Wednesday, 27 February 2013
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Terry Check & Bill Lowe on "Thornton Dial: Daybreak"
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Terry Check & Bill Lowe on "Thornton Dial: Daybreak"
Art Market Budapest
"Daybreak," an exhibition of new works by artistic genius Thornton Dial, opened February 8, 2013 at the Bill Lowe
Art Now Fair
Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia. Following a successful tour of "Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial" at several museums and a current exhibition at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Dials's new work reiterates his themes concerning the
Art Paris Art Fair
working man, family, and spiritual afterlife. At the age of 84 and in failing health, the self-taught artist of few words speaks volumes through his work. Bill Lowe, a long time friend of the artist, has an open conversation with me about the
Art Space Beijing
art world's perception of Dial's work and the man who is the exception to every rule. Art Toronto Terry Check: Is Dial still regarded as an outsider artist? Arts in Bushwick Bill Lowe: Dial is considered an outsider artist, outside of the art establishment, but the conversation is shifting largely due to the multi-city museum exhibition, "Hard Truths" and the resulting media attention. Time Magazine stated, "Dial's
Broadway Gallery NYC
work is not vernacular nor is it outsider art. It is great art period." The New York Times stated, "Dial is extremely gifted, reminiscent of De Kooning and Pollock." TC: How has his work evolved in recent years? BL: If you look at these later pieces, the medium is less dense, a little more muted, and more open to interpretation. His work has a universal appeal. It is a natural metamorphosis for him and his profile continues to grow, becoming more aware of the broader art stage. For Dial, it is a natural progression. With the passing of years, he finds integration of themes and starts moving toward eternal resolution, maybe a glance into the hereafter.
Contemporary Istanbul Fine Art Asia Frieze Art Fair HanseArt Momenta Art
A Note from our Readers
TC: How does he want to be remembered? BL: He speaks with great brevity about life after death. His mind is so broad and deep that his work affects people at emotional and spiritual levels, giving them an insight to what he has witnessed. His work chronicles observations, insights, and experiences into a visual diary, sharing his perception of the issues and having the viewer take away their interpretation.
Nada Art Fair NY Arts Beijing Collection Pink Art Fair Seoul
TC: Living in poverty, Dial grew up without a father. Did women play an important role in his life? BL: Women dominated his life and he views women as the backbone of society.
Scope Art Fair SH Contemporary
TC: Where would his artwork be today without the help of Bill Arnett?
Texas Contemporary
BC: We would not know about Dial's work if it weren’t for Bill Arnett. Arnett, an exceptional art history scholar, first met
The Habitat Brooklyn
Dial and his artwork in the mid 1980's. At that time, Dial viewed his ‘junk work’ as a personal endeavor until Arnett told him that his work is truly art. Arnett advanced this artwork from the backwoods of Alabama to the forefront of the art
Web Catalogue Preview
world. TC: In the early 1990's, Thornton's career was hitting new heights with two exhibitions in New York City receiving great reviews. Why did Dial's career falter after the controversial 60 Minutes interview? Artists Francesco Siclari Margaretha Gubernale Luise Davis Ulli Obrecht Gabriele Springer Gerald Cournoyer Christine McDonald Erwin Wuk Douglas Lyell Carolyn Heer Masakazu Tatebayashi Susan Karkoutly Jeff Hoare Benno Sökeland Claudia Unterleitner Hye Ja Moon Luisa Jacobacci Dirk Beckedorf Anne Lise Kaaby Inge Mair Hailary Joëlle Kem Lika Alessandro Tognin Ulli Obrecht Sean Conlon Atle Berner Andersen
BL: Dial, working with a tremendous vibrancy, created some of his best work during this period regardless of public
Francesco Siclari: A Natural World Gerald Cournoyer: Bridging The Gap
opinion. As a result of the 60 Minutes story, Dial became a political "hot potato" for the art world to embrace, an African American artist whose advocacy is a white man from the Deep South. With the insinuation that Dial was being exploited, many people in the art world who would have readily embraced his talent, turned away from his work for many years. TC: How did Dial regain his place in the art world?
Luisa Jacobacci: New Visions Stephane Lejeune: To Be Free YaYa Chou Aase-Hilde Brekke Adrienne Yorinks Ahira Misa: Provocation of Color Al Wildey Alexander Dimitrov Alexandra Spyratos Alicia H. Torres Ana Bikic Ana Negro Angela Hague Ann Drosendahl Ann Gores
Thornton Dial, Courtesy of Bill Lowe Gallery.
Anna Blincoe BAHRAM
BL: A couple of years ago, the Bill Lowe Gallery in conjunction with the National Black Arts Festival presented Dial's latest series, "Disaster Areas," an epic look at the destructive and regenerative forces of nature and their impact on our
Beau Van Zyl: Under The African Sun
lives. At that time, I arranged an interview at CNN with Don Lemon and Dial explained his artwork and his relationship with Arnett by saying, "Bill made me what I am today," and putting to rest the negative insinuations of the 60 Minute
Benaia Ennio
story. Interest in his artwork has surged over the past two years together with art sales by private and institutional collectors. With Dial's latter artwork, collectors and curators in New York and London place his work with De Kooning,
Benjamin Boland
Pollock, and especially Kieffer. Bronwyn Towle TC: At the age of 84, in deteriorating health and limited to a wheelchair, does Dial still create new artwork? BL: Yes, Dial is still very active as an artist in planning and creating his assemblages with his sons, Richard and Donny, who help place heavy objects under Dial's watchful eye. With the use of a mechanical lift, the artwork is raised or lowered so Dial can paint and apply elements to the artwork from his wheelchair. TC: The "Daybreak" exhibition includes many assemblages such as "Grinder" and Daybreak." What is the message? BL: This generation of work transcends the narratives of his powerful earlier work and universalizes Dial’s voice, further cementing his place in art history. "Grinder" reflects the struggle of the working class ... the daily grind in all people in any
Buried Motifs: The Work of Kristina Garon Catch a Fire: Kristina Sretkova's New Paintings Catherine de Saugy Cecilia del Toro
country. His work is becoming more collective ... greater appeal to a broad audience. "Daybreak" voices the dramatic shift in life caused by nature (floods, tornados) or man (destruction of war). There is always hope ... There is always regeneration
Chansoo Hwang
... There is always a sunrise. Dial believes that life will always get better. Charles Swenson What's so great about his work? It is undiluted and unpolluted by societal imposition. He cannot read or write and that's a sad reality on one hand, but it is God's blessing on the other. Next >