High Museum of art opens first major museum exhibition dedicated to Joseph Stella's nature paintings
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Wednesday, November 13, 2024


High Museum of art opens first major museum exhibition dedicated to Joseph Stella's nature paintings
Joseph Stella (American, born Italy, 1877-1946), Flowers, Italy, 1931, oil on canvas, 74 3/4 x 74 3/4 inches, Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Marshall, 1964.20.



ATLANTA, GA.- This spring, the High Museum of Art presents the first major museum exhibition dedicated to the nature-based works of pioneering American modernist painter Joseph Stella (1877-1946), which features more than 120 paintings and works on paper that reveal the breadth of the artist’s multi-faceted practice. Co-organized by the High and the Brandywine River Museum of Art, “Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature” debuted at the Norton Museum of Art in October 2022 and will be on view at the High from Feb. 24 to May 21, 2023, before traveling to the Brandywine in June 2023.

Though Stella is primarily recognized for his dynamic Futurist-inspired paintings of New York, particularly of the Brooklyn Bridge, he was also compelled to express the powerful connection he felt to the natural world, a subject he pursued persistently throughout his career. “Visionary Nature” presents an overdue examination of the complexity and spirituality driving Stella’s nature-based works, illustrating the inspirations, sources and stylistic influences behind their creation.

“It’s our pleasure to collaborate with the Brandywine to organize the first exhibition that extensively explores this important aspect of Stella’s work, which spanned a range of subjects and challenged what was considered modernism in the early 20th century,” said Rand Suffolk, the High’s Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director. “Stella’s 1927 ‘Purissima’ has long been a favorite of the High’s collection and is a strong example his nature-themed paintings. We look forward to providing an opportunity for visitors to further engage with this lesser-known side of Stella’s oeuvre and one of the highlights of the Museum’s collection.”

Born in southern Italy, Stella immigrated to New York in 1896. By 1913, he had established his reputation as a bold and innovative artist who conveyed the excitement of the city and modern life. In 1919, he turned away from more industrial subjects to focus on the powerful spiritual connection he felt with the natural world. His extended and impassioned embrace of nature as a subject offered spiritual renewal and respite from the visceral discomfort he experienced living in New York. These works hark back to the joy he felt in the light and open spaces of his native Italian countryside.

Although Stella’s critical success remained fused to his identity as a modernist painter of urban icons, by 1920, the natural world came to dominate his artistic pursuits. A prolific creator of lyrical and exuberant depictions of flowers, plants and birds, Stella saw mystery and purity in nature and explored it by combining realism and fantasy with a modernist aesthetic. By focusing on his unique nature-based vocabulary and the context in which it developed, “Visionary Nature” will reconsider how this body of work relates to his career, revealing a surprising continuity between seemingly disparate subjects and exploring how these works are reflective of Stella’s passionate spirituality.

“Stella was considered a visionary, even among the most progressive artists of his day,” said Stephanie Heydt, the High’s Margaret and Terry Stent curator of American art and lead exhibition curator. “Much of his emotional and spiritual life centered on his relationship with nature, and the exhibition offers the unique opportunity to revisit Stella through this lens. He was an incredible draughtsman, and his drawings rival those of the old masters, but he also delighted in experimentation. His style ranged from abstraction to realism to the archaic with such unexpected results.”

“Visionary Nature” begins with an introduction to Stella’s early industrial works, showcasing selections from his famous Brooklyn Bridge series that demonstrate his technical skill while revealing an evolving presence of nature as a persistent feature in his art. The exhibition continues with “The New Art,” a section focused on Stella’s experimentations following his discovery of modern art during a 1912 trip to Paris, ranging from prismatic Futurist paintings to playful Dada compositions in a variety of media. This section also includes several of Stella’s masterful silverpoint drawings of botanical and portrait studies.

Another section in the exhibition, “Italy: Origins,” features artworks from Stella’s frequent return visits to his homeland that demonstrate his continued exploration of his roots and of the places and themes that held meaning for him. These Italian-themed works are bright and light, filled with flora and fauna and layered in references to the spiritual and liturgical traditions he recalled from his youth. Additional galleries are dedicated to an extensive examination of Stella’s epic painting “Tree of My Life” (1919) and related works, studies of plants and flowers from his frequent visits to the New York Botanical Garden, his intimate still-life compositions, and artworks inspired by his 1937 trip to Barbados — a place that, like Italy, offered a refuge from modern city life and revived his spirits. The experience spurred a return to his beloved natural subjects, which remained his focus until his death in 1946.

“Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature” is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, published by the High and the Brandywine, featuring essays by Heydt; Ara H. Merjian, professor of Italian studies at New York University; Ellen E. Roberts, curator of American art at the Norton Museum of Art; and Karli Wurzelbacher, Heckscher Museum of Art curator; and an annotated chronology by Audrey Lewis, associate curator at the Brandywine River Museum of Art.










Today's News

February 24, 2023

David Hockney goes high tech

Abbot Hall to reopen in May 2023

Van Gogh Museum's first anniversary exhibition: 'Choosing Vincent'

An expanded and transformed Bruce Museum to open on April 2, 2023

George Condo: People Are Strange now on view at Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood

New-York Historical Society presents 'Kara Walker: Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated)'

Miles McEnery Gallery presents the work of Hans Hofmann through March 11th

High Museum of art opens first major museum exhibition dedicated to Joseph Stella's nature paintings

Nye & Company announces three-day Chic & Antique Estate Treasures Auction

Rick Newman, whose comedy club made careers, dies at 81

Morphy Auctions announces collaboration with Brian Lebel's Old West Events

Almine Rech announces representation of Indonesian artist Roby Dwi Antono in Europe, UK, United States

Phoenix Art Museum to unveil newly restored digital artwork by Julian Opie

MOMENTUM Biennale participants announced

Jamel Shabazz works presented in ALBUMS reflecting portraits of NY's communities from 1970s to '90s

BAMPFA signals new direction for curatorial department with three senior appointments

Joyce Theater expands to the East Village

Fine Autograph and Artifacts sale featuring royalty highlighted by historic King James VI warrant up for auction

Tang Teaching Museum awarded $80,000 NYSCA grant

Leland Little to hold Signature Spring Auction

Christoph Waltz has some thoughts

A new 'Lohengrin,' threatened by war in Ukraine, comes to the Met

UniX Gallery opens 'Around the World in 24 Days'

Chisenhale Gallery opens the first solo exhibition in the UK by Johannesburg-based artist Ravelle Pillay

Hurela Deep Wave Hair: Trendy Hairstyle

HERE'S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STAR SHADE MARQUEES

Best Drawing Tools for Beginners

Simple Fashion Tips To Help You Dress To Impress

Sculpt your muscles, burn your fat or treat your abdominal diastasis with Emsculpt.

Exploring the Intersection Between Arts and Crafts with LEGO Art

Creating Your Dream Pool: Tips From an Experienced Custom Pool Builder

The Most Essential Information about SILK KIMONO

Top 5 Payday Loan Companies for Bad Credit in 2023: A Comprehensive Summary




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful