, Monotype, 41.75 in x 29.5 in
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M 11/23, 2011, Monotype, 42 in x 33 in
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M 12/07, 2012, Monotype, 41 in x 29 in
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M 13/18, 2013, Monotype, 29 in x 41 in
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L 96/95, 1996, Monotype, 44.5 in x 29.5 in
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M 08/19, 2008, Monotype, 33 in x 22.5 in
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M 08/22, 2008, Monotype, 30 in x 22.5 in
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M 06/20, 2006, Monotype, 30 in x 22.5 in
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M 12/06, 2012, Monotype, 41 in x 29 in
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Forrest Moses
b.
1934, Danville, Virginia
EDUCATION
1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1961
1956 BFA, Washington & Lee University Lexington, VA 1960 Studied at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2016 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1994 1993 1991 1989 1987 1986 1984 1983
LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, New York, NY LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM Edenhurst Gallery, Palm Desert, CA Meredith Long Gallery, Houston, TX LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM Susan Duval Gallery, Aspen, CO LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM Meredith Long Gallery, Houston, TX LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, New York, NY LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, New York, NY LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery, New York, NY LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM I. Wolk Gallery, St. Helena, CA Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Gump’s Gallery, San Francisco, CA Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Peregrine Press, Dallas, TX Sheldon Memorial Museum, Lincoln, Watson Gallery, Houston, TX Watson/de Nagy Gallery, Houston, TX Egrets Gallery, Pasadena, CA St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM Watson/de Nagy Gallery, Houston, TX Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York, NY Carson-Sapiro Gallery, Denver, CO
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Eason Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Wildline Gallery, Albuquerque, NM Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York, NY Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC Watson/de Nagy & Company, Houston, TX The Art Center, Waco, TX Hills’ Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Illinois State University, Normal, IL Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York, NY Museum of Fine Arts, Danville, VA Foster/White Gallery, Seattle, WA Watson/de Nagy & Company, Houston, TX Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York, NY William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, CA Delahunty Gallery, Dallas, TX Janus Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Smither Gallery, Dallas, TX Watson/de Nagy & Company, Houston, TX Janus Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Wichita Falls Museum & Art Center, TX Janus Gallery, Santa Fe, NM David Gallery, Houston, TX Stratford College, Danville, VA David Gallery, Houston, TX David Gallery, Houston, TX David Gallery, Houston, TX Washington & Lee University, Lexington, VA
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Amerada Hess Corporation, New York, NY American Telephone & Telegraph, New York, NY Ana Hotel, Tokyo, Japan Beatrice Foods, Chicago, IL Chicopee Manufacturing Company Nautcenswick, NJ Citibank, New York, NY Deloitte Touche, Washington, DC CRS Design Associates, Houston, TX Dallas Arboretum, Dallas, TX Diamond Shamrock Corporation, Dallas, TX First National Bank of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ General Electric, Fairfield, CT W.R. Grace & Company, Dallas, TX Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC
Gulf Oil Company, Houston, TX Hilton Hotel, Chicago, IL Hospital Corporation of America, Houston, TX Houstonian Hotel, Houston, TX Hughes Aircraft, GA Huntington Gallery, University of Texas, Austin, TX Libby Oppenheimer IBM, Tucson, AZ Illinois State University, Normal, IL InterFirst Bank, Dallas, TX Kaiser-Permanente, Denver, CO Keisey Seybold Clinic, Houston, TX Kimberly Clark, Dallas, TX La Paloma Hotel, Tucson, AZ Little Neil, Aspen, CO LTV Corporation, Dallas, TX Mellon Bank, Pittsburgh, PA Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC Mobil Oil Company, Dallas, TX Mountain Bell, Denver, CO Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM Oppenheimer Management, New York, NY Owens Corning Fiberglass, Toledo, OH Pfizer, Inc., New York, NY Phillips Petroleum, Denver, CO The Phoenician Hotel, Phoenix, AZ Princeton University Prudential Insurance Company of America Newark, NJ RCA, New York, NY Rainer Bank, Seattle, WA Roswell Museum of Art, Roswell, NM Simpson Timber Company, Seattle, WA Spanish Bay Resort, Pebble Beach, CA Sunwest Bank, Albuquerque, NM Tesoro Petroleum, San Antonio, TX Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX Tobin Group, San Antonio, TX Touche-Ross, San Francisco, CA United Airlines, Denver, CO US Tobacco Company, Greenwich, CT Forrest Moses, M 08/17, 2008, Monotype, 41.5 in x 29.5 in Westin Hotel, Dallas, TX Wilson Industries, Houston, TX 38
Railyard Arts District | 1613 Paseo de Peralta | Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 | tel 505.988.3250 www.lewallengalleries.com | info@lewallengalleries.com Š 2016 LewAllen Contemporary LLC Artwork Š Forrest Moses