THE JOLT OF GOOD ART

PAINTING MAINE: CONNIE HAYES AND THE BORROWED VIEW
On View at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine
From July 4 to October 17, 2004

“I use color psychology for a jolt and let the paint gesturally swim out of bounds.”
—Connie Hayes

Reviewed by Laurie Meunier Graves

All good art—literature, theater, film, photography, painting—affects me the same way. It’s almost as though a little electric current shoots through me, a “jolt,” if you will, and because the jolt is unpredictable—not all art gives it to me—it seems like a gift when it comes. At the Farnsworth Art Museum Painting Maine: Connie Hayes and the Borrowed View gave me this feeling as soon as I walked into the gallery where the exhibit was displayed. I felt the jolt of seeing first-rate art; the jolt of seeing familiar landscapes painted in an unfamiliar way; and the jolt of vivid colors.

The paintings consist of a series of interiors and exteriors, rooms and views that Hayes “borrowed.” According to the museum handout, “In the spring of 1990, Hayes sent out cards to 50 acquaintances whose homes she had identified as having interesting views. She was looking for a quiet place to paint and offered a painting of the site to each accommodating host. Thus began her Borrowed View project which eventually included houses in Maine, Florida, New York, the West Coast, New Orleans and Europe.” Note: if Connie Hayes ever asks to borrow your house, do not hesitate to say yes.

The paintings in this exhibit feature Maine landscapes and houses. Some of the landscapes have such bright colors that they look unreal. Yet, paradoxically, in that unreality a sort of dreamlike reality emerges, the landscape of the imagination. The interiors have more muted colors—soothing blues, oranges, and greens—but they are no less vivid than the landscapes. However, rather than possessing the snap of extreme color, the interiors are aglow. There are no people, but amid the clutter of the rooms their presence can certainly be felt.

In Prouts Neck Interior #3, 1995, a chair faces the viewer, and the cushion looks crumpled, as though the occupant had just nipped into the kitchen for a snack. Other chairs, as well as tables and lamps, give the room a lived-in appearance, the way homes and camps really do look. However, the reds, blues, and purples are deeper and richer than the tones found in most people’s homes. Like the other paintings in this exhibit, it may not be a realistic representation, but, like a good fantasy novel, it nonetheless possess a stunning reality.

Hill to the Opera House, Stonington, 1998 provides a completely different experience. The viewer is guided down a road with electric blue and violet shadows, past a wavering fence, and by a bright orange and red house. A tree shimmers in the yard. The deep blue of water waits at the end of the painting. Is this really Stonington, Maine, or is this a scene from the Caribbean? In the end, we do know it is Maine because the architectural style looks very New England. But the colors! Visualize, if you can, Fairfield Porter on speed, and you’ll get some idea of the pizzazz in this painting.

Hayes can also use intense color to portray quietude. I wonder, 1999 is a landscape with a rich purple sky, red trees, an orange field, and a deep blue shadow in the foreground. In the distance glows a white house. This painting is as calm as Hill to the Opera House is energizing.

This is but a small description of some of the paintings in this terrific exhibit. There are many more glowing interiors, vibrant landscapes, and serene vistas. I hope I am not overstating the case by claiming it is one of the finest exhibits of contemporary paintings that I’ve seen in a long time. Unfortunately, this exhibit will soon be over, but, if you are very lucky, Connie Hayes’s paintings might be coming to a museum or a gallery near you. 

 

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