An Anxious Eye” Winks at the National Gallery of Art
A current show at the National Gallery of Art on German Expressionism will entertain, inform, and inspire viewers because this one begs viewers to think outside their familiar mind set. The works express the feelings of a unique philosophy that teaches that artistic truth is expressed as a merger of space, time, matter, and mind. So put aside all previous notions of whether or not the works should conform to the harmonious compositions of previous periods in art history. The 100 prints and drawings in this show are created by artists that witnessed or are familiar with the anxieties of war, social injustice, political strife, and even pandemics during the 20th century. The cast of painters include Nolde, Kirchner, Hechel, Kollwitz, Schick, Baskin, Mansen, Dix and others. My overall takeaway from the show is the manner in which the artists used a variety of available materials and techniques (drypoint, lithography, charcoal, inks, crayon) to convey expressions of nature, individuals, and complex societies. The exhibition which will hang in the NGA’s East Building until May 27th is organized into 4 sections: Portraits, Nature and Spirituality, Relationships, and German Expressionism Reimagined. The show’s title, “An Anxious Eye” introduces several galleries of works which show the values, and personal relationships felt by the artists. Orit Hofshi (born 1959), whose large four-panelled lithographs fill the entire wall of the show’s final gallery, is an enigmatic work (shown above). It shows a landscape of rubble likely the result of WWI; we see isolated figures, all but one looking downward, blinding orange light, and in the distance on the far left a section of remains of a Gothic church adrift in the destruction. Fortunately the artist, born in Germany but now living in Israel will be lecturing live at the NGA on March 23rd to discuss her work. Interested parties can reserve a seat (free) by contacting tickets@nga.govor call 202.737.4215.
The Iconic Paintings of Mark Rothko
While enjoying music on one of many programs on a New England radio station honoring the recent Thanksgiving holiday, I was moved by the playing of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.” This patriotic, 3-minute long tribute to WWII, often is played to introduce an important event or person. It consists of solo blasts from trumpets and trombones with drum rolls and a tam-tam adding support to the emotional impact of the piercing brass notes. It is a spellbinding work of artistry, completely communicating directly to the souls of patriotic Americans. The brief fanfare sparks an appropriate emotional reaction in the heart and minds of the listener. It did for me. What has this to do with Mark Rothko (1903-1970) and the exhibition of 100 of his works at the National Gallery of Art?
The exhibition, “ Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper,” hangs chronologically and includes his early figurative works, and continues with abstract and surrealistic paintings. How the viewer in the artist’s mind should understand his paintings Rothko writes:
“I’m interested only in expressing basic human emotions Tragedy, Ecstacy, Despair and so on….And if you, as you say, are only moved by their color relationships, then you have missed the point.” Rothko explains further when he writes that “a painting is not a picture of an experience; it is an experience.” To this artist the viewer is as important as the work and represents a journey within the human experience. The many visitors to this remarkable, unique show may enjoy the aesthetic pleasures of Rothko’s early abstract scenes of bathers, landscapes and interiors, and the later expressionist paintings. But then, in the final gallery showing his late landmark paintings, Rothko hopes that personal memories may be reawakened for viewers from the blurry color tones and the large blocks of color—as they could be from the music of Aaron Copland’s fanfare.
The show will be on view until March 31, 2024 in the West Wing of the National Gallery of Art. A remarkable catalogue with content by the exhibition curator, Adam Greenhalgh, is available at the NGA shop at www.nga.gov
THE LADY BEHIND THE LENS
Dorothea Lange (1895-1965), whose historic documentary photographs created during the Great Depression through World War II (from 1929 to 1946) and beyond, influenced the direction of Federal social legislation which directly uplifted the lives of farm workers, tenant farmers, immigrants, and other groups. The show, DorotheaLange: Seeing People, consists of about 100 of her most dramatic and deeply personal photographs and may be viewed at Washington’s National Gallery of Art’s West Building until March 31, 2024. Although her early career in studios honed her darkroom, and portraiture skills --taking portraits of both celebrities and ordinary citizens-- her work with Federal agencies such as the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and the Rural Rehabilitation Administration, and its spin- off, the Resettlement Administration gave her the opportunity to produce the legendary works which documented the victims of the depression; her subjects included migrant workers, share croppers, victims of racism and slavery, and the incarceration of Japanese Americans. For further study I highly recommend the outstanding biography, Dorothea Lange; A Photographer’s Life by Milton Meltzer, as well as the exhibition catalogue, Dorothea Lange: Seeing People, Yale University Press, 2023. The essays by Philip Brookman, Sarah Greenough, Andrea Nelson, and Laura Wexler, are brilliantly researched. Also the catalogue faithfully reproduces Lange’s images as closely as possible to the originals on exhibit—and the high quality of the durable covers results in a long lasting and memorable investment in the art of Dorothea Lange. For further Information contact www.nga. gov
The Native Americans and Their Love of the Land
Ken Burns recently aired his documentary on Public Television “The Buffalo” describing the symbiotic relationships between native Americans and the Buffalo. The economic and physical health of native Americans depended on the food and hides provided by the Buffalo, but importantly, their souls and spiritual well-being as well. The animals provided food, hides, and bones and the land itself contained spirits, which were sanctified and worshiped by the many tribes throughout the land. The complexities of these relationships between man and nature and expressed and given clarity in the current exhibition now showing at the National Gallery of Art’s East Building until January 15th. It is a memorable and instructive exhibition containing the innovative art of 50 native American painters, photographers, sculpturerers, craftsmen, and poets. The title of the show and its accompanying catalogue, “The Land Carries our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans” describes the history of native Americans---their tragedies, personal indignities, as well as their strong character and beliefs. The theme of the exhibition describes an eternal bonding of the land and nature to the individual. Here are a few examples:
Artist Stephen Yazzle in his oil on canvas called “Orchestrating a Blooming Desert” 2003 shows a native conducting the flowers, plants, and hills, as he mentions in the museum notes, “Our essential connection to the land is the source of life, stories, conflict, and healing.”
Linda Lomahaftewa (Hopi/Choctaw) in her contemporary post modern lithograph, “Parrots Prayer Song” 1989 tells us that the inspiration for the work was found on a 3500 mile road trip to visit the Choctaw and Cherokee Mother Mounds to better understand the relationships of the land and the people.