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“Winslow Homer: The Pleasures of Summer,” along with a retrospective of New York Studio founder and artist Mercedes Matter, the sculpture of Gloria Kisch, and an exhibition of the work of local art teachers, will open Saturday, June 19, at Guild Hall in East Hampton, all running through July 25. An opening reception starts at 4 p.m. for Guild Hall members, with public viewing from 5 to 6 p.m.
According to Guild Hall Executive Director Ruth Appelhof, “These exhibitions are homage to the artistic heritage and spirit of the East End. Winslow Homer was the first artist to work out here and his impression created a lasting legacy. Mercedes Matter was a beloved teacher who enriched the lives of many, and in that spirit we acknowledge and celebrate those who both ‘do’ and ‘teach’ by presenting a show of local art teachers. In the sculpture garden, we have the work of Gloria Kisch, who moved to the East End a decade ago.”
Curated by David Tatham, the Homer exhibition, which features more than 30 of his paintings and watercolors, as well as illustrations and prints of wood engravings, focuses on the pleasures of summertime as a subject for his painting as well as for the illustrations he did for many popular national magazines. Homer, who visited East Hampton in 1874, depicted young people on beaches, hiking on trails and riding on bridle paths.
In virtually all of the images on view, the idyllic weather, youthful figures, and cleansing freshness of incoming tides, mountain streams, and flowering meadows speak of a new beginning, a healing of American society after the national trauma of the Civil War.
Curated by Ellen Landau, “Mercedes Matter: A Retrospective” features paintings and drawings created from 1921 to 1985. Additional photographs, letters, and other ephemera document the painter’s life and career. Ms. Matter was an original member of the American Abstract Artists and founder of the New York Studio School.
Gallery talks and lectures, along with hands-on workshops, will be offered at Guild Hall in conjunction with these exhibitions.
Visiting East Hampton in 1874, Homer became the first artist of national note to work on the East End. During these years of growing urbanization, industrialization, and immigration, he reminded his viewers of the pleasures of moments of simple living and being close to nature.
In doing so, Homer addressed two different audiences. One consisted of New York fellow painters, art dealers, critics, and collectors who defined taste in American fine art. The other audience was the readers of popular illustrated weekly magazines, such as Harper’s Weekly, that had national reach.
In two different mediums, painting and woodblock drawing, Homer captured the attention and trust of both his audiences. His alternate treatments of a single subject opened meaningful visual dialogues with both connoisseurs and the general public.
The Guild Hall exhibition is timed to commemorate the life and work of Winslow Homer on the centennial of his death and is one of only two institutions in the U.S. to observe this centenary with an exhibition. Offered in a community in which he was once a working artist, the show looks anew at Homer’s distinctly original, quietly provocative observations of Americans at leisure.
Guest curator David Tatham is an author of seven books and more than 80 scholarly articles, exhibition catalogue essays, and journal reviews concerning American art of the 19th and 20th centuries. He is known especially for his studies of Winslow Homer, and his latest book, “Winslow Homer in London: A New York Artist Abroad 1881-1882” will appear this year.
Dr. Tatham will offer a gallery talk on “Winslow Homer: The Pleasures of Summer” on Saturday, June 19, at 3 p.m. For information, call Guild Hall at 324-0806.
on Jun 15, 2010