Museum of Art - DeLand Ben Schonzeit: Brilliant Realism

BEN SCHONZEIT: BRILLIANT REALISM

Museum of Art - DeLand April 24 - July 12, 2015

Acknowledgments

O

ne of the notable features of recent art is the renewed interest in figurative imagery, narrative content, and illusionistic space. The return of representation among avant-garde artists has prompted a general reevaluation of realism, so much so that even the academic realists of the late nineteenth century are enjoying a revival. This reevaluation of realism has brought realist painting and sculpture of the 1960s and 1970s, a period of relative critical neglect, into sharper focus.

Although Ben Schonzeit has worked in many realist styles, most of the paintings in this exhibition are based on photographic sources without discernible aesthetic transformation in the photorealistic style. In the 1970s, Photorealism achieved the status of a movement. It involves considerations of both technique and content. Paintings are derived from blown-up photographs registered photomechanically on stretched canvas. More than 30 Schonzeit works meticulously created on canvas, linen and polyester during the past 45 years will fill the downtown galleries of the Museum of Art - DeLand.

Schonzeit’s images are presented for their inherent sensuous or allusive qualities, in stunning detail, but without overt commentary. His work has received wide attention and acclaim which has not dissipated. His flawless technique combines the rigor of photorealistic transcription with the compositional and depictive skill of an intuitive painter. As an artist, he has contributed to the contemporary art scene through his personal vision, not through his adherence to any standards of a preordained or stereotyped realism.

There are several key individuals whose assisGrappa Flask Miro, 2001, acrylic on linen, 66� x 54�

On loan from the collection of Deborah Sponder Miami, Florida tance was vital to realizing this endeavor and

warrant acknowledgment for their contributions. First and foremost, I am indebted to Ben Schonzeit, not only for his meticulous concern for the just presentation of his art, but for his ontological presence.

I am particularly grateful to the Baker Sponder Gallery and the Louis Meisel Gallery for their cooperation and generosity in supporting this show.

True Country Kitchen, 1984, acrylic on linen, 78” x 78”

The following donors and businesses merit special appreciation for their support of this presentation and their commitment to this year’s exhibition schedule: Dennis Aylward, Dr. Bruce Bigman and Carolyn Bigman, Bill and Terri Booth, Earl and Patti Colvard, Sal Cristofano and Laura Gosper, Manny De La Vega, Dr. Wayne Dickson and Jewel Dickson, Robert Dorian and Linda Colvard Dorian, Lee and Susan Downer, Betty Drees Johnson, Dr. Tilman Friedrich, Dr. Deborah and Lee Goldring, Larry G. Griffin, Christie G. Harris, William and Kathlene Hohns, John and Karen Horn, Gary Israel, Ed Jackson and Pat Heller-Jackson, Ray and Betty Johnson, Barney and Linda Lane, Doni Lennon, Tim and Mary Jeanne Ludwig, Van and Frances Massey, Walter and Robin May, Katrina Pfister, Linda Pinto, Dagny and Tommy Robertson, Stephen and Claudia Roth, Judith Thompson, Dr. Ian Williams and Nancy Hutson, Dr. John Wilton and Nancy Wilton, The Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation, Inc., Hohns Family Term Fund, Jaffe Foundation, Lacey Family Charitable Trust, PNC Foundation, Boulevard Tire Center, Collaborative WEALTH, E.O. Painter Printing Company, Fleishel Financial Associates, Lane-Lennon Commercial Insurance, Lane Insurance, Inc., Mainstreet Community Bank, United Parachute Technologies, DeLand Breakfast Rotary, DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts, DeLand Rotary Club, Inc., Faith Hope & Charity Society, Krewe of Amalee, Krewe Nouveau, Museum Guild, State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs and the County of Volusia.

I would like to recognize our institution’s Board of Trustees, led by Judy Thompson, President, for their oversight and support which has enabled the Museum to realize it’s ambitious, diverse and nationally regarded exhibition program. Finally, I would like to applaud the resourceful talents of my staff whose daily achievements are a constant source of inspiration.

George S. Bolge Chief Executive Officer Museum of Art – DeLand, Florida

Brilliant Realism: The Paintings of Ben Schonzeit

A

s the abstract expressionist movement in American art began to be eclipsed by the Pop Art scene in the 1960’s another change in painterly expression began to develop. A return to realism was underway. This was not an extension of “conventional” realism as seen in early 20th century American realism or the Ashcan School which followed, but rather a new form directly related to photographic accuracy.

