by Jim Puzinas on November 8, 2011
Every once in a while, a painting comes into our gallery that just knocks you off your feet. Painted in luscious colors, this large scale 48″ x 48″ work is a masterpiece of composition and execution. Created around 1919, at the height of the popularity of American Impressionism, George Ames Aldrich (1872-1941), pushes the envelope to produce a thoroughly modernist image of a traditional Cape Ann theme, the busy docks of Gloucester harbor.
George Ames Aldrich, East Gloucester Docks, 48"x48"
The influence of the European modernists first seen by many American artists at the famous Armory Show of 1913, ushered in one of the most creative periods in American art as many artists tried to include various elements of modernism into their own works. Employing many of the compositional devices that led many to dub Cezanne the “father of modernism”, Aldrich flattens the picture plane and tilts the horizon up toward the viewer. Abandoning the use of proper perspective, where objects at a distance appear smaller in the picture than those in the foreground, allows for a completely original and dynamic composition to be experienced by the viewer.
The strong diagonals of the dock, masts, boom and roof lines all lead you into the center of the painting. The two boats at the dock are Eastern-rigged draggers, part of the massive North Atlantic fleet that once provided fish to many New Englanders. Gloucester’s old city hall with its clock tower echoes the masts and points to the heavens. Although the calming warm light suggests quietness, it is Aldrich’s use of geometry that gives the scene its energy. Completing the painting’s tension was the artist’s addition of the dockworker to the right, his body coiled inward, directing the viewer back toward the center of the painting.
East Gloucester Docks as they appeared circa the 1920's
To better judge the liberties taken by Aldrich in interpreting this scene, look to the black and white image of the Gloucester docks as captured in a photo circa the 1920’s. This is what Aldrich was painting, a pleasing scene but not one with the visual excitement of what he produced.
Aldrich exhibited several Gloucester paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago including one in 1920 entitled “Docks of East Gloucester”, and at the Progress Club of South Bend, IN 1922-23 entitled “East Gloucester Docks”. It is unknown whether these works are one in the same or different paintings of the same subject.
As a historical note, by the 1950’s, the Eastern-rigged draggers were replaced by modern mechanized trawlers and the location of this painting, which provided inspiration for many American artists including Willard Metcalf, Childe Hassam, Hayley Lever et al, was torn down in a commercial revitalization undertaken sometime in the 1960’s.
For more information about the artist, please go to www.blueheronfa.com/aldrich
by Jim Puzinas on April 2, 2011
Previously kept in family hands over the last 70 years, Edith Branson’s paintings are currently being
reintroduced to American collectors by Blue Heron Fine Art. It is hoped that the reputation she acquired while active will be recaptured and that her position among many other important women artists of that era can be reestablished.
"Seated Woman, Pastel #42"
In keeping with our committment, Blue Heron Fine Art is pleased to also offer a selection of Pastels produced by Edith Branson in 1934. These colorful and captivating pastels are reflective of her personal life as a young woman living in the 1920’s and 1930’s. While several of these pastels could be self portraits, most are introspective creations that deal with the many social changes of her day. Color seems to be introduced on a separate plane, an overlay of emotion atop her well though out constructions.
"The Look", Pastel #60
Painting in both oil and pastels, Edith Branson was an American modernist painter who created her own interpretation of the multitude of avant-garde movements that blossomed in Europe and New York City in the early 20th century. She was a significant contributor to the New York art scene both through her numerous exhibitions and in the roles she served as a director of the Society of Independent Artists (1934-1940).
Edith Branson was professionally recognized by many of the art critics of her day. She was one of the
few singled out from “the rank and file by virtue of definite merit” and in several other exhibitions
as noteworthy of mention. Fellow contemporary artists, Jonas Lie and Richard Miller, were part of the
panel that juried her work into the Corcoran Gallery 14th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Art in 1935. In 1937 and 1938, Edith Branson was invited to exhibit with the New York Society of Women Artists, a group that included Theresa Bernstein, Blanche Lazzell and Agnes Weinrich.
