A Journal for Classic Western Art
| February/March 2011
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WHAT'S GOING ON
February greeted us in Santa Fe much the same way it did in the rest of the country, with "A Monster Storm," as it was described on the news.
We can't help with the weather, but we can try to raise spirits with great works of art. We are very excited about this new issue which brings attention to Taos, with a brief article about its inspirational affect on artists in the early days of the twentieth century. Over the past two months we have acquired an interesting variety of artwork that we hope you will enjoy seeing. From Taos we are showing two works by E. Martin Hennings, an Indian portrait and a classic landscape with riders on horseback, as well as a hauntingly beautiful work from Bert Geer Phillips. In addition, you will see a rare historical work by Alfred Jacob Miller, circa 1837, and a fabulous modernist painting by Alexandre Hogue, whose work is currently being featured in an impressive exhibition accompanied by a new book, "Alexandre Hogue: An American Visionary, Paintings and Works on Paper." For more on Hogue, see our section about nationwide museum exhibitions that have ties to our early New Mexico artists.
Our ZLG e-News is our way to stay in touch with you. We hope you will stay in touch with us!
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| CONTACT US | | 651 Canyon Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
505/982-6100
gallery@zaplinlampert.com
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ABOUT A CENTURY AGO IN TAOS
One of the seminal Taos artists, Ernest L. Blumenschein, recorded these initial impressions of northern New Mexico upon his arrival in late summer of 1898:
"The sky was a clear, clean blue, with sharp, moving clouds. The color, the effective character of the landscape, the drama of the vast spaces, the superb beauty and serenity of the hills, stirred me deeply. I realized I was getting my own impressions from nature, seeing it for the first time with my own eyes, uninfluenced by the art of any man."
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O. E. Berninghaus "Return to the Pueblo"
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Blumenschein's reaction to the region typifies the kind of response that the early artists had to the landscape of New Mexico and its unique tri-cultural society. Joseph Henry Sharp, one of the founders of the Taos Society of Artists, was the earliest of that group to visit New Mexico, arriving in Santa Fe in 1893 before continuing north to Taos. By 1912, all of the six original members of the society (they included, in addition to Blumenschein and Sharp, Bert Geer Phillips, Eanger Irving Couse, Oscar Edmund Berninghaus, and W. Herbert 'Buck' Dunton) were painting in Taos and the TSA was formally incorporated three years later. It was not until 1904 that Santa Fe boasted its first full-time resident artist, the California-born painter, Carlos Vierra. Many others were soon to follow.
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Victor Higgins "Aspens"
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The second decade of the twentieth century saw several significant developments that served to advance the profile of the fine arts in northern New Mexico. First was the establishment of the Taos Society of Artists in 1915. This group was the first to make a concerted effort to promote New Mexico art to a national audience. Their success . . .
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NEW ACQUISITIONS
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E. Martin Hennings "Meditative"
Oil on board, 14 x 14 inches
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Bert Geer Phillips "Winter Night Song"
Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 inches
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E. Martin Hennings "Indians Riding Through Sage"
Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 inches
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Alfred Jacob Miller "Snake Indians in Full Costume"
Watercolor, gouache and ink on paper, 9 1/8 x 13 7/8 inches
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Alexandre Hogue was an artist whose life spanned the 20th century. Born in Missouri in 1898 and raised in Texas, Hogue's career is a fascinating and diverse chronicle of major movements in American art. He worked as a commercial artist in New York, was a member of the Dallas Nine group of painters, painted an acclaimed series documenting the Dust Bowl years in the Midwest and Southwest, and produced a superb body of work during the heyday of the Taos art colony in the 1920s and early '30s. Hogue went on to explore modernism and abstraction, and even made a nod in the direction of pop art in the 1960s and '70s before reconnecting with his regionalist roots in the 1980s.
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Alexandre Hogue: "Calligraphic Wind and Rain"
Casein on board, 21 3/4 x 29 7/8 inches
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The complexities of man's relationship with nature was a central theme in Hogue's art. He explored the connectedness of Native peoples with their environment in New Mexico and the devastating effects of overgrazing, invasive agricultural practices, and drought on the lower plains states in the 1930s. Based in Tulsa from 1945 until his death at the age of 96 in 1994, Hogue was variously identified with Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma over the course of his extraordinary seven-decade career. We are pleased to be representing an exceptional example of Hogue's work dating from 1952, during his tenure as head of the art department at the University of Tulsa. Calligraphic Wind and Rain updates Hogue's stark visions of the drought ravaged Oklahoma of the 1930s with a vibrant palette of primary colors and his distinctive hard-edge brand of modernism. Precious rain falls from the sky but a line of oil derricks extending to the horizon indicates that man is still busily reaping nature's bounty.
