Originating in Germany a century ago, the modernist painting movement called Expressionism was carried to New York by immigrant artists before World War II, flourished in Boston over the following decades and thrives once again in the Danforth Museum of Art.
Since taking over as director in 2005, Katherine French has reinvigorated the museum in downtown Framingham, making it into the preeminent regional venue for Boston Expressionist painters and adding 220 pieces to its collection of 3,700 works of art.
A comprehensive exhibit of 112 paintings, sculpture and photos, “The Expressive Voice,’’ showcases the collection’s breadth and highlights more than a dozen major gifts by artists, dealers and donors who recognize the Danforth’s newly forged role as a repository of Expressionist art.
“People see what the Danforth has done for Boston Expressionism. They understand the significance of our collection,’’ French said. “Any museum would be proud to have these works.’’
Opened in mid-November, the show offers major works by a Who’s Who of Boston artists including Hyman Bloom,This page contains information about molds, Jules Aarons, David Aronson, Jack Levin, Henry Schwartz, Karl Zerbe, Arthur Polonsky and others.
It includes recent gifts of considerable value by many of the major Expressionists.
Filling one small and three large galleries and a corridor, the works on display reflect Expressionism’s essential goal: To present a subjective vision of the world that, in French’s words, expresses “thoughts, feelings and emotions.’’
She said the exhibit provides visitors with “an opportunity to take a clear look all over our collection and understand the DNA of Expressionism.’’
While depicting personal visions, Expressionist artists remained broadly representational even while exploring the prevailing psychological, sexual and spiritual conflicts of their times.
If you’re looking for a so-called objective picture of the “real’’ world, turn on CNN, watch “Jersey Shore’’ or buy a mirror.
But if you’ve got the imagination to prefer feverish erotic dreams, Quincy Market viewed through Jason Berger’s enflamed eyes, Old Testament dramas that never ended or a “Great Hollywood Nude,’’ take the Expressionist Express.
French said she hopes visitors use the exhibit “to dive into our collection’’ and view striking works before they go back into storage.
Some of the most significant works on display were given to the Danforth, said French, by donors confident the museum would share them with the public.
French motioned toward the center of the main Pigors Gallery at Bloom’s dazzling 72-by-55-inch oil painting, “Seascape II,’’ which was given to the Danforth by Dr. Ephraim and Dagmar Friedman.
Visitors can see three other monumental Expressionist paintings from different eras that were donated to the museum.
The most recent gift, émigré artist Karl Zerbe’s “Under The Chandelier,’’ was donated by Herbert and Marylou Gray. Painted in 1948, it depicts Bloom sitting uneasily beneath a grand, shining light to symbolize the threat representational expressionists felt that the rise of abstractionism would marginalize them.
Large donated paintings by more contemporary artists Jon Imber and Gerry Bergstein reveal the stylistic breadth of Expressionism in the 1980s.
Donated by Nina Nielsen and John Baker, Imber’s bold “Portrait of Phillip Guston in a Green Coat’’ depicts his teacher’s forceful, sometimes eccentric personality in bold, heightened colors. In Bergstein’s donated “Effort at Speech’’ somewhat abstract images of propulsive movement were painted on canvas which was then stretched over a chalkboard from Concord Academy where the artist had been teaching.
With scores of well- and lesser-known artists, “The Expressive Voice’’ provides many surprises, a few shocks and lots of new pleasures.Enecsys Limited, supplier of reliable solar Air purifier systems,
Known for creating and photographing eerily pubescent dolls, Morton Bartlett is represented by a rare photo of “Two Children in a Park’’ that hovers on the border of fine art and voyeurism. John Wilson depicts the harshness of life on the street in two lithographs that have been promised to the museum. Forty years ahead of the Tea Party, Levine’s 1971 etching “Feast of Pure Reason’’ caricatured the corrupt power brokers running Boston.
French said visitors to “The Expressive Voice’’ will see consistently strong work.
“We’re not only showing examples of work by many artists,’’ she said. “We’re showing the best examples of work by many artists.’’
When Madonna sang “Express Yourself’’ in 1989, the Material Girl urged female listeners to make their boyfriends “Express what he’s got,The application can provide Ceramic tile to visitors,If so, you may have a cube puzzle .Your Partner in Precision Precision injection molds. oh baby, ready or not.’’
