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A Journal for Classic Western Art
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WHAT'S GOING ON
Greetings and happy spring! Winter was quite a
challenge this year for many folks around the country, and we hope that all of you are now enjoying the return of warm breezes and beautiful spring color.
For us in Santa Fe and Taos, 2015 is an important anniversary year for the art of New Mexico. This summer marks the centennial of the founding of the Taos Society of Artists. With this is mind, for this issue and the next, we are focusing a spotlight on the Taos Society of Artists. This group of painters, probably more than any other, enthusiastically engaged art lovers around the country through their paintings of the people and landscape of northern New Mexico.
In this issue, we also hope to bring to your attention a selection of interesting art exhibits at museums in Santa Fe and Taos, and across the U.S. Our featured exhibition, "From New York to New Mexico," is an important show on American modernism that will be traveling to three museums throughout the spring and summer.
Our New Acquisitions section offers a broad mix of works ranging from the mid 19th to late 20th century, including paintings, prints, sculpture, and historical pottery. Finally, we hope you will enjoy our online exhibition that brings together the exquisite work of two masters of the print medium: Gustave Baumann and Willard Clark.
And, as always, we enjoy hearing from you. Please remember to stop by and visit us whenever you are in Santa Fe.
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CONTACT US |
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651 Canyon Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
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A Centennial Celebration:
Taos Society of Artists at 100, part 1
"Fate Drew the Three of Us Together"
At the time of the founding of the Taos Society of Artists in 1915, there were six members: Bert G. Phillips, Ernest L. Blumenschein, Joseph H. Sharp, Oscar E. Berninghaus, Eanger I. Couse, and W. Herbert "Buck" Dunton.
During their lifetimes, members of the Taos Society of Artists were often asked about what drew them to Taos and what initiated the formation of the group that would later gain national recognition. Of the founding six artists, Blumenschein left not only a legacy of artwork, but also an abundance of writings that provide us with stories, as well as informative essays and notes from speeches, giving us first-hand accounts of those early days.
When Blumenschein and Bert Phillips were students in Paris in 1896, they happened to meet Joseph Sharp, who had already been to the American West and visited and sketched in Taos. Blumenschein later wrote that one day in Paris, while the three artists sat talking at a cafe, Sharp told them: "'If you ever go west you should visit Taos and see the Indian Pueblo.'" And that, Blumenschein felt, was the extent of Sharp's influence on them. However, he appreciated the significance of that meeting, for he added, "Fate drew the three of us together."
Joseph Henry Sharp (1859 - 1953)
Standing Deer
18 x 12 inches
Oil on canvas
Signed lower right
Two years later, Blumenschein convinced Phillips to join him on a western painting excursion that would take them from Denver to Mexico by wagon. In Denver, the two greenhorns bought a light wagon, "two broncos," and a harness to hitch to the wagon. Leaving Denver in June, the pair traveled through Colorado and finally entered the Territory of New Mexico after two months of slow travel. Summer thunderstorms began to make the mountain roads hazardous and Blumenschein reported, "We soon found our light wagon was no match for New Mexico." On the 3rd of September, some twenty-five miles north of Taos, the wagon hit a deep rut,
Oscar E. Berninghaus (1874 - 1952)
A Bit of the Pueblo - Taos
16 x 20 inches
Oil on board
Signed lower left
To continue, click here.
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MUSEUM NEWS
From New York to New Mexico: Masterworks of American Modernism from the Vilcek Foundation Collection
The Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is currently showing an outstanding exhibit, "From New York to New Mexico: Masterworks of American Modernism from the Vilcek Foundation Collection." The exhibit is noteworthy for the exemplary quality of its artwork and also because the exhibit will be traveling to other locations. After the exhibit closes at the Philbrook on May 3rd, it will be on display at the Phoenix Art Museum from June 5th through September 6th, followed by the O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. Organized and curated by the Philbrook Museum of Art, this exhibit features works from the Vilcek Foundation Collection's masterworks of twentieth-century American modernism, from the early 1910s to the Post-War era. With paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, the exhibit presents preeminent examples from the major art movements of that period: American cubism, nature-based abstractions by artists associated with the Stieglitz Circle, and the modernists who created a body of work in the American Southwest. Included in the exhibit are artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, Oscar Bluemner, and Stuart Davis. Marsden Hartley (1877 - 1943)
Indian Pottery
Oil on canvas
c. 1912
Collection of Jan T. and Marica Vilcek, Promised Gift to The Vilcek Foundation
Photo courtesy of the Phoenix Art Museum
The Vilcek Foundation was established in 2000. The American Modernist Collection was assembled by Marica and Jan Vilcek, who have varied collecting interests and a particular passion for American modernism. The foundation, in partnership with the Philbrook Museum of Art, developed "From New York to New Mexico" as a traveling exhibit that will increase public access to this world-class artwork before the collection moves permanently into the foundation's new home in New York City.
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NEW ACQUISITIONS
Albert Bierstadt (1830 - 1902)
Yellowstone Lake
Oil on paper mounted on board
14 x 19 1/4 inches
Signed lower right
William Robinson Leigh (1866 - 1955) Hopi Pottery MakerOil on board 9 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches
Signed lower right and dated "1912"
B.J.O. Nordfeldt (1878 - 1955)
Street Scene, Santa Fe
Oil on canvas
20 x 25 inches
Signed lower right
Gene Kloss (1903 - 1996)
Where the Rio Chama Flows
Oil on canvas
26 x 40 inches
Fremont Ellis (1897 - 1985)
Rio de los Pinos
Oil on canvas
20 x 25 inches
Gustave Baumann (1881 - 1971)
Grand Canyon
Color woodblock print
12 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches
Ed. 14/125
Karl Bodmer (1809-1893)
Pehriska-Ruhpa in the Costume of a Dog Dancer
20 1/2 x 15 1/4 inches
Hand colored aquatint line engraving
Acoma polychrome olla with black bands
Native clay
12 x 15 inches
c. 1880
Alan Houser (1914 - 1994)
Zuni Watercarrier
Bronze
31 x 10 x 9 inches
1980
To see additional new acquisitions, click here.
