The Puryear Papers

If you were to look at Martin Puryear as the pains-taking, attention to detail craftsman that he is; that would be fine. You could; in theory, view his work as decorative objects designed to adorn a room or space with a truth of grace and beauty. He can also represent the last of the artist as hands on interpreter of the world and the glories of life. Martin Puryear is all of these; he is in every reality many things more. 

              

                                                                 

                     
                   

 Martin  Puryear speaks eloquently through his pieces that seem to be glorious over-sized works that were they created on a smaller scale be some useful hand held thing or tool. His works would be no less beautiful were they smaller; no less engaging.  The scales of the objects are amazing as single pieces adequately consume entire galleries. Walking among the works is to inhabit a place of wonder and artistry in the purest form. His efforts are of world class elegance and he is surely admired around the globe. Wood is the primary material of choice for Martin Puryear. Stone, wire mesh, and rawhide are known by his hands as well. He is adventurous in his choices of materials as well as in his range of creations.

                                                                                   
                                      

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I was first introduction to Mr. Puryear through the pages of Ebony Magazine in a nineteen seventies article noting praise-worthy contemporary African-American Artists. His works do sometimes speak to his heritage as a former resident of Washington DC and a Black American. His piece “Ladder for Booker T. Washington” is a particular and exceptional example of his acknowledgement of the shared American and Black Histories. The ladder (431” x 22” x 3”) is created from a single sapling split in two and joined by rungs. The work is an optical illusion of sorts as it bends and turns from the 22” base to about 1.25” at the piece’s apex. The cultures of many nations have influenced and informed the works of martin Puryear. Sierra Leone, Sweden, Japan and France are among the countries he has lived in, studied and embraced “The Family of Man.” He works reflect the sensibilities of an amazing world citizen.

  

The PBS series   art : 21   chose Martin Puryear as one of their first artist’s to be profiled. He was awarded “The National Medal of Arts” by President Barack Obama. Several great museums including The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC have honored Mr. Puryear with retrospectives. He was recently part of the highest priced auction in history when Christies scored an amazing $745 million in sells. $1.8 million of the total came from the sale of a Puryear piece. Congratulations to Mr. Puryear for all his awards and achievements as he continues in his efforts. He is making a difference for the positive in the world; he is doing very well.  

“At a certain point, I just put the building and the art impulse together. I decided that building was a legitimate way to make sculpture.”

                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                    Martin Puryear

In the Tower: Kerry James Marshall

 

Kerry James Marshall is in “The Tower.” He will be there through December 7^th. Make every effort to get to this revealing art exhibition. “The Tower” for the record is the one at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The spiral stair case just off the second floor will take you there. You will not be disappointed. Marshall is one of the most successful and sought after artists of the day by museums and by collectors. I’ve also seen his seen his originals at The Smithsonian’s American Collection, the “30 Americans” exhibition at the Corcoran and at   San Francisco MOMA. He always inspires amazes and is at the top of his game. 

 

 

 

 

Marshall’s exhibition is a mini retrospective of sorts that covers many of his series’ including “The Garden Project” paintings and his “Memorabilia” pieces.  There are historical references to much of his art. The African-American experience is central and a “jump off point” for Marshall. One of the exhibit’s newest and most impressive pieces is Marshall’s own envisioning of Homer’s “Gulf Stream.” Homer’s original depicts a Black man adrift at sea; alone and surrounded by terrors and potential threats. The waters are choppy, sharks encircle the small vessel and a typhoon looms in the distance. Marshall by contrast depicts a family in a small yacht, calm waters and a definite sense of optimism pervades; almost to the point of naivety. The two works exist in contrast and speak very much to their respective times and are strong statements wonderfully executed.

 

Marshall who studied with the great draughtsman Charles White has richly gained from that experience. There are approximately twenty drawings by Marshall exhibited here and they are amazing to see. In many ways drawings tell more about the craft and mind of an artist than any other form of expression. The Marshall drawings illuminate this point to an extreme and are treasures unto themselves. Included is also one of Marshall’s drawing/studies for his “Gulf Stream.” In particular this adds an additional depth to an already provocative and meaningful exhibition.   

 

 

To be exhibited at the National Gallery is to be acknowledged as a master of an artist’s chosen form of expression. Marshall’s placement “In the Tower” can be taken as something symbolic. Marshall has stated; “…I’m not trying to teach anybody anything. I’m just sharing some thought that I’ve had with some people.”  I guess he can’t help the teaching part; perhaps he not teaching but we are certainly learning and growing through his artistic vision. Again; seek out this show at all cost. It is to be cherished!   

"The Greedy Child"

Mrs. Wonderley was everything her name suggested. She was joyful, energetic, vibrant…she taught with a passion and love of the thing; Art. Her knowledge of the subject ran deep. Art’s history, movements and techniques were all introduced to her students. Her classes ranged from pottery to macramé and from mixed-medium to painting, drawing and graphics. Mrs. Wonderley taught from her head but she taught mostly from her heart and love. Her gift to us was a richer understanding and meaning to what art was and could be. She inspired and was wonderful!

The methods of teaching she choose were tried and true and from the respected scientific laws of seeing. Drawings from plaster models and life were done in her art room as we learned the importance of symmetry, perspective, form and composition. There was little she missed but one of the simplest and yet most extraordinary things she did was after instruction and background on our assignments she would jump in and do her own version of the topic. There was no competition in this but she knew as did Leonardo that working with a superior more experienced artist would only make us better. The reality is that she truly enjoyed expressing herself as she continued her own learning and artistic growth. At these times she would most often create originals but copies would sometimes be her choice of expression, depending on her whim. 

On one occasion as we students worked on assignment Mrs. Wonderley chose to copy something from Picasso’s Blue Period, “The Greedy Child.” To see her copying as a drawing this master piece of 20^th century painting, this modernist marvel from a master’s hand was a thing of beauty onto itself.  She worked with a relaxed diligence that showcased her talent and ability to see and reproduce both the detail, depth of feeling and nuance of the original. It was impossible to discern any real difference between the graphic structure of the image she copied from and the image we saw unfold on Mrs. Wonderley’s paper. Her choice to copy “The Greedy Child” would increase my admiration for my teacher as well as for the masterful, Pablo Picasso.

Forty years later while walking, relaxing, passing through the National Gallery in Washington, DC my grandchildren and I would stop to sit before a work from the museum’s permanent collection. This was an opportunity to study and further enjoy a painting of beauty, worthy of deeper reflection. It was a gift of sort from me to them. I felt something wholly unique and special as we look at the miraculous, this original work of art “The Greedy Child.” I thought about Mrs. Wonderley and as we looked; the wheel turned. Within this rarest of moments I somehow knew the essence and meaning of art.