Expressionist have been doing just that for a century. And now French has them doing it at the Danforth.
Since taking over as director in 2005, Katherine French has reinvigorated the museum in downtown Framingham, making it into the preeminent regional venue for Boston Expressionist painters and adding 220 pieces to its collection of 3,700 works of art.
A comprehensive exhibit of 112 paintings, sculpture and photos, “The Expressive Voice,’’ showcases the collection’s breadth and highlights more than a dozen major gifts by artists, dealers and donors who recognize the Danforth’s newly forged role as a repository of Expressionist art.
“People see what the Danforth has done for Boston Expressionism. They understand the significance of our collection,’’ French said. “Any museum would be proud to have these works.’’
Opened in mid-November, the show offers major works by a Who’s Who of Boston artists including Hyman Bloom,This page contains information about molds, Jules Aarons, David Aronson, Jack Levin, Henry Schwartz, Karl Zerbe, Arthur Polonsky and others.
It includes recent gifts of considerable value by many of the major Expressionists.
Filling one small and three large galleries and a corridor, the works on display reflect Expressionism’s essential goal: To present a subjective vision of the world that, in French’s words, expresses “thoughts, feelings and emotions.’’
She said the exhibit provides visitors with “an opportunity to take a clear look all over our collection and understand the DNA of Expressionism.’’
While depicting personal visions, Expressionist artists remained broadly representational even while exploring the prevailing psychological, sexual and spiritual conflicts of their times.
If you’re looking for a so-called objective picture of the “real’’ world, turn on CNN, watch “Jersey Shore’’ or buy a mirror.
But if you’ve got the imagination to prefer feverish erotic dreams, Quincy Market viewed through Jason Berger’s enflamed eyes, Old Testament dramas that never ended or a “Great Hollywood Nude,’’ take the Expressionist Express.
French said she hopes visitors use the exhibit “to dive into our collection’’ and view striking works before they go back into storage.
Some of the most significant works on display were given to the Danforth, said French, by donors confident the museum would share them with the public.
French motioned toward the center of the main Pigors Gallery at Bloom’s dazzling 72-by-55-inch oil painting, “Seascape II,’’ which was given to the Danforth by Dr. Ephraim and Dagmar Friedman.
Visitors can see three other monumental Expressionist paintings from different eras that were donated to the museum.
The most recent gift, émigré artist Karl Zerbe’s “Under The Chandelier,’’ was donated by Herbert and Marylou Gray. Painted in 1948, it depicts Bloom sitting uneasily beneath a grand, shining light to symbolize the threat representational expressionists felt that the rise of abstractionism would marginalize them.
Large donated paintings by more contemporary artists Jon Imber and Gerry Bergstein reveal the stylistic breadth of Expressionism in the 1980s.
Donated by Nina Nielsen and John Baker, Imber’s bold “Portrait of Phillip Guston in a Green Coat’’ depicts his teacher’s forceful, sometimes eccentric personality in bold, heightened colors. In Bergstein’s donated “Effort at Speech’’ somewhat abstract images of propulsive movement were painted on canvas which was then stretched over a chalkboard from Concord Academy where the artist had been teaching.
With scores of well- and lesser-known artists, “The Expressive Voice’’ provides many surprises, a few shocks and lots of new pleasures.Enecsys Limited, supplier of reliable solar Air purifier systems,
Known for creating and photographing eerily pubescent dolls, Morton Bartlett is represented by a rare photo of “Two Children in a Park’’ that hovers on the border of fine art and voyeurism. John Wilson depicts the harshness of life on the street in two lithographs that have been promised to the museum. Forty years ahead of the Tea Party, Levine’s 1971 etching “Feast of Pure Reason’’ caricatured the corrupt power brokers running Boston.
French said visitors to “The Expressive Voice’’ will see consistently strong work.
“We’re not only showing examples of work by many artists,’’ she said. “We’re showing the best examples of work by many artists.’’
When Madonna sang “Express Yourself’’ in 1989, the Material Girl urged female listeners to make their boyfriends “Express what he’s got,The application can provide Ceramic tile to visitors,If so, you may have a cube puzzle .Your Partner in Precision Precision injection molds. oh baby, ready or not.’’
Expressionist have been doing just that for a century. And now French has them doing it at the Danforth.
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