Joyce Owens: Artist On Art

Visiting the masterful Matisse at the Art Institute, Chicago

Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917

You are going to want to see this exhibition!

I previewed the new Art Institute of Chicago exhibition,
Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913–1917

The exhibition is on view March 20 – Jun 20, 2010 at the museum.

Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954). Bathers by a River, 1909–10, 1913, 1916–17. Oil on canvas, 260 x 392 cm (102 1/2 x 154 3/16 in.) The Art Institute of Chicago, Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection, 1953.158. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Matisse: Radical Invention is a go-see, must-see, bring-your-entire-family, and see it twice exhibition, in my opinion.The painting above represents one  extreme in the exhibition; the little works on paper are the other (Standing Nude , is a Matisse monotype from the MoMA collection.)

Standing Nude, Arms Folded

Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954) (1915). Monotype, plate: 6 15/16 x 5 1/16" (17.6 x 12.8 cm); sheet: 14 3/4 x 11" (37.5 x 27.9 cm). Frank Crowninshield Fund. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 5.1945

The Institute’s top-notch staff joined with New York’s Museum of Modern Art and other institutions to gather about120 images, including monumental and small paintings, portrait and figure sculptures, tiny monotypes, etchings, intimate drawings in ink and graphite, some on scraps of paper that Matisse (1869-1954) possibly never expected to be featured in a major show, and they are right here!

The time period, 1913-1917, coincides with war in Europe, chaotic and challenging years that must be taken into consideration in terms of world history and how the destruction in Europe coincides with the art Matisse produced in Paris during this brief period, after a trip to Morocco and before going to Nice.

The two museums, MoMA and the Art Institute were separately engaged in scientific research on Matisse’s works, notably Bathers by a River  (above) and his Back bas-reliefs, gaining additional knowledge about his practice.

MoMA Back series, bas reliefs Matisse

As a visitor to the exhibition I especially enjoyed the access to the work allowing close study of the displays. Possibly because many are under glass, there are fewer of the familiar barriers keeping viewers at arms length. I expected to trigger an alarm, or alert a guard when I peered, respectfully close, to appreciate Matisse's processes. This is an important education that only seeing, in plain view, the ghosts and shadows where he erased, changing his mind, can give us. Matisse doesn't always eliminate his reworking, perhaps they were mistakes at first, remaining as lyrical and lovely permanent passages in his work.

The museum provides an electronic presentation about Matisse’s radical innovations during this period.

Let me go back to the preview and some of the important details and credits. The museum’s director, James Cuno, invited the media to a press luncheon to launch the show. In the galleries we intermingled with museum members, possibly because the media has shrunk so much that it would neither fill the place, nor interfere much with the paying guests.

Cuno introduced the curators Stephanie D’Allessandro (Art Institute) and John Elderfield (emeritus, MoMA), named lenders and funders to the exhibition, explaining how a painting already in the Art Institute collection inspired the show. Cuno introduced other significant contributors, even the legal staff! This endeavor must have been tricky in more ways than one. Cuno remarked, "things were ferociously acquired through an intense process”.

The fight was well worth its results! If you like art, this exhibition may push you into the love art column as you bathe in the color palette of the master artist and then witness his decision to remove color, neutralizing canvasses with grays, nodding to the contemporary art thing, Cubism. Inspired by Paul Cezanne, who by the way, is represented in this major endeavor, Matisse painted Cezanne’s work.

Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). Apples, 1916. Oil on canvas, 116.9 x 88.9 cm (46 x 35 in.) The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Florene May Schoenborn and Samuel A. Marx, 1948.563. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

You will also notice the facile line of Matisse's graphite drawings, remnants of pencil in his painting and use of sgrafitto in his large paintings. Opposite to the vigorous scraping out in the large works are the dainty monotypes, also made by scratching delicate lines on a prepared plate, then printing on paper.

Not an “accurate” drawer, clearly that was not the point,  the series of nude drawings in the show demonstrate that a confident line can take an artist a long way.

The catalog* (below) is $45.00, soft cover or $55.00 hardcover. 

The gift shop offers DVD’s for $20.00 a Matisse bag-in-a-bag in two colors for $12.50, framed and unframed reproductions, mugs and small prints.. 

For regular gallery hours, special member's hours, tickets prices, free hours, location and more, please click here: Art Institute of Chicago .

*Catalog photo credit: Alvin Langdon Coburn (British, 1882-1966). Henri Matisse painting Bathers by a River, May 13, 1913. Photograph. Courtesy of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, 1979:3924:0012.

Mickalene Thomas @ Columbia College

I met the artist, and fellow Yale graduate, Mickalene Thomas  at Columbia College Chicago.

Joyce Owens stealth photos, not wanting my flash to distract.

Dawoud Bey (above right), the photographer, has brought amazing, informative programs to the college for years, now. I was able to attend a Bearden Symposium a few years back and recently meet Deborah Willis, a MacArthur Fellow (who included my uncle Jack T. Franklin in her book on African American photographers),  and heard her and her son Hank.

I have been aware of Mickalene's work, of course. I saw examples of it at Art Chicago and was aware that Rhona Hoffman is her Chicago Gallery. And I had all kinds of ideas about Mickalene's work. It looked trashy, photography-based in a way I would tell my students is a no-no, and all that glitter and mix-mashed array of materials just freaked me out, to use a 70's term that fits her 1970' sensibility!!

