Westmoreland Museum of American Art
The Westmoreland's main entrance
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
724-837-1500
Face-to-Face: 20th Century Portraits
"Face-to-Face:
20h Century Portraits," an exhibition organized by the Westmoreland
Museum of American Art (WMAA), runs through October 22, 2000, and explores
the evolution of portrait styles utilized by artists throughout the twentieth
century. The forty American artists included in the exhibition, such as
John Sloan, Elaine de Kooning,
Alice Neel, Robert
Henri Chuck Close, and George
Bellows, were selected based on how their unique approach to portraiture
highlights the evolution of this beloved art form. Beginning with the more
formal academic approach by George Bellows and Berhard Gutmann, visitors
will also be presented with modern, more abstract portraits by artists such
as Alfred
Henry Maurer and Andy
Warhol Various themes included in the exhibition consist of self-portraits
by John Sloan and Mary Feist; portraits that scrutinize the sitter and not
necessarily flattering (Alice Neel);
how artists see each other (Elaine de Kooning and John Sloan); and portraits
revealing popular sub-culture such as Mark Perrott's portraits of individuals
with tattoos. (left: Mary Regensburg Feist, Self Portrait with
Flowered Hat, 1937)
"The subject of portraiture has always
been popular with museum visitors. We hope to challenge and broaden our
audience's idea of what a portrait is by presenting this look at one hundred
years of a single subject area," states Judith H. O'Toole, WMAA Director
and CEO.
(left: Elaine De Kooning, Aristodemos Kaldis,
1978, Courtesy of Salander-O'Reilly Galleries, New York)
To complement the Face-to-Face exhibition, also on view at the WMAA, will be an exhibition of photographic portraits by Lee Hershenson. This Pittsburgh photographer reveals the psychology of his subjects in forceful and uncompromising portraits of both men and women ranging in age from 50 to 103. (right: Lee Hershenson. L. C., 24 x 20 inches)
The Significance of 20th Century Portraits
What is a portrait? By definition, it is a painting, photograph, or other likeness of a person; especially one showing the face. It can also be a verbal picture or description, especially of a person. The artist, by means of capturing the image of a person on canvas or in a photograph, provides that sitter with a measure of mortality.
In 1914, George Bellows was commissioned
by the Harvard Club of New York to paint a portrait of Judge Peter Olney
(1843 - 1922). The full-length portrait was placed in the Harvard Club in
1914 but the sitter rejected it and had it withdrawn because he thought
the color (the aquamarine background) "too modern." Bellows color
choice reflects his exposure to the modern European paintings he saw at
the Armory Show in 1913. After seeing work by such artists as Gauguin, Matisse,
and the Fauves, he became more daring with his color and experimented with
pure hues in vibrant combinations. Bellows' expressive brush strokes and
dramatic light, focused on the Judge's face and hands, describe this serious
man who had the power to make life and death decisions. (left: George
Bellows, Judge Peter Olney, Courtesy of Berry-Hill Galleries, New
York)
In the middle of the twentieth century, artists moved away from the notion that the careful rendering of facial features was the most desirable aspect of a portrait, or that it described the subject most accurately. In Elaine De Kooning's work we see this modernist approach. Throughout most of her career, she devoted much of her artistic energy to the portrayal of individuals. Her imposing life-size portrait of her friend, fellow artist Aristodemos Kaldis with his own paintings behind him, reflects his dominant personality and vital energy. Those who knew him said that Elaine portrayed him "to the life." De Kooning was committed to subjective portraiture and became very involved with her sitters. She took into consideration their mood, attitude and body language over a period of time and during differing circumstances to arrive at an image that was most suitable to their individuality.
For as long as artists have been painting portraits of people they have been using them as vehicles for psychological examination. With the dynamic pose and linearity of his elongated and lithe body, Alice Neel, in her portrait Ballet Dancer, of 1950, communicates immediately to the viewer that this man is indeed a dancer.
Since the 17th century, artists have been painting themselves as readily available expressive models when no others existed or could be afforded. The self portraits in this exhibition by John Sloan, Elaine DeKooning, Mary Feist, James Lechay, Karl Schrag, Will Barnett, Thomas Hart Benton, and Harold Weston all represent the unique way these artist's saw themselves and the many stylistic approaches they chose to interpret their individual personalities.
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