Archive Page 56

Black and White: Pollock’s Breakthrough Paintings

Artifacts, the DMA Member magazine,  invited Jackson Pollock’s nephew Jason McCoy to share his thoughts on his uncle’s work on the eve of the DMA’s exclusive presentation of Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots, which opens on Friday, November 20. We hope you are as delighted by his article as we were to publish it.

Breakthrough: Pollock’s Black Paintings
By Jason McCoy
Original publish date: Artifacts Fall 2015

Jackson Pollock, n.d. Photograph by Hans Namuth, Courtesy Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona © 1991 Hans Namuth Estate

Jackson Pollock, n.d.
Photograph by Hans Namuth, Courtesy Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona © 1991 Hans Namuth Estate

When DMA curator Gavin Delahunty first talked to me about his dream of organizing an exhibition of Jackson Pollock’s so-called Black and White paintings, I was of course intrigued but thought to myself “good luck.” It is notoriously difficult to organize any Pollock show, and I knew the paintings were scattered all over the world. But the good luck seems now to be ours—Gavin has pulled it all off and we have been given the great good fortune to be able to view the largest assemblage of these works together, ever. Jackson Pollock is one of the most recognizable names in modern art, but we generally associate the name not with a single image of a specific painting but rather with the idea of paintings that consist of masses of fine lines, skeined across the picture’s surface in seeming confusion.

I appreciate that the Blind Spots exhibition will present an additional view of Pollock’s oeuvre, the paintings that followed the so-called pourings. These paintings were yet another breakthrough for Jackson Pollock, because here he was able to convey the certainty and discipline of works that, for the most part, were made in one session. There is a clarity to the paintings, a minimalism and a simplicity that make it all look so easy and pre-ordained. Not so, of course, but what is revealed is a master’s ability to get it right the first time, and so let the paintings stand for themselves. They are a powerful, fascinating lot, crowned with one of my personal favorite paintings of all, Portrait and a Dream, a longtime resident of Dallas.

Blind Spots will enable all of us to reevaluate the breadth and depth of Pollock’s accomplishments. It will illuminate that there was most often a figurative element in all of Pollock’s paintings, as images of man or beast are easy to recognize in Pollock’s first gestures on the plane. We can recall a comment he made to this effect, that in these paintings the “figure is coming through.” Such recognizable forms in fact caused consternation with certain modernist critics at the time, who did not care to acknowledge less than fully abstract painting as being modern.

Blind Spots will also include examples of Pollock’s interest in scale. In 1951, with the help of his brother, Sanford McCoy, he chose six paintings not at all similar in size to be used in a suite of serigraphs, a selection of which are exhibited in this exhibition. With a computer today, this type of curiosity might seem obvious, but this was not the case sixty-five years ago.

Had Pollock stopped after his “drip paintings” of the late 1940s he would certainly still have his place in history. Rather, his creative drive was such that it continued to evolve in unexpected ways and cover new ground, as Blind Spots reveals, accentuating that Pollock’s gift was much more than one-dimensional.

Untitled, n.d., Photograph by Hans Namuth, Courtesy Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona © 1991 Hans Namuth Estate

Untitled, n.d., Photograph by Hans Namuth, Courtesy Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona
© 1991 Hans Namuth Estate

–Jason McCoy is President of Jason McCoy Gallery in New York.

For more stories like the one above, all of which were created exclusively for Artifacts, visit DMA.org/members

(image: Jackson Pollock, Portrait and a Dream, 1953, oil and enamel on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated © 2015 The Pollock-Krasner Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)

Friday Photos: Silly Sensory Sack

Sensory sacks, also called “spatial socks” or “body sox”, are a popular form of therapy for those with Sensory Processing Disorder and Autism. This easily sewn stretchy lycra sack helps develop spatial awareness, as the wearer is able to feel the fabric’s resistance against his or her body.

Here at the DMA, we experimented with using sensory sacks as a tool to learn about other bodies in space– sculptures!

Emily Wiskera strikes a Lady Godiva inspired pose

Constantin Brancusi, Beginning of the World, c. 1920, marble, nickel silver, and stone

Whitney Sirois acts out Brancusi’s marble egg.

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McDermott Graduate Intern for American Art, Erin Pinon, poses on the second floor landing.

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Emily Wiskera learns to empathize with modern sculpture.

