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Greetings!
Summer is officially here in Texas, bringing rising temperatures and a slow down in art activities around the state. Summertime in the CASETA office signals the end of one Symposium season and the start of plans for next year. Our Symposium committee is hard at work reviewing your comments and suggestions and planning for a blockbuster 8th annual Symposium next year in Houston. Mark your calendars for April 16-18, 2010 and plan to join us!
We are also making some administrative changes this summer as we hire a part time office assistant. We look very forward to better serving the needs of our members as we make this exciting addition to the CASETA team.
As Texas enjoys day after day of 100 plus degree temperatures this summer, many of you are probably venturing to cooler climates. Between vacations, why not beat the heat indoors while enjoying some fantastic early Texas art? See below for more information about CASETA's Texas Treasures now on view in Austin and Miles and Miles of Texas, opening in Houston in July.
Best wishes,
Courtney DiSabato
Director, CASETA
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Beyond Blueprints:
The Texas Capitol Architectural Drawings
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The
State Preservation Board owns one architectural drawing from Elijah
Myers in its collection: this hand-colored piece is on display in the
Texas Capitol. Some of the original design elements for the building
could not be completed. For example, the limestone chosen for the
exterior of the building was not suitable. It developed rust-colored
streaks when exposed to the weather. After a two-year construction
delay, the owners of Granite Mountain near Marble Falls offered to give
the state free of charge all the red granite it needed for the exterior
walls of the Capitol. The elaborate designs shown in this drawing,
including fluted-Corinthian pilasters and carved urns, eventually were
removed from the plans.
Greetings from Ali James, Secretary, Board of Directors
Early
Texas Art means different things to different people. One of my
favorite items in the Capitol Collection that really pushes the
boundary for some is an architectural drawing that was created and
hand-colored in 1882 as part of the design competition for the Texas
Capitol.
Beyond Blueprints:
The Texas Capitol Architectural Drawings
The
148 original architectural drawings of the 1880s Texas Capitol that
survive in the Texas State Library and Archives collection are
important to people for different reasons. Historians study them as
valuable records of the past. Architects appreciate them as
fascinating plans which document the design of a monumental nineteenth
century public building. Artists see them as intricate and beautiful
works of art. However, all agree that the drawings represent one of
the finest remaining examples of what for some time has been a lost art
form--the production of full-size, detailed, hand-drawn and
hand-colored building plans--a process now accomplished through the use
of computer-assisted drawing programs.
The
drawings--ranging in size from 11" x 12" to 44" x 93"--are on linen
drafting cloth which has been starched with gelatin. Linen was chosen
as a support due to its durability, translucency for tracing and
ability to withstand a great deal of handling. Architectural draftsmen
produced the Texas Capitol drawings in the early 1880s using a wide
variety of drawing instruments. Early technical pens, called
stylographs, were designed specifically for drawing and fine writing.
This type of pen
preceded fountain pens. The stylograph employed a hollow glass tube
instead of a nib to transport ink to the linen, and produced lines with
incredibly consistent widths and saturations. These pens were among the
first practical drawing instruments to contain internal ink reservoirs,
freeing draftsmen from the constant dipping required by earlier
models.
Dip pens also may have been used to render certain details requiring varied line widths. The drawings contain at least five
different colors of ink. Colors other than black and red were highly unusual in the late nineteenth century.
Tuebor
On November 20, 1880, the two Capitol Building Commissioners announced a national design contest for a new Capitol in Austin.
The winner's fee was $1,700. Eight architects, using such imaginative pseudonyms as
Pay as You Go, Woglosnop and Lone Star
submitted drawings for a total of eleven different designs.
Famed New York City architect Napoleon Le Brun selected the design
submitted by
Tuebor, that is, Detroit architect Elijah E. Myers. The Commissioners agreed with Le Brun's choice of architect
and his suggestions for a few design changes in May of 1881.
