PHOTOGRAPHERS Impressionist vs Realist where do you stand?

Pictorialist Anne Brigmann 1930

It's Thanksgiving weekend in the states that means excess of : family, food, friends and conversation. If you have holiday visitors in town and you need a change of scenery take a tour of the Portland art district , walk off a yam or two and see some art.

 One of the central debates in all art is Impressionism vs Realism; which is better, which do you like? There are two excellent shows that feature the use of the camera and offer up a buffet of potential controversy for you art gourmands.
    The VOX  Photographs gallery has a Public exhibit in the Portland Library's Lewis gallery.  This exhibit displays some of the best in Photo artistic talent that the state of Maine can offer and the PMA's show Debating  Modern Photography is a recap of the Impressionist vs Realist battle royal that ragged in the 1930's and in some, still rages today.

f/64 Artist Ed Weston's Cypress 1932

It was in the 1930's that a group of rabble rousing photographers openly questioned there own as to the future of Photo Art. Historically prior to the 30's it was the pictorialist photographers that ruled the day,  they are the photographers that by intention worked photo images to a more fuzzy impressionistic painterly style.  It was leading photo pictorialist William Mortensen that stated: "The business of  a work of art (insert word photograph) is to make an effect, not report a fact".    In come the "f/64" photo renegades, the f/64 is after the camera's small aperture which produced greater depth of field and more detail. It was photographers: Ansel Adams, William Van Dyke & Edward Weston that shook the Photo Art status quo.  Together they created a manifesto that was a call to action for photographers to embrace the new future and focus their photo art on the capability of the camera to capture detail.  The Portland Museum of Art's show Debating Modern Photography the triumph of group f/64 is perhaps one of the best exhibits I have seen of both schools. The exhibit is so complete and extensive that it asks a question and has your answer before you know it; Are you a "Pictorialist" or Realist sympathizer?

Abigail Wellmen VOX Photographs

After viewing the f/64  Debating Modern Photography show at PMA you are ready for the VOX Photographs exhibit at Portland Library's Lewis Gallery.  The Lewis is huge, with a high ceiling bathed in light,  it is a fantastic venue to view the fine art Photography of the 11 VOX photo artists.   Let it be said: talent, technique, composition and darn good timing are skills all the VOX photographers possess, where they differ is in subject matter & presentation.   My Favorite pieces of the exhibit are steeped in color but that is all they have in common.   Abigail Wellman's work Holiday Inn is like jumping into the twilight zone, that somewhere between sight and sound...  Also bold in color, strong in composition and precise in timing  is Mark Rockwood's Pool table lightning bright neon flash with out florescent noble gas, how did he do that? It is a stunning piece that begets more questions; How many beers? How many years? How many games of pool had Rockwood played in that bar on that pool table until that exact moment came?  Those are just two of 48 photographs in this exhibit from the VOX artists it is refreshingly modern exhibit compared to PMA show..
Pictorialist or Realist or both what moves you?  The debate continues on....

Mark Rockwood Pool Table Lightning VOX Photographs

 Debating Modern Photography   is in it's last week and the final day is Dec 5th, don't forget the PMA is open every Friday evening 5-8pm for free courtesy of grant from LL Bean.
The VOX show in the Lewis Gallery continues through Dec 31st for hours & Directions click Portland Library   

Why go see the efforts of the
VOX Photographers and The PMA show Debating Modern Photography

Go because your good mind needs good art!

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio
Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/

Note: Images from VOX photo Artists are supplied courtesy of VOX Photographs and are available for purchase through there web site. For more info e-mail VOXPHOTOGRAPHS.COM

Map Art the Osher Map Library VS The Fitzy Gallery @MECA

Maps & Charts! Love'm

Maps reek adventure and discovery.  To go tour two galleries with exhibits that involve maps sounded like a journey worth embarking on.


1st Stop was the Famous Osher Map Library  & Gallery, Did you know early map makers were not called map makers or chart makers they were called cosmographers,  They were the Graphic artists of their time and responsible for sharing the knowledge of the known & unknown world/heavens. It was the graphic nature and idea of the existence of a 4th world that was presented in a 1507 Map by cosmographer Waldseemuller.  Little did he know that his map would forever change and have a profound influence on the great Copernicus and Copernican theory's  on the order of the universe.  I don't have time to tell ya all, so click on the links for more info on the maps, more info on the theory's and the exhibit "Envisioning the World  The First printed maps1472-1700".
It will part the blinds so you can see the art of the map in a new light.

Now the yang of the Osher yin is the June Fitzpatrick Gallery  @ the Maine College of Art and the Show "Deconstruction".  The Map artists or shall we call them cosmoarters give new life to old and outdated maps. By their efforts we are forced as viewers,  like Copernicus to change the way we view the world.  Jeff Woodbury's Ground Zero provides vision of a previously hidden lattice. The image was extracted with the precision of a surgeon from some outdated Rand McNally. It exposes in a new way the arteries and veins that allow the flood of life to enter New York city each day.
Conversely artist  Irmari Nacht 's shredding of a world atlas at first is shocking but creates a sculptural rebirth of the map book back into it's original tree form, it's the circle of life thang.

At first the different exhibits appear diametrically opposed, yet upon further review are originating from a common place.
Both exhibits offer images that will ask you to embrace a new outlook.

Envisioning the worlds 1st printed maps @ the Osher-Glickman library Gallery at the University of Southern Maine continues through Dec 31st,
The Deconstruction Show at the June Ftzy Gallery is in it's last week, so get there before Thanksgiving. 

Why chart a course for these galleries, 

because your good mind needs good art!

