Coming of age?

Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA,
Gift of Mrs. Peggy Guggenheim

Although “Coming of Age, American Art, 1850s to 1950s” opened on Thursday at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, this weekend I found an interesting and somewhat sad scene in a new gallery in the heart of Wynwood Arts District. I saw a gallery full of faux Jackson Pollock paintings. I told the gallery staff if they really wanted to see the work of Jackson Pollock they should just drive up to the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale.

It’s not that the Wynwood gallery was trying to fool anybody but, does that gallery think we art lovers are so ignorant that we would fall for buying that type of copying? Anyway, this is not about the latest resident of Wynwood.

“‘Coming of Age, American Art, 1850s to 1950s’ chronicles the complex and extended process of transformation that occurred throughout this formative century of American Art,” notes William Agee. Even though that assumed leadership position seemed natural through the latter half of the 20th century, the rise in U.S. American art took place during this time period. Our dominance in art grew as a result of European wars, forcing many artists to relocate, and our economic and industrial strength.

Before 1945 U.S. American art was thought to be inferior to European, even though it was very likely untrue. The proof of that is some of the early collections that exist around the country, one of which the exhibition draws from, Addison Gallery of American Art.

Optimism and a sense of huge possibility were essential qualities that defined the period from the 1850s to 1950s. It can be seen in the expansive landscapes as well as the self examination of urban life.

Scanning the museum by foot reveals painting after painting that draws one into this exciting world. John Singer Sargent’s “Val d’Aosta: A Man Fishing” (ca. 1906) is one of the earlier examples one can notice of bright but, nuanced colors with a mixture of tranquil and agitated brushstrokes. The impressionistic treatment of the water shows his total mastery.

Fredric Reminington’s “Moonlight, Wolf” (ca. 1909) is an intensely modern work of a dark landscape with a wolf staring directly at the viewer with its glowing yellow eyes. The stark landscape has us frozen in a moment that has yet to unfold and we are not yet sure if were are in danger. However, urban dwellers are sure to be out of place but, in 1906 our nation was very much still a rural country and seeing a wolf might not seem quite as dangerous to them as it would to us today.

Even though Frank Stella has been more celebrated for his later works, I am very much a lover of his early works and this exhibition has beautiful but, loosely painted work of yellow and grey stripes, “East Broadway,” 1958.

By the time of Jackson Pollock’s, “Phosphoresence,” 1947, came into being, a new directness and immediacy had come to painting. This direction toward exposing the artistic process within the work, continues even today.

Before this exhibition organized by the American Federation of the Arts travels to its next venue, you have to take time or make time to see it. Anyone that says they love painting should definitely see this exhibition and, it has a small selection of sculptures for good measure.

Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale
One East Las Olas Boulevard,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
954-525-5500

Hours:
Open everyday 11 am – 5pm
Extended hours on Thursdays until 8pm
Third Thursdays 5-8pm Free Admission
Closed Thanksgiving, December 25 and January 1