Photorealism was acknowledged as an innovative way of employing photography as a fundamental basis for painting. Photographs were not casually copied for perspective, color or composition, but became a reference for deeper observation and meditation. The mechanical means of producing photographs was decisively enriched by the discerning eye and hand of the artist. Photorealist painters were free to reference the sharpest details captured by the lens with the aesthetic option of modification while maintaining a precise focus on imagery. Along with fellow artists Chuck Close, Ralph Goings, Richard Estes and others, Ben Schonzeit is recognized internationally for his contribution to this genre.

Schonzeit’s creative drive developed from a childhood realization that he was already an artist. It was a calling which eventually lead to his enrollment at Cooper Union in New York City where he began studio classes.

While there he was initially influenced by the Impressionists, then Matisse, Miro, DeKooning, and Barnett Newman to name a few. These influences inevitably led to an appreciation and emulation of the Abstract Expressionists, Color Field painters of the day and then to Pop Art from which his most original work is derived. This connection is not so much

related to the styles of Pop as it is to the intent, where commonplace subjects are elevated to a greater awareness through artistic fabrication.

After studies at Cooper Union and a brief flirtaBen Schonzeit, 2012, by Kimberly M. Wang tion with a career in architecture, Schonzeit beFrom the book My Idea of Play, Eardog Productions, 2013 gan teaching art at a Brooklyn high school. While Left, Daurade Royale, 2012, acrylic on polyester, 78” x 84” show ing slides he had taken around the city to On loan from Louis K. Meisel Gallery convey concepts of design and composition to his students, a realization that these would make formidable paintings developed. During this time he was exploring many avenues of abstract painting but felt there was something of substance missing. The photographic image captured experiences of life, visual familiarity, and graphically solid references. And so with spray gun, air brush, paint brush and slide projector he began a life long journey into new realms of realism.

As a young child, Schonzeit lost an eye and spent a year recovering in a darkened room. This loss resulted in monocular vision which gives the illusion of space a decidedly different reference than binocular vision. He describes the act of painting as being similar to carving, a process of giving substance to experience evoked from photographic references. A photograph can certainly stand alone, but when translated into painting, an emotional weight is added. The path of the artist’s hand can be followed over the surface of the canvas no matter how subtle the brush stroke. This gives the viewer a chance to become more ardently involved while gaining a richer understanding of the painting beyond the simple recognition of subject matter.

The predominant shape in this body of work is the square, which derives from the use of a 6x6 medium format camera. It is a familiar shape often filled with neutral subjects like food or flowers, resulting in a somewhat benign and timeless impression. Although these paintings are photorealistic, they have a compelling abstract foundation. The process begins in a darkened room with a photo projected onto a blank canvas. Often a single photographic reference is augmented with a montage of images from separate sources. Large brushes and loose strokes cover the less detailed areas before smaller brushes are utilized to refine the dynamic nuances.

The works completed by airbrush appear the most photographic. The paintings, accomplished over time, are not so much “finished” by Schonzeit as abandoned for work on sculptures, expressionistic painting, collage, or other projects.

Schonzeit continues to find new avenues of utilizing the photographic image as a fundamental starting point for his work. This exhibition exemplifies the expansive field of vision this singular artist has achieved.

David Fithian Curator of Art and Exhibitions Museum of Art - DeLand

Carrot Cake, 2014, Acrylic on polyester, 60” x 60”on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery

Selected Public Collections Ackland Art Museum – Chapel Hill, North Carolina Bayer AG – Leverkusen, Germany Belfast Museum – Belfast, Ireland Boymans Museum – VanBoynigen Rotterdam, Holland Brooklyn Museum of Art – Brooklyn, New York The Butler Institute of Art – Youngstown, Ohio California Palace of the Legion of Honor – San Francisco, California Delaware Art Museum – Wilmington, Delaware Denver Art Museum – Denver, Colorado Isetan Museum – Tokyo, Japan Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum – New York, New York Kunsthalle – Basel, Switzerland Kunsthalle – Hamburg, Germany Metropolitan Museum of Art – New York, New York Milwaukee Art Museum – Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mississippi Museum of Art – Jackson, Mississippi Museo de Arte Moderno – Bogota, Colombia Museum of Contemporary Art – Chicago, Illinois Neue Nationalgalerie – Berlin, Germany Neue Galerie – Aachen, Germany Neues Museum Weserburg – Bremen, Germany San Antonio Museum of Art – San Antonio, Texas San Jose Museum of Art – San Jose, California Ulster Museum – Belfast, Ireland VanAbben Museum – Eindhoven, Holland The Winnipeg Art Gallery – Manitoba, Canada

