The National Academy Museum and School
of Fine Arts
New York, NY
212-369-4880
http://www.nationalacademy.org/
Stuart Davis in Gloucester
May 3 - July 30, 2000
Approximately 45 paintings and watercolors
of Gloucester, on Cape Ann in Massachusetts, a source of inspiration for
Davis
from 1915 to 1934, will be on view at the Academy through July 30, 2000.
Davis, at the suggestion of fellow artist John Sloan took up summer residence
there, and over time, "wandered over the rocks, moors, and docks, with
a sketching easel, large canvas, and pack on my back, looking for things
to paint." According to Judith McCulloch, Director of the Cape Ann
Historical Association, "in Gloucester, Davis and others found a wealth
of imagery and communal support to develop their personal visions and styles."
(left: Stuart Davis, The Morning Walk (Harbor View), 1919,
oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches, Courtesy of Salander O'Reilly Galleries)
Though Stuart Davis (1894-1964) began to mature as a realist
painter while studying with Robert Henri and through his association with
John Sloan, the Armory Show of 1913 remains the greatest single influence
on his work. There as a participant, Davis came under the influence of European
movements such as Fauvism, Cubism, and Post-Impressionism, all which were
also on view. Profoundly influenced by these examples of European modernism,
Davis
increasingly adopted broader, flatter, forms in his work, and began to use
color in an intense new way. By 1920, as Davis's interest in modernist theory
intensified, so too did his use of "heads on" views featuring
frontal and flattened out forms. At a time when Americans were still reeling
from the Armory's progressivism, and during the early stages of American
regionalism, Davis' Cape Ann landscapes represent an important and innovative
step towards the acceptance of modernism within the United States. (left:
Stuart Davis, Two Figures, Gloucester Road,1919, oil on canvas, 24
x 30 inches, Courtesy of Salander O'Reilly Galleries)
The accompanying fully illustrated catalogue is edited
by Karen Wilkin, Davis scholar and exhibition curator. Major support for
this exhibition is provided by The Henry Luce Foundation.
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Davis
from 1915 to 1934, will be on view at the Academy through July 30, 2000.
Davis, at the suggestion of fellow artist John Sloan took up summer residence
there, and over time, "wandered over the rocks, moors, and docks, with
a sketching easel, large canvas, and pack on my back, looking for things
to paint." According to Judith McCulloch, Director of the Cape Ann
Historical Association, "in Gloucester, Davis and others found a wealth
of imagery and communal support to develop their personal visions and styles."
(left: Stuart Davis, The Morning Walk (Harbor View), 1919,
oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches, Courtesy of Salander O'Reilly Galleries)