Artworks shown:

  • Anne Whitney, Lady Godiva, c. 1861-1864, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Dr. Alessandra Comini in memory of Dr. Eleanor Tufts, who discovered the Massachusetts-backyard whereabouts of this long-forgotten statue and brought it to Dallas.
  • Constantin Brancusi, Beginning of the World, c. 1920, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Clark © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.
  • Figure of a woman, Roman Empire, 2nd century A. D., Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil H. Green.
  • Henry Moore, Reclining Mother and Child, 1974-1976, lent by the Henry Moore Foundation © The Henry Moore Foundation

Emily Wiskera
McDermott Graduate Intern for Family and Access Teaching

Wednesday in the Park with Olivier

Yesterday our McDermott Interns enjoyed a lovely fall walk through Fair Park with Olivier Meslay, the Museum’s Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs. We took some time to appreciate the Art Deco architecture and art sans the busy fair crowds and learned more about the origins of the DMA.

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The preparations for the celebration of the Texas Centennial involved the work of artists from around the state and across the globe, using Six Flags over Texas as an overarching theme.

With the opening of the Texas Centennial Exposition just around the corner, the then Dallas Museum of Fine Arts moved into its new building in Fair Park on May 31, 1936. Although the Museum would be renamed and moved to its current location in the Dallas Arts District, the DMFA building remains in Fair Park, where its Art Deco details can still be appreciated.

In front of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Building

In front of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Building

Whitney Sirois
McDermott Graduate Intern for Gallery and Community Teaching

Sarah Coffey
Education Coordinator

Fashion on Flora Street

One of the many things I’ve enjoyed since joining the DMA Intern Class of 2016 is working with Booker T. Washington seniors to develop their own projects for community engagement at the DMA. A few times a week, the students walk down the street to visit the Museum. We’ve been discussing different learning styles and how to appeal to all the diverse learners that visit museums. While assisting students with their projects is my main focus during their visits to the DMA, I cannot help but also pay special attention to their fashion choices. From week to week, each student’s individual style has inspired me.

So for today’s post, I wanted to highlight some pieces in the DMA’s collection that feature elements of these students’ style. Maybe they will inspire you too!

From the stage to the runway, septum rings have moved beyond counterculture to mainstream fashion.
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Find these nose rings at the DMA on Level 4 in the Ancient American galleries.

Carefully taut buns, messy half-up top knots, and lots of little Bantu knots—this unisex hair trend can be styled in so many different ways. Like it or knot, buns are here to stay.

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For top knot inspiration, look to Bodhisattva in the South Asian gallery and Monju (Manjusri) in the Japanese gallery, both on Level 3.

One-piece swimsuits and leotards have been back for a few years now. But with some of the Booker T. girls, I’ve noticed them as daily wear with skirts and sweaters or even cut-off shorts and a flannel shirt wrapped around the waist.

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This Bather in a one-piece carries off the look with some attitude. She’s a music video waiting to happen. Catch her on Level 4 in the American galleries.

Men’s patterned shirts mirror many of the patterns in our permanent collection. Some of the young men at Booker T. have been seen sporting stripes and floral prints on their button downs. The DMA is home to many intricate textiles as well as paintings that feature patterns that may inspire your own style.

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You can see these three men in patterned shirts in the folding backgammon board in the Level 3 South Asian galleries; the shirt for the figure of a saint is found on the Level 4 outside the Ancient American galleries; and Leon Polk Smith’s asymmetrical work Homage to Victory Boogie Woogie #1 is in the American galleries on Level 4. The paisley pattern is a detail of Alfred Stevens’ The Visit, found on Level 2 in the European galleries.

Stop by the DMA soon for your next style inspiration.

Whitney Sirois is the McDermott Graduate Intern for Gallery and Community Teaching at the DMA.

Images: Group of nose and ear ornaments, Columbia, Sinú, c. A.D. 500-1550, gold, Dallas Museum of Art, The Nora and John Wise Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Hamon, the Eugene McDermott Family, Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murchison 1976.W.451-454, 456-458,460; Nose ornaments, Columbia, Sinú, c. A.D. 1000-1550, gold, Dallas Museum of Art, The Nora and John Wise Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jake L. Hamon, the Eugene McDermott Family, Mr. and Mrs. Algur H. Meadows and the Meadows Foundation, Incorporated, and Mr. and Mrs. John D. Murchison 1976.W.468, 810, 605; Maitreya, India, Kushan period, 2nd–3rd century, schist, Intended bequest of David T. Owsley; Monju (Manjusri), Japan, Nanbokucho, 1336-1392, ink, color, and gold on silk, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase, 1970.8; Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Bather with Cigarette, 1924, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Association Purchase Fund, Deaccession Funds/City of Dallas (by exchange) in honor of Dr. Steven A. Nash, 1988.22; Folding backgammon board, India, Mughal period, 19th century, wood, ivory, cord, and inlay, Intended bequest of David T. Owsley; Shirt for the figure of a saint, Guatemala, Kaqchikel Maya, c. 1910-1930, cotton and silk, Dallas Museum of Art, anonymous gift, 2008.194; Leon Polk Smith, Homage to Victory Boogie Woogie #1, 1946, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, DMA League Purchase Fund, 2000.391; Alfred Stevens, The Visit, before 1869, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of the Pauline Allen Gill Foundation, 1997.112

