Illustrated Letter Challenge

I want to thank and congratulate Courtney Klingensmith for honoring me as the recipient for her illustrated letter.  Inspired by the Charlie Russel show, Courtney wrote me a letter illustrated with a bison skull, drawing of the Denver Art Museum, sketch of a Beardsley painting, and a wonderful botanical illustration of some Johnny Jump-Ups. 

Thank you Courtney - so charming!!!

Duke Beardsley show at Visions West Gallery in Denver

It would be very interesting for you to see the Russell exhibit (described in previous post) and then drop in at Duke Beardsley's show at Visions West Gallery in Denver.  The show is up until January  12.

The verbatim description of the collection, copied from the gallery website,  is quoted below:

"Duke Beardsley is continuing to push the envelope with this incredible new body of work. He has taken the iconic image of the cowboy and pushed it into abstraction, much the way Jasper Johns did with the American flag. Duke centers many of his pieces from this new collection around the idea of appropriation. Using some of Charles Russell's classic imagery, Duke manages to produce a completely different narrative - one that is more raw and energized. His appropriations do not quarrel with Russell; they suggest an acknowledgment and a claim to individuality, which in the end might have been what Russell himself had set out for."

This seemingly straightforward statement actually pushes open a floodgate of artspeak and deep, philosophical artthought.  The engine of "Appropriation"  pulls along a heavy train - parody, fair use, transformative, derivative, etc.   Even if it gets up to speed, one is always in danger of being pushed off the rails by that big bully "copyright infringement."

As you all know, we learn by copying great paintings.  I personally think appropriation is a force for good in the world of art, and should be allowed a liberal interpretation by our justice system.  Whenever one of you copies an old master, I tell you that at some point in the copy, you have to let go and allow it to become yours, to allow the unique way you see the painting to emerge and to transform the work.   In my simple view of art (sorry, no pointy head here), this type of "appropriation" is the fundamental right of every art student.

By his own admission Duke Beardsley has taken the image of the cowboy (from whatever source... apparently Charlie Russell was an inspiration) and has appropriated it as a formal design element.    Whereas Russell was concerned with the full illusion - dust, sweat, sun, fear, story, and verisimilitude in his every detail; Beardsley gives us only enough information to say "Cowboy,"  or "Horse."  This is easy because the iconic cowboy is recognizable to everyone even when just a silhouette.  Several of Beardsley's pieces show the same lineup of horses and riders, with changes of background color, changes of spacial balance, changes of chromatic emphasis, and so on.  I am fascinated by the way he has worked in series, and explored the image by changing one element at a time.

Those of you who have done enough copying to realize that it is not an end in itself should see these two shows (Charlie Russell and Duke Beardsley) and think about how Beardsley has pursued his own voice to present us with a contemporary take on what Russell started.  In his own time, Russell was pushing the envelope to show his own vision as well.  If you don't take huge liberties and risk ruining many paintings, you are unlikely to take the leap from copying (be it from life, from photos, or from other artists) to innovation.

Assignment: 
See the work of Duke Beardsley at Visions West Gallery  http://www.visionswestgallery.com/exhibit.php

Or on his website      
http://www.dukebeardsleystudio.com/galleries/western

Charlie Russell show at the Denver Art Museum

I went to see the "Masterworks of Charles M Russell: a retrospective of paintings and Sculpture" currently on exhibit at the Denver Art Museum.  This fabulous show includes Russell's early work as well as his mature iconic style, so it gives art students a chance to see his progress and to meditate on what makes the later work better.

One can't help being impressed by the sheer drawing skill Russell had.  He drew constantly, and apparently much of it was from his imagination.  There are charming letters with tiny ink and watercolor sketches on them - in these days of e-mail, it makes me long to write some letters and draw on them.  I challenge all of you (my dear students) to think of someone deserving some attention from you... write them an illustrated letter ala Russell.  I will do it too.  Here is an exmple:

  

Back to the show ...
Russell painted the same subject matter over and over - the high plains landscape peopled with Animals, Cowboys, Trappers, and most commonly, Native Americans.  His work is narrative, each painting containing a lot of detail to tell a story.  He often told these stories with a humorous bend, making fun especially of  "poser" sportsmen.

I think that sticking to a theme and subject matter that you know and care deeply about is the key to ultimately settling into a consistent style and solving all the problems associated with it.  Looking at all these beautiful paintings together as a body of work shows this phenomenon to be true. Russell used the same color harmony over and over, with yellows, pinks and blues in the sky echoed throughout the lit areas of the composition, touches of turquoise, orange and fire engine red to jazz up the detailed areas, lovely muted dove and grey-green foregrounds.

He could paint dusty boots and hot dusty trails better than anyone I have ever seen.  He could also paint palpable, painful cold as well.  He could paint cattle, horses, and bison as individuals as well as a teeming, writhing mass of panic.  He painted these scenes so many times, he probably had a huge collection of sketches and studies at his disposal so that he could insert various elements at will.

As a horsewoman,  I was enchanted by his ability to draw horses in motion and from every possible position and vantage point.  I wonder if he sculpted little horses in wax in order to accomplish this feat.  He really understood horses and gave them expressions that often told the whole story.  It is sad to see so many horses abused by harsh riders and violent situations, but that was a very different world in which horses were used, not coddled.  (As I run to the barn to give my horses a reassuring pat and an apple...)

So, dear ones, this show is a must see.  Don't make the mistake of dismissing Russell as "just a cowboy artist."  Charlie Russell was a master, and out here in Denver it is not always easy to see shows of this caliber.

Assignments:
1.  Go see this show (before Jan 10)
2.  Write someone an illustrated letter.