"Figures in Motion", Pastel #116
"Seated Woman", Pastel #34
Branson’s early paintings were influenced by Cubism and Synchromism but expanded to include Surrealism in the 1930’s. In the Foreword to Edith Branson’s solo show catalogue, it was noted that she worked “in purely abstract forms in which she feels she can best convey her joy in color. She believes that all the depth of emotion that can be experienced through sound, can also be experienced through color.”
If you have any questions, or are interested in the works by Edith Branson, please call the gallery direct at 781-383-3210, or contact us via email at info@blueheronfa.com.
by Jim Puzinas on October 22, 2010
Blue Heron Fine Art eagerly anticipated the prestigious USArtists fine art show’s return to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) October 1-3, 2010. For the first time, the show would be housed in PAFA’s new Hamilton Building. Show attendance exceeded 3000, which was impressive , as were the number and breadth of the sales during the show.
Our gallery sold a charming small 19th c painting by William Hart, several early 20th c Impressionist works, a colorful mid-50’s still life, and several contemporary works. Other works that sold on our floor included an Edward Redfield, a Paul King, and a large Lockwood de Forest.
Lita Solis-Cohen (right) interviewing gallery owner Shelley Brown.
A walk in view to the show floor at the USArtists Show. Edith Branson's paintings prominently displayed received considerable interest.
Equally important, was the reception we received on the 4 paintings by NYC modernist Edith Branson that we displayed in our booth. Blue Heron Fine Art is reintroducing her works to the marketplace after 70 years of obscurity and acceptance of her work was encouraging. It was particularly rewarding to have Edith Branson’s grand niece and her husband present for such an unveiling.
Edith Branson's grand niece Liz Falvey and her husband Rick, (left) with me.
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by Jim Puzinas on September 28, 2010
Blue Heron Fine Art is reintroducing Edith Branon’s works to the marketplace after many years of obscurity. Six of Edith Branson’s paintings will make their debut this weekend at the USArtists American Art Show at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia from October 1 through October 3, 2010.
Edith Branson, Figure with Ribbons #20, Oil on board 30"x40"
Edith Branson was an American modernist painter who created her own interpretation of the multitude of avant-garde movements that blossomed in Europe and New York City in the early 20th century. Most of Branson’s work is reflective of her personal life as a young woman living in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Though not autobiographical, her surrealistic works introduce a woman’s introspection into the many social changes of the day.
Edith Branson was a significant contributor to the New York art scene both through her numerous exhibitions and in the roles she served as a director of the Society of Independent Artists (1934-1940) and as one of the officers of Emily Francis’ Contemporary Arts Gallery. Branson exhibited nearly every year from 1921-1941 with the Society of Independent Artists, as well as with the Municipal Art Galleries (1938). She was also given a solo show at the Contemporary Arts Gallery (1935), joining such other promising new artists as Mark Rothko (1933) and Alice Neel (1938) both of whom would also receive their first one-person show at the Contemporary Arts Gallery.
Edith Branson, Dancing Rhythm, Oil on board 24"x34"
Branson was professionally recognized by many of the art critics of her day. She was one of the few singled out from “the rank and file by virtue of definite merit” and in several other exhibitions as noteworthy of mention. Fellow contemporary artists, Jonas Lie and Richard Miller, were part of the panel that juried her work into the Corcoran Gallery 14th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Art in 1935. In 1937 and 1938, Edith Branson was invited to exhibit with the New York Society of Women Artists, a group that included Theresa Bernstein, Blanche Lazzell and Agnes Weinrich.
Edith Branson received professional instruction from Kenneth Hayes Miller at the Art Students League and from Charles Martin at Columbia’s Teachers College. Charles Martin was a protege of and a proponent of the teachings of Arthur Wesley Dow. In addition to Edith Branson, Martin’s teachings had an effect on many artists including Georgia O’Keefe who also attended his classes (1914-1915).