To view all of our new acquisitions, click here.
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NEW BOOKS OF NOTE
"Cady Wells and Southwestern Modernism"
by Lois Rudnick
With contributing essays from
Sharyn R. Udall and Robin Farwell Gavin
The recently released book, "Cady Wells and Southwestern Modernism," looks at an important area of artwork created in northern New Mexico during the first half of the twentieth century. Lois Rudnick, the author and editor of several books, presents biographical material on Cady Wells that offers a multi-dimensional view of his life and work. In addition to a substantial biography of the artist from Rudnick, the book also includes essays from two art historians, Sharyn R. Udall, and Robin Farwell Gavin, who focus on related areas of interest to the artist: modern dance and historic Spanish Colonial works of art.
 | | Cady Wells "Near Otowi" |
Raised in a wealthy family on the East Coast, Cady Wells (1904-1954) was an enormously talented man who moved to the Santa Fe area in 1932, ready to pursue the life of an artist. . . .
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| MUSEUM EXHIBITS &
NEWS NATIONWIDE
- Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa
- The Art Museum of South Texas
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- Denver Art Museum
Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK Shades of the Southwest Etchings by Gene Kloss January 9 - April 3, 2011 The Philbrook Museum is featuring the works of famed printmaker, Gene Kloss (1903-1996), who began her career in the San Francisco Bay area, but eventually moved to Taos, New Mexico, the town with which she is most closely associated. By the 1930s, Kloss was already recognized for her skill with the techniques of etching, drypoint and aquatint, all of which she used in an inventive and masterful way to depict the varied landscapes and cultural traditions of the people of her adopted region. The Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi Alexander Hogue: An American Visionary/ Paintings and Works on Paper January 14 to April 3, 2011 This is the first exhibition dedicated to the work of Alexandre Hogue since 1984, when the Philbrook Museum of Art mounted a major show. The 157 paintings for this exhibit were gathered from important museum collections around the world, including the Smithsonian, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and Houston's Museum of Fine Art. Accompanying the exhibition is a newly-released book, "Alexandre Hogue: An American Visionary, Paintings and Works on Paper," by Susie Kalil. This exhibit presents a wide range of Hogue's paintings, from portraits and landscapes to his explorations with varied contemporary styles, including non-objective works. Art Institute of Chicago John Marin's Watercolors: A Medium for Modernism January 23 through April 17, 2011
In 1929 and 1930 John Marin traveled to New Mexico, befriended several of the resident artists, and influenced many more. In fact, during and after his visit, a good number of artists in both Taos and Santa Fe began to explore the medium of watercolor with more frequency, including Victor Higgins, Andrew Dasburg, B.J.O. Nordfeldt, and Frank Applegate, to name only a few. . . .
To continue, click here. |
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SANTA FE & NEW MEXICO EVENTS
Selected upcoming local exhibits and performances:
New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe "Conserving Public Art: The WPA Artwork of Gene Kloss and B.J.O. Nordfeldt" A rare opportunity to see the highly-acclaimed WPA works of two important New Mexico artists. Opens Friday, February 4, 2011. Events and Exhibitions on the Subject of Cady Wells: Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, Santa Fe An exhibit of works from the collection of Cady Wells, including his historical santos and religious objects, as well as examples of his own paintings that were inspired by these objects. January 21 to August 28, 2011 University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque Cady Wells - paintings in watercolor and mixed media. January 28 to May 22, 2011. "Under the Skin of New Mexico: The Life, Art, and Times, of Cady Wells" Lecture and dialogue by Wells biographer, Lois Rudnick Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 5:30-7:00 p.m. University of New Mexico Art Museum Santa Fe Symphony & Chorus "Jazz Meets the Classics" Steven Smith, music director and conductor Danilo Perez and the Danilo Perez Trio Sunday, February 20, 4:00 p.m. Lensic Performing Arts Center For more upcoming local events, click here. |
Thank you for joining us!
Please send us your comments and
stop by the gallery next time you are in Santa Fe.
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