 Alex Grey, Oil on linen |
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Love: Error and Eros
May 16 1998 - May 30 1999
Curated by John Maizels and Maggie Maizels,
creators and founders of Raw Vision: International Journal of Intuitive
and Visionary Art.
True Love
True Love includes works that reflect the enduring quality of love at
its warmest and most optimistic - the deep felt affection of one human
being towards another. The highlight of this sections is the Love Installation
created by Danielle Jacqui, one of the leading lights of a group of self-taught
artists from Provence in southern France. Calling themselves artistes
singuliers, this is probably the only association of self-taught artists
in existence. Such artists usually work in complete isolation from others,
but the group exhibits together, and its members support one another in
their endeavors. Danielle Jacqui's large work, based largely on her embroidery
skills, is a celebration of true love, fronted by the extraordinary wedding
dress she has painstakingly created. Other members of the artistes singuliers
are also featured in the museum. Raymond Reyaud, the original founder
of the group, is represented by three of his intricate and sensual compositions,
while Monique Goutte, who was inspired by Reynaud herself, expresses a
more humorous and joyful approach.
Love Scorned
Love Scorned confronts the deep feelings of love that people have for
one another that cannot be fulfilled. Some suffer betrayal, others never
attain the object of their dreams. Alo•se Corbaz never even spoke to Kaiser
Wilhelm of Germany and could only worship him from afar. Eventually hospitalized,
she created a lush romantic fantasy world. Here, uniformed suitors danced
with bare-breasted maidens in a love-soaked world which she could never
experience. Royal Robertson, a lay preacher, lost his wife Adele to another.
He was so incensed by her betrayal that it became the impetus of his creative
output. The front of his house became a battleground of emotions where
he could publicly give vent to his feelings in striking signs as well
as scathing depictions of his former wife. Albert Louden's haunting pastel
works reflect an empty world of loneliness where figures drift away from
one another, unable to make that final connection or communication.
Love Profane
Love Profane shows that love can also become a mass of twisted emotions,
some of which can drift out of control of the artist. The powerful work
of Johann Hauser, one of the most famous artists of the Austrian Gugging
Hospital community, regularly took women as a theme. He is represented
by one drawing, created over a two-week period, which reflects the powerful
feelings and impulses that drove Hauser to create his female images with
a latent sexual energy. Friedrich Schršder-Sonnenstern's drawings also
portray deep underlying tensions and powerful emotions in expressions
that surge with erotic power. Malcom McKesson expresses his strange and
disturbing world of duty and sublimation - to him the ultimate expression
of love. In his world, he devotes himself to his imaginary mistress, joyfully
suffering any deprivation in her service.
Love Divine
In Love Divine, love breaks away from human considerations, and becomes
a spiritual entity. For Alex Grey, love is a cosmic force that surges
around both body and mind to create on unified field of energy, while
for other artists, love is a potent God-given phenomenon, to be glorified
and celebrated. Mary Proctor's works, often painted on old doors and large
wooden panels, express the pure joy of love and its powerful force for
the good of mankind. R.A. Miller, Reverend Benjamin Perkins, and Sister
Gertrude Morgan reflect the strong evangelical tradition in much of Southern
American folk art. Paintings and objects become visual sermons and exaltations,
a combination of devotion, joy and striking imagery. The Sculpture Barn
houses a huge balloon, 300 feet in circumference, made by Leonard Knight,
expressing his great love of God. Knight went on to create Salvation Mountain,
a great man-made structure in the California desert adorned with swirling
colors and massive slogans of love.
Love Lost
Love Lost shows that for some, love can never die, even when their loved
ones have passed on. Devorah Kleinbeast witnessed the painful death of
her husband, infected with AIDS by a blood transfusion after a horrific
accident. In her Visual AIDS journal, compiled during the long months
of her husband's demise, she chronicles the daily anguish of her impending
loss. Sylvian Fusco was imprisoned and conscripted for the murder of a
drunk in a bar. When he was released he was unable ever again to locate
the woman he loved. His drawings created over a short period of time in
a hospital, are endless variations on the single theme, depicting idealized
images of his lost love.