Edith Branson, Hands #114, Oil on board 15"x20"
Branson’s early paintings were influenced by Cubism and Synchromism but expanded to include Surrealism in the 1930’s. In the Foreword to Edith Branson’s 1935 solo show catalogue, it was noted that she worked “in purely abstract forms in which she feels she can best convey her joy in color. She believes that all the depth of emotion that can be experienced through sound, can also be experienced through color.”
by Jim Puzinas on August 31, 2010
The last two weeks of August are usually quiet for many businesses, including the fine art business. Many people are trying to catch the final vestiges of summer or preparing their children for the upcoming school year.
Blue Heron Fine Art exibiting at the last USArtists Show, Philadelphia, PA
If this were most years, I’d be able to indulge in a little down time as well. But this is not a normal summer for us this year. We have been busying ourselves with all the necessary prep that goes into our major fall art shows beginning with the prestigious USArtists American Art Show the first weekend of October and the Boston International Fine Art Show in November. Publicity photos, ad space, booth construction plans and hotel reservations all were due over this past month.
Edith Branson, Hands #114, oil on board 16" x 20"
Edith Branson in her New York City studio, circa 1935
Adding more excitement to the mix is the fact that Blue Heron Fine Art will be reintroducing the modernist works of New York City artist Edith Branson. Her work has not been seen publicly since 1940.
We are pleased that the family has entrusted our gallery with such an important task. Edith Branson will be next month’s featured artist and will be the subject of our next fine art blog, coinciding with the unveiling of four or five paintings representative of her ouevre at the USArtists Show running September 30 through October 3rd at the Pennsylvania Aademy of the Fine Arts Hamilton Building in downtown Philadelphia.
Hope to see you there and if you can’t make it, plan to stay connected by reading next month’s fine art blog.
by Jim Puzinas on July 31, 2010
Summer months are normally a busy time of the year for us at Blue Heron Fine Art. These steamy days are filled with planning and preparing many new acquisitions for our upcoming fall and early winter Show Schedule, including the USArtists Show in Philadelphia this October and the Boston International Fine Art Show in November.
What has made it a little more exciting this summer is that Blue Heron Fine Art has been invited to lend several of our gallery works to two very worthwhile exhibitions being held this July and August at two of my favorite vacation destinations, Provincetown, MA and Northeast Harbor, Maine.
Vaclav Vytlacil, "Boats at the Dock", Oil on Canvasboard, 11"x14"
On July 10, 2010 an exhibition titled DAYS LUMBERYARD STUDIOS 1914-1972 opened at the newly refurbished galleries of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. This survey exhibition curated by David Cowan of Acme Fine Art, Boston, MA features artwork spanning almost one hundred years that was created by artists who once occupied studios at Days Lumberyard in Provincetown.
“The Days Lumberyard Studios in Provincetown Massachusetts ranks among the most important incubators for artists of the twentieth century. Two of that century’s most influential teachers –Charles Webster Hawthorne and Hans Hofmann- and many of their students, worked in studios there. In fact, more than one hundred artists had studios at the lumberyard and/or the adjacent Brewster Street annex between 1914 and 1972. Some of the most highly regarded American artists of the time maintained studios at Days for at least one season. Among them were: Edwin Dickinson, Ross Moffett, Charles Hawthorne, Vaclav Vytlacil, Myron Stout, Fritz Bultman, George McNeil, John Grillo, Peter Busa, Robert Motherwell, Lester Johnson, and Jan Muller. “ To read more ClickHere.
Jane Peterson, Oil on Board, 11' x14"
Also, being held at the Redfield Gallery, 125 Main Street, Northeast Harbor, Maine starting August 4 and running through August 17th will be a showing of wonderful Maine related paintings selected by Sunne Savage, including several modernist pieces as well as a lovely Jane Peterson on loan from our gallery. To read more ClickHere.
If your vacation plans this summer include a visit to either area, these stops should be circled on your calendar as “Must Sees”.
by Jim Puzinas on June 29, 2010
Two excellent books have just been released in the past month that define the circumstances that ushered into the American art scene what has been described as Pop Art by its early proponents. Even if your collecting interest is firmly entrenched in earlier more traditional painting styles, these books provide tremendous insight into the artistic revolution that forms the basis of much of what is created by today’s contemporary artists.
