REFLECTIONS ON WATER IN AMERICAN PAINTING AT THE ARKELL MUSEUM
Blog Post by art critic, curator and artist, David Brickman

The drive along the Thruway to Canajoharie is a great set-up for seeing Reflections on Water in American Painting at the Arkell Museum. Along the way, the toll road follows the Mohawk River for miles, affording frequent and pleasant views of just the sort of landscape that inspired many of the artists in this excellent show.

Drawn from the collection of Arthur J. Phelan (best known for works depicting the American West), Reflections on Water is perfectly suited to the Arkell – its first stop on a national tour – because it includes a number of artists who are either in the Arkell’s permanent collection or might as well be. Comprised of 50 paintings dating from 1828 to 1945, the show provides lessons in both history and geography, as it mirrors the American expansion from east to west. In addition to the expected Atlantic Ocean and Hudson River scenes, there are also images from the Great Lakes, the Mississippi and Columbia rivers, even an Alaskan glacier.

Phelan, a former banker who later got involved in ocean shipping, began collecting marine paintings in the 1960s and displays a keen eye for outstanding work by lesser-known artists. Unsurprisingly, there are numerous pictures here that would appeal to any typical man or boy who enjoys action and activity – but there are many more that indicate a more specifically artistic sensibility that transcends the hunting, sailing, and fighting genres.

The crown jewel of the collection (shown below at right), a miniature tour de force made by William Merritt Chase while looking up the Arno River from his villa in Florence, Italy, is atypical in its foreign subject, but announces the seriousness and breadth of the collection. And it has plenty of company in a gallery filled with many fine American Impressionist canvases, such as a stunning winter scene by Elmer Livingston MacRae and Willard Metcalf’s petite Twachtman-like marsh view.

These, like many other works in the show, were made in Connecticut, where Phelan spent his summers growing up, and they form the core of the collection, both from the personal standpoint and artistically. Phelan, who holds two degrees in American history from Yale University, said “I have built a number of collections that started with a chance acquisition of an artwork that reminded me of something from my past.” He also said, in a 1978 Washington Post interview, that he “got interested in art through an interest in the historical process, because paintings offer a clear record of the changes that people have made in the environment.”

The second quote may explain two other key groups of pictures in the show: those that go deeper into the historical aspect of life in the United States (such as James Bard’s meticulous, fanciful 1873 rendering of a Hudson River steamboat, shown above in the middle) and those that represent industrialization (such as Reginald Marsh's 1936 Lift Bridge, Jersey Marshes, shown below at right). Others present popular pastimes, including duck hunting and beach vacationing (such as Aiden Lassell Ripley's 1935 Beach Scene, shown above at left), but most of the work in the show is landscape – and the majority of that falls into the timeframe of the heyday of American Impressionists, revealing a softer side to the historian-collector whose first purchase depicts a burning ship and its fleeing crew.

I don’t know if it’s a trend, but it appears that exhibitions drawn from personal collections are becoming more common (see my review of an exhibition at the Hyde Collection earlier this year). This may not be a bad thing, as institutional perspectives can get stuck in conventional thinking, which an independent voice can possibly shake up. But it also means there’s a risk that the (moneyed) source of the collection is more vain than rigorous, and that we will be subjected to a lot of second-rate work in the process of polishing their ego with our attention.

Fortunately, Phelan does not seem to be that sort of collector; despite its slightly punny title, Reflections on Water is a first-rate show that explores a strong personal sensibility while exposing a number of unfairly overlooked figures from our rich artistic history. If you haven’t yet seen the wonderfully renewed and expanded Arkell Museum, use this opportunity as an excuse to go – I promise it will be an unqualified pleasure.

Reflections on Water in American Painting, organized by Exhibits Development Group and accompanied by a nicely produced color brochure with several reproductions and a fine, historically oriented essay by John Seelye, runs through Oct. 3. A related event set for Oct. 2 will feature NPR’s Selected Shorts readers performing seaside stories live as a fundraiser for the museum.

For more details on this exhibition click here or go to http://www.arkellmuseum.org/

To view David's blog, click here

 

EDG PRESENTS THE AMERICANA SHOWCASE,

A UNIQUE CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN HERITAGE

MARCH 7th AMERICANA SHOWCASE CONCERT :

MARCH 27th AMERICANA SHOWCASE CONCERT :

APRIL 9th AMERICANA SHOWCASE CONCERT :

All photos courtesy of Elli Rader, paperlilly design + photography

The celebration combines the extraordinary photographic exhibition America the Beautiful:  The Monumental Landscape of Clyde Butcher, from renowned artist-photographer and dedicated environmentalist Clyde Butcher, with the Americana Showcase, a Southern Minnesota-based music series that honors the rich musical heritage of the American Midwest. The celebration includes a series of 5 music concerts performed in the James J. Hill Reference Library amidst 37 of Butcher’s epic photographic images echoing his love for the American landscape.

