Neuberger Museum of Art
Purchase, New York
(914) 251-6100
Whitfield Lovell: Portrayals
Until recently, artist Whitfield Lovell has been recognized for
prints and large-scale drawings and art that focused upon the figure. Lovell
compelled viewers to focus upon the person in his portrayals by filling
his picture plane almost entirely with a straightforward portrayal of the
subject. A characteristic that lent added distinction to Lovell's work rested
in his almost exclusive use of photographic images as the basis of his art.
(left: Libations, 1998, charcoal on wood and mixed media, 96 x 56
x 67 inches, courtesy of the artist, photo by Jim Frank)
Recently, Lovell shifted his perspective and format. His
new body of work will be 
introduced by the Neuberger Museum of Art on May 7
and will be on view through August 20, 2000. In this exhibition, Lovell
creates tableaux that incorporate his drawings and found items. He has turned
to black and white drawing on old wooden planks and archaic wood pieces
as the background for his portraiture. Some of the planks and boards he
has selected retain remnants of wallpaper and peeling paint that once decorated
their surfaces. In some instances, he has fastened antique objects directly
to the wood surface or arranged them on the floor in front of the drawn
image. (right: Whispers, 1999, charcoal on wood and mixed
media, 120 x 55 x 14 inches, courtesy of the artist, photo by Jim Frank)
Vintage
photographs still provide a basis for many of Lovell's new pieces, inspiring
environmental assemblages. His work radiates an atmosphere that is both
haunting and meditative, quietly yet soulfully expressive of the human spirit.
Lovell provides clues within his work that define his sense of the essence,
psyche and spirit of a family member or an anonymous individual. He motivates
speculation about the subjects' lives and experience. (left: Rising
River Blues, 1999, charcoal on wood and mixed media, 80 x 55 x 54 inches,
courtesy of the artist, photo by Jim Frank)
Lovell's work has been shown in solo exhibitions at the
Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary
Art in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and the Jersey City Museum. His work
also has been included in exhibitions at the Bronx Museum of the Arts in
New York City, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Boston
Museum of Fine Arts. Lovell is the recipient of a New York Foundation for
the Arts Fellowship, a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant, and a National Endowment
for the Arts Mid-Atlantic Regional Fellowship.
The exhibition is made possible with public funds from
the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency.
Read more about the Neuberger
Museum of Art in Resource Library Magazine
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rev. 1/29/11
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Until recently, artist Whitfield Lovell has been recognized for
prints and large-scale drawings and art that focused upon the figure. Lovell
compelled viewers to focus upon the person in his portrayals by filling
his picture plane almost entirely with a straightforward portrayal of the
subject. A characteristic that lent added distinction to Lovell's work rested
in his almost exclusive use of photographic images as the basis of his art.
(left: Libations, 1998, charcoal on wood and mixed media, 96 x 56
x 67 inches, courtesy of the artist, photo by Jim Frank)