"The Pop Revolution" by Alicia Marquis
“The Pop Revolution” by Alice Goldfarb Marquis reads like an insider’s journey into the New York art scene in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Filled with wonderful anecdotes, Ms. Marquis brings now famous artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol to life. Funny, entertaining and educational, this book is a quick read that I would describe as “catnip” for anyone interested in this period of American Art.
"Leo and His Circle, The Life of Leo Castelli" by Annie Cohen-Solal
“The Life and Circle of Leo Castelli” traces the rise of what was considered one of the most influential and powerful art dealers in New York City during the late 1950’s and 1960’s. More like a historical novel for the first hundred pages, the book takes a little time to get into as the author develops the lineage of Leo Castelli. Castelli’s European background and education provided him with the necessary tools to create one of the most successful contemporary art galleries in New York City. The stories are fascinating, in particular Castelli’s finesse in using his considerable influence to bring America it’s first Gold at the Venice Biennale in 1964.
by Jim Puzinas on May 26, 2010
Our gallery has sold many paintings by the American artist Jay Hall Connaway (1893-1970) over the years. So it is with great pleasure that we greet the current reappraisal of Connaway’s lengthy career recently undertaken by two prominent New England museums.
"Washing over Gull Rock", Oil on board, 29" x 36"
Beginning with the Portland (ME) Museum of Art exhibition last fall of 39 paintings by Connaway donated by Mrs. Marjorie Osbourne and culiminating with an ambitious show currently on exhibit at the Shelburne (VT) Museum through October 24, 2010, we are able to closely examine and appreciate the paintings of Jay Hall Connaway, an artist once heralded in the 1920’s as “the greatest sea painter since Winslow Homer”.
"Monhegan Dock, Fall 1968", Oil on board, 18" x 24"
Connaway’s previous obscurity had more to do with his timing. Returning to America from a scholarship lasting several years in Europe, Connaway was confronted by the Depression years and his lack of income. Still wanting to paint expressively, he ventured to the remote island of Monhegan (ME) where he lived year round through the 1940’s. The toughness of this island life is captured dramatically in many of his ravaged seascapes, highlighting his own isolation and Mother Nature’s fury. When I viewed my first large scale canvas “Washing over Gull Rock”, I was mesmerized and terrorized at the same time. The high horizontal line put the viewer right in the path of an incoming wave about to crash, threatening to take me out to sea.
"Sunderland, Vermont, 1951", Oil on board, 14" x 20"
Although it is his oil paintings of Monhegan that capture most collectors interest, Connaway did paint many country scenes while living in Vermont, which makes viewing the Shelburne Museum exhibit so intriguing. Juxtaposing both locales demonstrates the creativity and flexibility of an artist that is finally receiving well deserved recognition.
by Jim Puzinas on April 29, 2010
American artist Robert Natkin died last week, and with him passes a legacy of creating some of the most innovative forms of color abstraction. Utilizing bold post impressionist colors, Natkin produced several series of works including the Apollo Series of the 1960s. According to several sources on the artist, these works, with vertical stripes alternating between thick and thin, decorative and textured, are cheerful and light, invoking the lyricism of Apollo, the Greek god of poetry and light.
Although Natkin produced other series during his long career such as Steps and Grids, Field Mouse, and Intimate Lighting, the Apollo series remains my favorite period for this artist. It is for this reason that I choose to commemorate his life and share with you below an early and small work by Natkin from his Apollo period.
Robert Natkin, "Abstract, Apollo Series",dated 1962, Oil on silk. 16 1/2" x 11"
This painting highlights the creativity which marked Natkin’s career. Painted on a stretched silk fabric, Natkin captures the surface texture of a theater curtain, a subject which held fascincation with him from his childhood days in Chicago. Natkin loved the interplay of the light emanating from behind the curtain before it was lifted to start the show. Painted in small scale this painting captures his youthful anticipation of the activity about to be unveiled. Although most of Natkin’s work is large scale, it is the intimacy of this work and its unique medium that contribute to make this a timeless favorite.