Construction
Myers
had submitted 15 drawings as part of the design competition for the
Texas Capitol. He envisioned a massive Renaissance Revival-style
structure based on the architecture of 15th century Italy. One of the
design changes required by the Capitol Building Commissioners was to
change the dome from square to round. Upon Myers'
arrival in Austin, the competition drawings and building specifications
were revised to reflect these changes at no cost. E. E. Myers signed
the agreement to produce the construction documents for the building
for $12,000 on May 17, 1881. Although he helped to stake out the site
of the building early in 1882 and eventually produced the documents, he
failed to continue to revise them to the liking of the Commissioners.
He spent much of the time at his architectural firm in Michigan, and
his relationship with Texas officials deteriorated. Although he was
never fired, his duties as architect were essentially over by the end
of 1886.
Endangered Resource
Two
factors led to the deterioration over time of this important
collection: the cloth upon which they are drawn and the uneven care of
the documents earlier in this century. Although the cloth is durable,
it has organic sizing. This can provide a breeding ground for mold or
vermin attack depending on storage conditions. Prior to their transfer
to the custody of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the
plans were handled and stored inappropriately and kept for many years
in an environment that encouraged extensive mold growth, resulting in
significant physical damage. During the several years of the 1990s
Capitol Restoration Project, it was essential to study the drawings in
detail. Although extreme caution and care was exercised, the unrolling
and re-rolling exacted its toll on the drawings in terms of additional
tearing.
Conservation, Duplication and Storage
In
1990, the State Preservation Board--in conjunction with the Texas State
Library and Archives Commission--arranged for the drawings to be
surveyed comprehensively by CASETA Advisory Board Member Cheryl
Carrabba, a nationally-recognized, Austin-based paper conservator, who
concluded that the drawings are threatened by eventual destruction due to their present condition.
Through the generosity of the Texas Inaugural Endowment Fund Committee,
Carrabba was hired to treat the collection in 1997-1998. Each drawing
was flattened, cleaned, mended and reinforced. The conserved drawings
were then placed in protective plastic sheeting called Mylar and
archival folders in cabinets specially designed for flat storage. The
conserved drawings were also photographically duplicated; both the
originals and archival copies are stored at the Texas State Library and
Archives; whenever possible, the copies are used for reference to
decrease handling of the originals.
Enjoy your Summer and stretch your boundaries.
Best,
Ali James
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Save the Date
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8th Annual Texas Art Fair and
Symposium on Early Texas Art
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Texas Treasures: Early Texas Art From Austin Museums
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Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum,
605 Robert E. Lee Road, Austin, Texas 78704
May 1- August 30, 2009
Image: Donald Leroy Weisman, Electronic Icon, ca. 1958, Blanton Museum of Art, the University of Texas at Austin
The Center for Study and Advancement of Early Texas Art
is proud to present Texas Treasures: Early Texas Art from Austin
Museums in connection with our seventh annual symposium to be held at
the AT&T Center on the University of Texas Campus.
Texas Treasures
is the first collective exhibition of important early Texas artworks
from the collections of the University of Texas Blanton Museum, the
University of Texas Harry Ransom Center, the Austin Museum of Art and
the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. Drawing from the extensive
collections of these Austin institutions, Texas Treasures features
twenty-four masterworks of early Texas art that have been rarely
available to the public. These seminal works express the breadth of
Texas art: from the origins of classical portraiture and impressionist
landscape painting in the nineteenth century, to the American Scene
painting of the depression era, to the many interpretations of
modernism at the mid-twentieth century.
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MILES AND MILES OF TEXAS:
The Lone Star State
Through the Eyes of Buck Schiwetz
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An Exhibition Jointly Sponsored by The Heritage Society & CASETAJuly 21- September 27, 2009
Image: Anderson-Clayton Cottonseed Oil Plant, Memphis, Texas, 1950, Mixed Media on Board, 17 � x 31 �, Private Collection, Houston
The Heritage Society and CASETA collaborate to present a rare
exhibition of the Texas works of E.M. "Buck" Schiwetz (1898-1984), one of the
city and state's most beloved artists. Originally
from Cuero, Buck Schiwetz arrived in Houston in
the late 1920's, by way of Texas
A&M College. In the seven decades thereafter, as artist
and illustrator, he managed to draw and paint his way through Texas, recording the
hallmarks and landmarks of the Lone Star State as no artist before or
since. Trained as an architect, he
proved particularly adept at capturing the simple elegance and rich character
of the state's indigenous structures, offering narrative images-- in graphite, watercolor,
mixed media and oil-- that pay homage to Texas's earliest buildings and homes. As a long-time illustrator with Humble Oil and
their Humble Way publication, Schiwetz's body of work on the Texas oil field is unparalleled,
capturing the evolution and ascent of this important industry during a period
of stupendous growth and development.