Me Want Art: Cookie Monster’s DMA Birthday

In order to celebrate the birthday of Sesame Street’s iconic Cookie Monster, Uncrated decided to go a little further with our imagination.

What would it be like if Cookie Monster stopped by the Museum? Would he try and serve up his tasty confections to guests at the Cafe? Or would he blend in and wait for the rest of the Sesame Street gang in the atrium?

Here’s how we think Cookie Monster would spend a day at the DMA.

Cookie5 Cookie4 Cookie3 Cookie2 Cookie1

Gregory Castillo is the Multimedia Producer at the DMA 

Friday Photos: Great Pumpkin Contest 2.0

Education staff celebrated Halloween with some festive pumpkin decorating fun this afternoon. For our second annual Great Pumpkin Contest, we had a spirited pumpkin patch full of artistic gourds sure to knock the socks off of Linus himself.

But there can be only one winner, and this year that honor went to Jessica Fuentes and Jessica Thompson, for their detailed interpretation of The Minotaur. Snoopy was so proud.

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Sarah Coffey
Education Coordinator

Haunting Opera

We were digging through the archives and found the photo below. The back states “‘The Sacrifice’ DMFA comic opera 1962 (Aug).” We don’t know the full history of this photo but we thought it was a fitting image for Halloween. We hope your holiday is perhaps less eventful than this trio’s in the 1960s.

“The Sacrifice” DMFA comic opera 1962 (Aug) L to R: Gene Mitchell, John Lunsford, Jerry Jane Smith

“The Sacrifice” DMFA comic opera 1962 (Aug); left to right: Gene Mitchell, John Lunsford, Jerry Jane Smith

 

 

Red Hot

This past weekend the annual TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art benefit dinner and contemporary art auction raised a record $8.3 million! In commemoration of the event, which supports the DMA’s contemporary art acquisitions fund and amfAR’s AIDS research efforts, and in recognition of Ellsworth Kelly, this year’s honored artist, we installed the artist’s work Red Panel, which entered the DMA’s collection in 1985. You can view this work in the Museum’s Concourse on your next visit, and then stop by Untitled , which was commissioned for the Museum’s Sculpture Garden.

Friday Photos: Pop Icon Collages

C3 coordinator Jessica Thompson helped us channel our inner Pop artist during last Friday’s Late Night Studio Creations workshop, where visitors used laundry bags, cardboard, magazine clippings, and handkerchiefs to create collages of their favorite Dallas icons. By the end of the night, the studio’s back wall had transformed into a fantastic community installation that gave International Pop a run for its money.

It isn’t easy to pick a favorite, but I’d have to go with the collage of Big Tex during his final moments in 2012. What are your favorite Dallas icons?

Paulina Lopez
McDermott Graduate Intern for Visitor Engagement

The Wise Llama…part 2

The Wise Llama is one of my favorite posts that I have done for Uncrated. So, when I found more photos of the handsome Sir Lancelot while I was processing the John and Nora Wise Papers in the DMA Archives, I knew I had to share.

John and Nora Wise Papers, DMA Archives

John and Nora Wise Papers, DMA Archives

Here is Sir Lancelot, a pure white llama, promoting John Wise’s exhibition World of Ancient Gold at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Nora Wise is behind Sir Lancelot, holding his reins.

The following two photos show Sir Lancelot enjoying treats and showing off his John Wise Ltd. accessory while posing for photos during his day at the Fair.

Fair Pictures International Corp. #190-2 John and Nora Wise Papers, DMA Archives

Fair Pictures International Corp. #190-2
John and Nora Wise Papers, DMA Archives

Fair Pictures International Corp. #190-4 John and Nora Wise Papers, DMA Archives

Fair Pictures International Corp. #190-4
John and Nora Wise Papers, DMA Archives

Sir Lancelot is by far the cutest llama in the archives . . . OK he is the only one, but he’s still adorable.

Hillary Bober is the Archivist at the Dallas Museum of Art.


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