For more information visit: www.americanashowcase.com

To purchase tickets click here!

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: THE MONUTMENTAL LANDSCAPE OF CLYDE BUTCHER OPENS AT THE ST. PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY AND JAMES J. HILL REFERENCE LIBRARY

Clyde Butcher with Exhibits Development Group's Team Members on opening night; from left to right: Jeremiah Johnson, Exhibits Development Group Intern, Elizabeth Frerichs, Project ManagernExhibits Development Group, Amy Noble Seitz, CEO & Founder Exhibits Development Group, Bill Keyes, Director of Special Projects Exhibits Development Group, Clyde Butcher, Jessica Wehrkamp, Graphic Designer Exhibits Development Group, Katie Kalkma, Exhibition Sales Manager Exhibits Development Group

Clyde Butcher himself was present for the opening on January 28. America the Beautiful:  The Monumental Landscape of Clyde Butcher will be on display in the neighboring Libraries starting January 28, 2010, and ending on April 15, 2010.

This exhibition was organized by the Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, and brought to St. Paul, MN, with generous support of the St. Paul Central Library, Friends of St. Paul Public Library, The James J. Hill Reference Library and the Metropolitan Library Service Agency. This project was funded in part with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008, which dedicated funding to preserve Minnesota’s arts and cultural heritage.

Click here for more information about this exhibition

For press and media inquiries, please contact Elizabeth Frerichs at elizabethp@exhibitsdevelopment.com

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: THE MONUTMENTAL LANDSCAPE OF CLYDE BUTCHER OPENS AT THE ST. PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY AND JAMES J. HILL REFERENCE LIBRARY

America the Beautiful:  The Monumental Landscape of Clyde Butcher opens Saturday, October 17, 2009 and goes until January 8, 2010.

Clyde Butcher surrounded by: Todd Behrens, Curator Sioux City Art Center, Amy Noble Seitz, CEO & Founder Exhibits Development Group, Al Harris-Fernandez, Director Sioux City Art Center, Elisabeth Johnson Holod,Director of Sales Exhibits Development Group, Katie Kalkman, Exhibition Sales Manager Exhibits Development Group

Clyde Butcher’s monumental photographs celebrate the beauty of the American landscape.  Their scale and extraordinary clarity set them apart as exceptional works of art.  In the tradition of the nineteenth-century Hudson River School painters Butcher composes his works at pristine and untarnished locations across the United States creating arresting compositions that distinctly mark him as the foremost landscape photographer in America today

Visit this link http://clydebutcher.com/journal.cfm?holdtype=135, for the story of the exhibition from its beginning at the Muscarelle Museum of Art.

Click here to learn more about America the Beautiful:  The Monumental Landscape of Clyde Butcher exhibition

TREASURES OF NAPOLÉON OPENS AT THE MUZEO - ANAHEIM, CA

Treasures of NAPOLÉON opens October 11, 2009, and goes until January 8, 2010

Treasures of NAPOLÉON offers a rare and entertaining experience for all types of viewers. The historic objects in the exhibit are rarely seen outside the walls of the most distinguished and celebrated museums and palaces of Europe. The exhibition provides unprecedented insights into the heart and mind of this complex and remarkable man. It allows viewers to see beyond the "legend" of Napoléon Bonaparte and reveals Napoléon the person.

Muzeo's Treasures of NAPOLÉON website link:
http://www.muzeo.org/exhibit_current.html

Click here to learn more aboutTreasures of NAPOLÉON exhibition

EDG WAS A 2009 PREMIERE SPONSOR AT THIS YEARS 2009 AAM ANNUAL MEETING IN PHILADELPHIA

STEPHEN KNAPP'S "HERITAGE JITTER" LUMINATES THE FACADE AT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

“Heritage Jitter”
2008-2009
light, glass, stainless steel

40’ x 37’ x 12”

Heritage Jitter was commissioned by the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA to celebrate their Art of Glass 2 exhibit. The west facing facade makes a dynamic canvas with sunlight striking the glass at noon to create pale hues that move with the sun across the building, only to be transformed into vibrant symphonies in the dark of night.

Click here to learn more about Stephen Knapp's exhibition