Tuesday, September 22, 20202 – THEY WERE SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
The
163rd Edition
From Our Archives
Folk and Self-Taught Art
The Smithsonian
American Art Museum
GRANDMA MOSES
Grandma Moses, Out for Christmas Trees, 1946, oil on pressed wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Kallir Family in honor of Hildegard Bachert, 2017.34.2, © Grandma Moses Properties Co., New York
AT THE SMITHSONIAN
Folk and Self-Taught Art The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection of folk and self-taught art represents the powerful vision of America’s untrained and vernacular artists.
SAAM is one of the only major museums to clearly advocate for a diverse populist and uniquely American voice within the context of what is traditionally considered great art. Artists who are deeply engaged with personal exploration often create works of profound complexity. Recurring themes include struggle and persistence, salvation and protection, and the reshaping of personal worlds through creative expression.
THE COLLECTION
SAAM was among the first major museums to champion and collect works by self-taught artists. This aspect of SAAM’s collection spans works that emanate from folk traditions, such as quilting and woodcarving, to highly innovative works of great personal vision. It began in 1970, after the astonishing Throne of The Third Heaven of The Nations’ Millennium General Assembly, made by James Hampton, came to light in a makeshift studio not far from the museum following the artist’s death. Several donors made it possible for this iconic work, understood as a seminal representation of African American cultural and artistic heritage, to become the cornerstone of a collection that aimed to tell an ever-expanding story of America through the art of its people. Since it acquired Hampton’s “Throne,” the museum has been recognized internationally as a leader in championing the importance of works by artists who have no formal art training.
Today, SAAM’s collection of folk and self-taught art features more than 400 artists and 1,300 works of art. The collection is one of the most visited and widely admired of its kind.
The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly
GEORGE WIDENER
George Widener, 28-28, 2014, mixed media on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carl and Kate Lobell in honor of Graham Roach, 2015.20.2, © 2014,
George Widener George Widener is an ace with numbers. 28–28 plays with a connection he had at the time between the numbers of his own birthdate (2−8) and this then-girlfriend’s: 4–28, or (2 x 2)-28. Widener explains that he sees the numbers in his mind and enjoys envisioning all of their possible relationships. He called this piece a “portrait/snapshot” of the two of them at the time it was mad
DAVID BUTLER
- David Butler, Nativity, ca. 1968, paint on tin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2014.61.1
- David Butler fashioned a garden of pounded, cut, and painted metal forms around his Louisiana house. His sculptures fuse biblical imagery with characters from his dreams. The tiered layers, attached parts, and cut-out shapes created an animated array as wind and sunlight played across his installation. Butler, with other African Americans across the South, blended Christian beliefs with folk practices to create spaces that felt self-determined and protective in a world that was often harsh and unpredictable.
RALPH FASANELLA
- Ralph Fasanella, Iceman Crucified #4, 1958, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the estate of Ralph Fasanella, 2013.69, © 1958, Estate of Ralph Fasanella
- The Iceman Crucified series encapsulates some of Fasanella’s most powerful and poignant artistic themes. His father—Joe the Iceman—is cast as the crucified Christ to explore ideas of suffering and sacrifice, memory and personal growth. The series was a turning point for Fasanella; his artistic vision broke free from the confines of realism and his imagery became deeply personal.
As a child, Ralph worked alongside his father on his ice delivery route, putting in long hard days on tough streets. Iceman Crucified #4 was the final work in and pinnacle of the series. In it Fasanella encompasses old and new worlds and is simultaneously nostalgic and celebratory. The Christ figure is transformed into a heroic presence, serene and full of grace. The traditional INRI is replaced with the phrase that came to be equated with the artist himself: “Lest We Forget”—a clear message to viewers to remember who we are and where we come from.
Ralph Fasanella cast his father, “Joe the Iceman,” as the crucified Christ to explore ideas of suffering and sacrifice and to portray the working man as a persevering hero. Fasanella’s parents were Italian immigrants who instilled in their son the values of work and solidarity. He became an artist who ardently championed labor and the common folk. “Lest We Forget” was Fasanella’s impassioned plea to always honor the sacrifices of our forebears.
Ralph Fasanella, Family Supper, 1972, oil on canvas, National Park Service. © 1972, Estate of Ralph Fasanella
HOWARD FINSTER
Howard Finster, THE LORD WILL DELIVER HIS PEOPLE ACROSS JORDAN, 1976, enamel on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1988.74.6
Howard Finster, THE MODEL OF SUPER POWER PLAINT (FOLK ART MADE FROM OLD T.V. PARTS), 1979, assembled and painted electronic television parts, painted metal, painted stic, glitter, mirror glass, wood, cardboard, and ceramic, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.245
EDDY MUMMA
Eddy Mumma was named in honor of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christian Science, whom his parents admired. He began painting in 1969 following his wife’s premature death and at a time when his own physical health was deteriorating. His increasing interest in art may have marked a flagging faith. Around 1980, his style and output exploded. Regal, flamboyant, and colorful characters crowd within their rectangular frames, most often featuring large eyes and upraised hands. Mumma’s paintings seem to redirect a character that was once larger-than-life; as Mumma’s physical presence faded, his work came increasingly alive.
R.B.G. REMEMBERED.
TUESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
SEND OUR SUBMISSION TO ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM
WIN A KIOSK TRINKET
MONDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
TWO SIGN KIOSKS
Jay Jacobson, Vicki Feinmel came closest
CLARIFICATION
WE ARE HAPPY TO GIVE WINNERS OF OUR DAILY PHOTO IDENTIFICATION A TRINKET FROM THE VISITOR CENTER.
ONLY THE PERSON IDENTIFYING THE PHOTO FIRST WILL GET A PRIZE.
WE HAVE A SPECIAL GROUP OF ITEMS TO CHOOSE FROM. WE CANNOT GIVE AWAY ALL OUR ITEMS,. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES,
WE MUST LIMIT GIVE-AWAYS. THANK YOU
BOOKS
FROM OUR KIOSK
GREAT STUFF FOR ALL OCCASIONS
COME TO OUR BOOK SALE SATURDAY 9/26 AT THE FARMER’S MARKET
KIOSK IS OPEN WEEKENDS 12 NOON TO 5 P.M.
ONLINE ORDERS BY CHARGE CARD AT ROOSEVELTISLANDHISTORY@GMAIL.COM
EDITORIAL
I had accomplished some of my goals from the pandemic. This weekend a friend and I voyaged to Brooklyn to have lunch “al fresco” and take multiple ferry rides to enjoy fresh air and a different view. This summer the highlights were not Paris and London but Broad Channel, Rockaway, Soundview, City Island, Greenpoint and Long Island City!
Walk around other neighborhoods and enjoy our city again. It is a mass of villages, quite different from Roosevelt Island,
Judith Berdy
jbird134@aol.com
Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff
All image are copyrighted (c)
Roosevelt Island Historical Society
unless otherwise indicated
Wikipedia for both
THIS ISSUE COMPILED FROM THE WONDERFUL ARCHIVES
OF THE
SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM (C)
FUNDING PROVIDED BY ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE GRANTS
CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THRU DYCD
Copyright © 2020 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com
Leave a comment