Along the way, the artist's work was exhibited broadly and
entered the permanent collections of important museums and universities throughout
the state. Schiwetz images have been
more frequently published than perhaps any other Texas artist. He received numerous awards and honors during
his lifetime, culminating in his being named Texas State Artist in 1977. His is an unrivaled visual legacy of the
state in which he lived, and this is a "must-see" exhibition for all
Houstonians.
Miles and Miles of Texas is on display at the Heritage Society Museum,
1100 Bagby
Street in Houston, Texas from July 21 through September 27, 2009.
The exhibition offers a rich survey of the artist's work, including more
than fifty of Schiwetz's finest Texas
subjects. The selection depicts the
artist's range of styles and media, and shows works from throughout his long
career. A catalogue, including an essay
by Michael R. Grauer of the Panhandle-Plains
Historical Museum,
accompanies the exhibition.
Miles and Miles of Texas is made possible with support from CASETA through Houston Endowment Inc., and from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.
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Early Texas Art Across the State
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Current Lectures, Exhibits and Events
We know that our list is not complete, so please help CASETA keep its members in the loop!
If you are aware of any current or upcoming early Texas art exhibitions or events, please email information to cd26@txstate.edu.
Early Texas Art Events
Collectors of Fort Worth Art- 8th Annual Show and Sale of Early Texas Art
Friday, July 10, 5-9pm and Saturday, July 11, 10am-5pm
Fort Worth Community Art Center
Contact Ken Jackson at (817)834-6951 for more information.
Texas Treasures: Early Texas Art from Austin Museums
Thursday, July 16, 6:30pm- Remarks from Dana Friis-Hansen, Executive Director of the Austin Museum of Art
Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum
Austin, Texas
Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts Annual Wine & Art Fundraiser
Saturday, July 25
Featuring Live Music, Fine Wines and Art
Including a lecture and exhibition, Impressions of Texas, curated by Michael R. Grauer, Curator of Art, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Turner House, Dallas, Texas
Texas Art Seen
Opening Reception Friday, September 25
Symposium Saturday, September 26
The Grace Museum
Abilene, Texas
Texas Regional Art Symposium
October 10, 2009
Historical
and contemporary art exhibits will feature well known artists of the
region, such as Frank Reaugh, Jerry Bywaters, and Frank Klepper. Distinguished
speakers will include Lonn Taylor, Francine Carraro, Victoria Cummins,
Bob Reitz, Light Cummins, Sam Ratcliff, and Carol Roark on subjects
ranging from southwest material culture to original research on
individual artists. The capstone of the symposium will be an open discussion led by area collectors who will exhibit and discuss their favorite pieces of art.
Heard Craig Center for the Arts
McKinney, Texas
David Dike Fine Art Early Texas Art Auction
October 17, 2009, 4pm
The McKinney Avenue Contemporary
Dallas, Texas
Early Texas Art Exhibitions
Off the Edge: The Experimental Prints of Cynthia Brants
May 2 - June 27
Austin, Texas
Texas Treasures: Early Texas Art from Austin Museums
May 1- August 30
Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum
Austin, Texas
James Surls: From the Heartland
May 2- August 22
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CASETA's E-news is sent monthly as a service to our members. To join CASETA, visit our website at caseta.org. Please feel free to share any comments or suggestions by email or phone. If there is content that you would like to see in the E-news or on our website, please let us know! Sincerely,
Courtney DiSabato
Program Administrator
CASETA
cd26@txstate.edu
(512)245-1986
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