Meet Qusuquzah (above). Mickalene Thomas accented this 2008 portrait of her with hundreds of rhinestones. "I'm always looking for strong, beautiful, and complex women to model for me," says Thomas. "Qusuquzah embodies the allure of glamour." Image from Unbeige Magazine.

She blew all my misgivings and criticisms out the window during her lecture. My friend Derrick Blakley called in the middle of writing this post. He and I talked a while and I eventually mentioned the lecture, and how my response to her work had changed! A veteran Chicago reporter, currently at CBS2 Chicago, he asked the reporter's question:

"Does it make the work better ?"

"Well yes", I answered, thinking "great question"!

He continued by asking how the back-story makes a difference. I have added my quick response here. Examples of how the passage of time plus changing points-of-view about art revised how the Impressionists, the Fauvists, Picasso's Les Demoiselles D'AVignon (below right) and other artists and art works were thought of by the majority at first, including critics and art collectors, and over time how the same works became iconic, making for blockbuster exhibitions, and winning top auction prices.

Well, I still think the hairy mass of glitter under the legs and arms of some of her images is off-putting, but that may be the point!

The woman is very successful. That alone is enough to admire her for, 'cause we all know that only a few rise to the top. It's not "talent".  Plenty of folks have that. It is based on trends, proximity to people who can help you, luck and clearly, hard work.  Mickalene discussed some of the surprising coincidences that occurred during her life relating to her going to Yale at the time she went, meeting master curator and fashion icon Thelma Golden and becoming a resident at the Studio Museum in Harlem after graduation from Yale.

Thomas has a compelling story. She is a lesbian who was estranged from her mother. 

Her mother has become her model and muse, the only person, according to Mickalene, who will pose fully nude for her. Thomas has the courage to work her stuff out in public through these canvases that include painting, photography and collage as her primary means of image-making. She has done installation and video.

Mickalene is a dark-skinned, nappy-haired, big thighed girl from New Jersey! 

Mickalene Thomas is a pretty woman

I wanted to cry when I heard her. I am tall, light skinned and kinky-haired, and always wanted the skinny-from-the-knees-to-the-crotch-no-touching-thighs the white girls had, I thought those thin thighs were a signifier of beauty, like straight hair and blue eyes.  Light, dark or medium most of us black women have felt inferior in America. Neither Ms. Thomas nor I saw ourselves as beautiful, and no one else said we were either, not that I knew of.

My mom and I were never estranged; she saved that for her three husbands. The other stuff is enough stuff. The other insecurities, many brought on simply because we are black is enough.  The pain felt by the sensitive girls like me and Mickalene is enough.

Thomas makes glaring, in your face pictures, co-opting and transforming historically famous images that artists such as Manet (a long line of other well-known artists produced similar images of white models), and Modigliani first made. It's a perfect choice. I hate that she had to react to racism and sexism at all! But I think Mickalene is making the perfect art in response to her life, and making a life that was not perfect, perfect. Hers is a body of work I respect.  I meant it when I told her I am proud of her!

We Have a museum for Women, Why not a Man Museum?

The answer is the same as why there is no White People Museum (although a Native American woman seemed to be working on one, claiming white culture was dying out).

There are Native American, Mexican, and African American museums, and museums that honor other "minorities".

So are women a minority? I don't believe we are. With the upcoming census, maybe we can straighten this all out. But we do  get our own museum just like the other minorities do. None of this is acceptable to me. Yes, I want women and minorities included in the entire fabric of this country from president to museum directors to top money-making dead artists (and #6 is a woman)! Of the top selling living artists, all are MEN!

Most Expensive Living Artist - Lucian Freud

Separate is just not equal and it won't ever be!

I have been working hard these past few weeks. I work hard most of the time, but with teaching, curating a few shows,  getting some training for a grant panel, participating in a weekend art show that took one night to set up after teaching, one evening reception for honorees Dan Parker, art collector and artist, Derric Clemmons and one full day of schmoozing with art lovers and thank goodness, art collectors, and then the next day to settle the bills and then back to work and on and on...I have not had a chance to write here!

Lots of stuff going on ...I did a CAA panel during my hiatus from writing and had some interesting revelations.

I am 2nd from the right in the CAA panel (see my previous blogs for more info.)

To my surprise, while thinking about an issue that I believed was pretty much a no-brainer, I came up with some other ideas. I am not sure what the other panelists thought about my conclusions, but I guess not much. The panel was about the need for women's institutions. I said I loved the institutions I have been involved with which have been many, but that I think separate is still not equal, no matter who we are talking about. I think women need to run major institutions and make the decisions to include women. I did an earlier blog searching for female leadership in major museums and found that they are led mostly by men who sometimes choose men as exhibiting artists. I know there are tons of women in museums. But I mean top decision makers. A person at the panel said she thought cultivating more women collectors would also help. I think the wives of the collectors can persuade their husbands but who knows.The highest earning artists in the world are still an all-male club!
I told Joanne Mattera, a New York City artist and blogger '' There is no “ Man Museum .”

Her response "Priceless."