THE ART GODS SMILE  ON MAINE

FAVORITE ART EXHIBITS OF 2004

By Laurie Meunier Graves

I’ve said it before, and I’m not ashamed of saying it again. For a small state, Maine has a wealth of art museums and galleries with exhibits that are frequently outstanding. Those of us who live in this rural state with a population of approximately one million should count our blessings and give regular thanks to the art gods. And, of course, go to the exhibits as well as support the various museums and galleries. A short list includes the Portland Museum of Art in Portland; Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville; the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland; Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick; and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport. There has even been good art in the capitol complex in Augusta, and, starting on December 27, there will be a new exhibit of art from Aroostook County. I plan on going to this last exhibit as soon as it opens. What better way to start the New Year?

1. PHOTOGRAPHY AT COLBY: RECENT ACQUISITIONS AND THE PROMISED GIFT OF DR. WILLIAM TSIARAS AND NANCY MEYER TSIARAS at Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine.

Choosing number one is always difficult, especially when there are such wonderful exhibits, but my mind kept coming back to this one for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the breadth and the quality of the work. This large exhibit of photographs spans many decades and features the works of numerous photographers, including Paul Strand and Andy Warhol. I have never seen a photography exhibit that better illustrates the astonishing range of style and technique of this medium. Some of the pictures are crisp and clear; others have an almost painterly look. Some are in black and white; others are in color. There are photographs of people, abandoned schools, and landscapes. One series even tells a poignant story. Yet despite the variety of artists, styles, and techniques, this exhibit never feels disjointed. Finally and perhaps most important, this exhibit should dispel any notion that photography is not art, a way of seeing and illuminating. To me, Photography at Colby demonstrates how photography is one of the dominant art forms of the twenty-first century, and how, after so many years, it is finally coming into its own. At its best, photography is a nearly perfect blend of imagination and machine, a true expression of the times in which we live. Photography at Colby will be at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, until February 13. Readers who live within driving distance should not hesitate to see this important exhibit. As the title suggests, this work will become a permanent part of Colby’s collection. Lucky Maine!

2. THE INVISIBLE REVEALED: SURREALIST DRAWINGS FROM THE DRUKIER COLLECTION at Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick, Maine.

Another outstanding exhibit and a very close second for best of the year. In my review of this exhibit, I wrote, “In the museum handout, this exhibit is described as coming from ‘one of the most comprehensive collections in private hands…The more than 100 drawings with key works by artists such as Magritte, Dalí, Tanguy, Breton, Brauner, Matta, and de Chirico, emphasize the spontaneity of touch and access to the psyche that Surrealism sought.’ If anything, this description is too modest. The Invisible Revealed is an extraordinary exhibit, both in scale and quality. That such a major collection should come to the hinterlands seems nothing short of miraculous, and we can only be grateful to Ira Drukier for allowing the Bowdoin College Museum of Art to have access to his collection.” I think my original description pretty much says it all. I would like to add that even though Surrealism had its heyday in the first part of the twentieth century, the work in this exhibit still felt fresh and completely appropriate. We continue to live in an Age of Unreason, and nothing expresses this better than Surrealism.

3. GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST GRAPHICS FROM THE BRADFORD COLLECTION at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine.

Yet another contender for first place. Like Photography at Colby, the work in German Expressionist Graphics is work that has been donated to a museum (in this case the Portland Museum of Art rather than Colby College Museum of Art) so that many generations of Mainers will be able to see these terrific prints. Again, we should all give thanks to the gods of art for the generosity of collectors such as the Bradfords and the Tsiarases. The dark, brooding, demanding prints in the German Expressionist collection come from a variety of artists and a difficult period in Germany’s history—the time before, during, and after World War I. It was a dog-eat-dog era, where the rich prospered and were unmindful of the suffering of the poor. Harsh lines, sad bodies, and glowering faces are the predominate style and subject, and, to this viewer, at least, the prints seemed to be a warning from the past of the catastrophic results that can come from an indifferent government and an indifferent people. In the last election, Mainers did take note, and perhaps this exhibit should travel from state to state to wake up the rest of the country.

4. PAINTING MAINE: CONNIE HAYES AND THE BORROWED VIEW at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine

In Maine, landscapes and seascapes are common subjects for artists, and it’s not hard to see why. For the most part, Maine is a beautiful, rural undeveloped state with clear blue skies, stunning vistas, and, of course, the ocean. It’s also relatively close to Boston and New York, which means that artists can nip to Maine in the summer and return to the city in the winter. Unfortunately, familiarity can breed contempt, and all too often, landscapes and seascapes can seem humdrum and, dare I say it, even a little boring. But then along comes someone like Connie Hayes, with her electric imagination and paintbrush. This viewer was rendered nearly speechless by the vivid colors Hayes used in painting the Maine landscape. The bright blues, reds, and greens—colors not normally found in Maine and perhaps not found anywhere—give a feeling of unreality to the landscapes. Yet it is Maine, after all. There are the evergreens, the fields, and the ocean. Somehow, this blend of the real and the unreal is exactly right, a reminder of where true art comes from.

5. ZEUXIS: AN ASSOCIATION OF STILL LIFE PAINTERS TABLETOP ARENAS at the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine

On the other hand, there is nothing less natural than still lifes. They are completely contrived, set up by the artist, who then proceeds to paint an odd little vignette usually devoid of people. Tabletop Arenas, a traveling exhibition comprising over thirty artists, was put together by Zeuxis, an association of still life painters based in New York. As to be expected, subject and style varied from artist to artist, yet a consistent theme emerged—the notion of order and disorder. Looking at these still lifes became a meditation on the whatness of objects, and the result was a most welcome serenity.  

 

5 1/2" x 5" 2008 Wolf Moon Calendar just $10.00 each
More Info

More Info

© Wolf Moon Press 2002-2008 all rights reserved.

Submission Guidelines