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ONLINE EXHIBITION
Santa Fe's Masters of the Press:
Gustave Baumann & Willard Clark
One was a recognized master, the other, a young man at the start of his career. Both came to Santa Fe and left their imprint in art.
Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) settled in Santa Fe in 1918, already recognized as a master printmaker. He was fond of saying that the city had appealed to his imagination, at the time appearing as an ancient place out of a picture book. His medium, the color woodblock print, was likewise an old medium, but he was also a highly regarded award-winning contemporary artist, trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and in Munich.
Ten years after Baumann's arrival in Santa Fe, Willard Clark (1910-1992) arrived, a young man, eager to make a place for himself in town. Almost thirty years Baumann's junior, Clark had studied fine art and commercial art, and the small city's now large population of artists may have influenced his decision. Clark opened a commercial print shop. Unlike most printers of his day, who opted for technical advances in the business, Clark used his talent and skill making hand-crafted prints -- woodcuts and engravings -- whether local scenes, greeting cards, advertisements, or restaurant menus.
The two became friends. Clark learned a good deal about the technical aspects of the artform from Baumann, while Baumann occasionally relied on Clark to print his own woodcuts for special projects, such as his Christmas cards. Each carried on the tradition with personal vision, charm and character.
Gustave Baumann (1881-1971)
Cottonwood in Tassel
Color woodblock print
12 x 13 inches
Ed. IV 99/125
Willard Clark (1910-1992)
Sanctuario
Color woodblock print
5 1/2 x 6 inches
 Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) Spring Serenade Color woodblock print 9 1/4 x 11 inches Ed. 28/120
Willard Clark (1910-1992)
Mother and Daughter at the Cross
Color woodblock print 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 inches
Gustave Baumann (1881-1971)
Procession
Color woodblock print
12 7/8 x 13 inches
Ed. 6/120
Willard Clark (1910-1992)
San Miguel
Color woodblock print
5 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches
No. 64
To see more of our online exhibition, click here.
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TAOSTaos Celebrates One Hundred Years
of the Taos Society of ArtistsHarwood Museum of ArtAn Enduring Appeal: The Taos Society of ArtistsMay 16 through September 7, 2015 Burt and Lucy Harwood were both art students in Paris where they met Ernest Blumenschein. After their return to the U.S., the Harwoods took up residence in Taos in 1916, influenced by Blumenschein's enthusiasm for the village and its surroundings. Their home is now the Harwood Museum of Art and is a showcase for art of Taos and New Mexico. This exhibit celebrates the centennial of the founding of the Taos Society of Artists with the display of paintings, prints and drawings by its members. Ernest L. Blumenschein Home and MuseumWatercolorsMay 16 through September 7, 2015 The Blumenschein Home and Museum is a wonderful place to visit, as it is maintained in the same manner in which the Blumenschein family lived and worked. To celebrate the centennial, this show will exclusively feature watercolors by members of the Taos Society of Artists. Taos Museum of Art at the Fechin HouseRalph Meyers, A Taos OriginalMay 21 through October 4, 2015 Ralph Meyers moved to Taos as a young man in 1903. He had enormous creative energy that he applied to painting, silver-smithing, and furniture making. The trading post on Kit Carson Road that he opened quickly became a central hub for goods created by skilled craftsmen from the region, including Taos Pueblo. But Meyers, a respected member of the Taos art community, was a strong painter who enjoyed depicting the landscape or local scenes with a masterful sense for color and vivid brushstrokes. As early as 1915, his paintings were displayed alongside works of the Taos Society of Artists. SANTA FENew Mexico Museum of ArtColors of the SouthwestThrough September 20, 2015 If you are in Santa Fe anytime in the coming months . . . to continue, click here. |
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EXHIBITS NATIONWIDE
Sid Richardson Museum, Fort Worth, Texas
Take Two: George Catlin Revisits the West Through May 31, 2015
This unique exhibit features a selection of George Catlin paintings of Native American life from the Paul Mellon Collection at the National Gallery of Art. Thirteen of the paintings have never before been exhibited in Texas. In the early 1830s, Catlin began his life-long project devoted to the depiction of living Native American tribes west of the Mississippi. Catlin was one of the first artists to venture into the territory and this exhibition offers the opportunity to see this work, comprising mostly later works that he recreated after paintings from his first Indian Gallery. Also featured is a rare first edition of his book published in the 19th century, "Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American Indians," and two of Catlin's American Indian portfolios that are on loan from a private collection.
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
Remington and Russell
Through May 24, 2015
Aficionados of western art will want to see this exhibit of works by the two masters of the genre, Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. Featuring paintings and sculptures from the Amon Carter Museum's own extensive collection, the exhibit was curated specifically to highlight the differences between the two artists. The museum information states: "Remington and Russell followed their own unique paths to become the greatest practitioners of the art of the American West. Yet, regardless of their differences, they not only manifested the Western Myth, they were largely responsible for creating it."
AND
Like Father, Like Son:
Edward and Brett Weston
Through August 23, 2015
Edward Weston (1886-1958) is well known as a pioneering photographer who helped move photography from a documentary medium into fine art. His son, Brett (1911-1993), who served as his father's assistant for many years, not surprisingly, went on to become a master photographer himself. The Amon Carter is presenting works from both photographers side by side. Featuring twenty-three prints, this exhibit offers an unusual opportunity to view how each . . . to continue, click here.
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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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