Natkin’s work is in various collections including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Guggenheim, the Sculpture Garden of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the the Whitney. Natkin was part of the Whitney Museum exhibit titled “Americans Under 35″ held in 1960.
The obituary from the New York Times as it appeared today is reproduced below.
Robert Natkin, Abstract Painter, Is Dead at 79
By NIKO KOPPEL
Published: April 27, 2010
Robert Natkin, a painter who rose to prominence in the late 1960s and 1970s with work that blended Abstraction with Post-Impressionist colors, died on April 20 in Danbury, Conn. He was 79 and lived in Redding, Conn.
The cause was a bacterial blood infection that developed during a hospital stay after a fall, said his wife, Judith Dolnick.
Mr. Natkin layered bright acrylic colors and forms on large-scale canvases, exuding the playfulness of Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky with the palettes of Henri Matisse and Pierre Bonnard.
He used cloths and netting as stencils to achieve textures described by John Russell of The New York Times in 1978 as having a “worked-over look that suggests that the painting has been traversed over and over by a very small truck that has just had its tires retreaded.”
His paintings are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. For more Click Here!
by Jim Puzinas on March 11, 2010
Victor Candell was a New York modernist whose initial preoccupation with explosions, violence and the horrors of the period following World War II led him to develop an dynamic abstract painting style. A number of his works from this period were purchased by the Metropolitan and Whitney museums.
In an interview with Victor Candell conducted by Dorothy Seckler for the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts September, 1965, Candell remembers that he was invited by Mrs. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, founder of the Whitney Museum to come into her first group of modern artists. He “was right there right from the beginning when it wasn’t called the WPA Project but it was called the Whitney Project when artists in this country were categorized. They were put into categories, A artist, and B artist, designations of quality. Well, I was much gratified that I was an A.” 1
"Sky Flowers" dated 1962, Oil on canvas. 10" x 11"
His first exhibit at age 43 was at the Brandt Gallery in 1940; dealing predominantly with social realist themes. Like many artists of his day, Candell was influenced by all the newer forms of art that were beginning to emerge in the 1940’s such as that produced by the Expressionists and by artists like Mondrian and Klee. He taught with Max Beckmann and showed regularly with the Grand Central Moderns. Large paintings by Candell were acquired by the Whitney Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These works ushered in Victor Candell’s mature style as a New York modernist whose initial preoccupation with explosions, violence and the horrors of the period following World War II led him to develop a dynamic abstract painting style based on his early ideas of geometric organization of space and Cubism. 2
"Cloudburst" dated 1959, Oil on Canvas. 22" x 20"
In 1958 Candell and Leo Manso started the Provincetown Workshop, a small art school modeled after the Cooper Union that remained in operation for more than twenty years. For many art students of the day, this became a replacement for the recently closed Hans Hofmann School. Summers were now spent in Provincetown depicting the recurrence of seasons and the natural cycle of plant and animal life in his paintings 3.
"Sunset in the City" dated 1958, Oil on Canvas. 22" x 20"
It was in Provincetown, in the late 1950’s, that Candell found his “explosions in nature” 4 and used them as inspirations for many of his bold canvases, such as “Cloudburst”, where Candell portrays the energy released in a downpour as strong alternations of black and white color heightening the contrast between the two and again in “Sunset in the City”, where Candell portrays a searing New York City sunset as bright bands of red, orange, yellow and black against the city background.
Mr. Candell received numerous awards for his art work, including prizes from the Museum of Modern Art and the U.S. Treasury. His paintings are included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum, The Whitney Museum, The Corcoran Gallery, The Carnegie Institute, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
1 Dorothy Seckler, Smithsonian Archives of American Art, An Interview with Victor Candell, Sept. 1, 1965, p. 10
2 Seckler, p. 13
3 Seckler, p. 20
4 Seckler, p. 21
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