Ben Schonzeit Born May 9, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York BFA (1964) Cooper Union, New York, NY Lives and works in New York City

Brilliant Realism Catalogue Amaryllis Swirl, 2010, Acrylic on linen, 66” x 36” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Appliques & Two Porters, 1971, acrylic on canvas, 42” x 54” on loan from Louis K. Meisel Gallery Barcelona Night, 2001, Acrylic on linen, 44” x 48” Berlin Sunset, 1974, Acrylic on canvas, 36” x 54” Bermuda, 2015, acrylic on linen, 18” x 18” Buffalo Bill, 1970, acrylic on canvas, 72” x 72” on loan from Louis K. Meisel Gallery Carrot Cake, 2014, Acrylic on polyester, 60” x 60”on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Complementaries, 2008, Acrylic on linen, 44” x 60” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Dance, 2014, acrylic on linen, 18” x 18” Daurade Royale, 2012, acrylic on polyester, 78” x8 4” on loan from Louis K. Meisel Gallery Deer Head on Red, 2009, acrylic on linen, 33” x 33” Dusky Rose, 2010, Acrylic on canvas, 72” x 84” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Fall Hunter, 2006, Acrylic on linen, 44” x 48” Goldye and the Gardener, 1982, Acrylic on paper, 49 ½” x 47 ½” Grappa Flask Miro, 2001, Acrylic on linen, 66” x5 4” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Home Plate, 2014, Acrylic on linen, 30” x 36” Hook & Eye, 1981, Oil on canvas, 84” x 72” Katrina, 2008, Acrylic on canvas, 66” x 54” Lake Placid Bouquet, 2011, Acrylic on polyester, 72” x 96” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Man and Boy, 1983, Acrylic on linen, 66” x 78” Measure of a Man, 1997, Acrylic on linen, 49” x3 9.5” Middle Rose, 2010, Acrylic on canvas, 44” x4 8” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Nuthatch, 2013, acrylic on polyester, 33” x 33” Pyramid, 1983, Acrylic on canvas, 72” x 72” Rocco’s Dolces, 2013, Acrylic on polyester, 60” x 60” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Seven Flowers II, 2012, Acrylic on polyester, 60” x 60” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Sunny Apples, 2013, Acrylic on polyester, 39½” x3 9 ½”on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Susan, 2013, Acrylic on linen, 30” x 32” The Lamp, 2003, Acrylic on linen, 30” x 36” The Music Room #23, 1978, Pink moulding paste/paper, 30” x 30” Three Cakes, 2014, Acrylic on polyester, 66” x 66” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery True Country Kitchen, 1984, Acrylic on linen, 78” x 78” Winter City Night, 2007, Acrylic on linen, 44” x 48” Winter I, 1998, Acrylic on linen, 84” x 52”

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Front, Amaryllis Swirl, 2010, Acrylic on linen, 66”x36” on loan from Baker Sponder Gallery Museum of Art - DeLand Staff George S. Bolge, Chief Executive Officer Pam Coffman, Curator of Education Dorothy Dansberger, Director of Finance & Operations David Fithian, Curator of Art and Exhibitions Lisa Habermehl, Director of Marketing Pattie Pardee, Director of Development Teri Peaden, Manager of Downtown Museum Suzi Tanner, Manager of Guest Services, Membership & Special Events

Museum of Art - DeLand Board of Trustees Judy Thompson, President Gen. Lee Downer, Vice President Linda Colvard Dorian, Past President Mary Jeanne Ludwig, Treasurer John Wilton, Secretary Dennis Aylward Ray Johnson Bill Booth Frances Massey Manny De La Vega Robin May Jewel Dickson Deborah McShane Desiree Freeland Katrina Pfister Dr. Tilman Friedrich Dagny Robertson Larry Griffin Marty Suarez John Horn Ian Williams

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