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio
Broadcasting from the University of Southern Maine
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/


QUICK LINKS TO COOL MAP STUFF:

Interactive Waldseemullermap of the world

For access to Osher map archives to view or purchase click  MAPS


Link to Toby Lester'sbook   4th part of World, Epic Story of the map that gave America it's name;

Link to all the Maps in the Osher exhibit "Envisoning the World..."

Don Meserve Momento Mori... We will miss you.

It was two Physicists Charles Mann & George Twiss, not philosophers that put forward the question:
"When a tree falls in a lonely forest and there is no animal to hear it, does it make a sound?"


The art world had a big tree fall this week, a resounding bomb and crash was heard worldwide as renown Maine Sculptor Don Meserve died in his home this week surrounded by family and friends.



Don a fantastic sculptor is best know for his work the famous "stations of the cross" 14 pewter cast Bas-reliefs depicting Christ's walk to crucifixion as seen by Christ, They have been exhibited in Washington DC's National Cathedral & New York's Trinity Church. In 2008 they were installed permanently in Portland's St Luke Cathedral's Emanuele Chapel.  If you've never been there it is a treat, the Chapel is this octagonal Victorian era edition to the catherdral with stunning Philippine mahogany carvings and intricately layered step moldings, the woodwork is mind blowing.  All in all, it's a special place for Don's incredibly interesting twist on the most religious theme.

I was first drawn to Don by his work in Granite & Basalt.  His most famous piece is perhaps the 2007 International Sculpture Symposium piece called "CLEAT" , it's huge deck cleat located out in Winter Harbor.  It celebrates the maritime industry and depending on tide looks like a boat or a big ass cleat out in the middle of the harbor.  Don called his art in stone "rewarding , but merciless when it doesn't work out".


A graduate of University of Bridgeport with a degree in Industrial Engineering, it was this background that helped him map out a successful path to his goal of creating something simple & beautiful out of such difficult stones.  A teacher for many years at the Rhode Island School of design he worked there with colleagues; glass blower Dale Chihuly  and woodworker Tage Frid.  I think it might have been that tenure at RISD,  that he found his life passion, that ability to enjoy the process of making art and encouraging inspiration in his fellow artists.

Don would say and I paraphrase;

" Art is a continuum, it is bigger than you or me, it's bigger than us.  It's a life path that is gratifying because you can borrow from the past and create for the future".  Don inspired many sculptors because he was living our dream, which may be true but mostly Don inspired because he was intelligent, gave respect, enjoyed humor, and if he found out you were an artist, he went out of his way to help you on your path.
Don was living an artists dream, his dream.
Don Maine will miss you , I will miss you.

Don's work is displayed in the Gleason Galleries Boothbay & Congress street in Portland and the "Stations of the Cross" bas-reliefs are in St Luke Cathedral's Emmanuel Chapel on State street in our city by the sea.
(Saturday Nov 13th the Cathedral is open for tours as the Holiday Street fair and state street stroll takes place) 

Go see some of Don's works this Saturday , Visit the Gleason gallery on Congress or go to the State Street Stroll 9am - 3pm and stop in to Saint Luke's Cathedral, as you enter the church go left through the archway corridor into the Emanuel Chapel and take in                        Don Meserve's "Stations of the cross"Why? 

Because your good mind needs good art! 

The Gallery Talk is made possible by the generosity of the WMPG Radio listening community.  The blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on WMPG college and community radio
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/

Maine College Art Fundraiser Preview 1st Friday

This is gallery talk WMPG's Portland Maine community radio's window in the world of art with host Lars

Maine College of Art  (MECA) is the breeding ground for art here in Portland.

This Friday is the 1ST FRIDAY OF NOVEMBER

It is art walk night and MECA is ground Zero for art this Friday! 

If you go one place make sure you go to the MECA and tour the over hundred pieces of art assembled for the MECA Annual Fund Raiser.   This is a yearly event that draws them back, past alumni and the coolest bestest artists from all over donate works to support the art college. To the right is the work Pinecone by Pat Plourde "76 Alumni & New Gloucester Maine resident.


The Annual Art Auction is the oldest charity art auction in the state and it is MECA's largest fundraising event. Since its inception in 1974, the Art Auction has maintained its position as the MACK-DADDY of art events.
The auction has become renown as a high quality, high energy event for contemporary art buyers, with an emphasis on Maine artists. It is perhaps the best opportunity to purchase the work of MECA alumni, faculty and students, as well as other artists with ties to Maine and northern New England. To do a virtual tour of the art works that will be on display and sale clink MECA ART

Here is the cool part about 1st Friday,  All the items to be auctioned are on display Friday night prior to the Saturday night auction.  It is one incredible exhibition of Maine contemporary art and Friday night you can see them for free,  Saturday night the fundraiser night, it's $50.00 per person at the door. It's for a good cause but I know not everyone has a fifty to drop, then again if you do there is wine and graze-able munchies along with great art, great people and the venue that is in the coolest school in the city by the sea. For information on how to get tickets click Saturday fundraiser
 To right Photo entitled Reeds & Sun by James Baker is currently Executive Director of the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, Washington and was President of Maine College of Art for four years. In 1975, he received an MFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design. 

Go Friday and tour the exhibit for free or go

Saturday and support art at the Maine College of Art.

But Go, because your good mind needs good art! 

The Gallery Talk blog is the text version of the art rant heard every Thursday at 7am, 5 & 9:30pm on
WMPG college and community radio
90.9 , 104.1 and streaming on the web at http://www.wmpg.org/

 

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