After the stunning “Seeing Nature” exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, here is another occasion to see more of the fantastic art from Paul Allen’s collection.
This time, the exhibit is composed of abstract art by some masters.
“Color and Pattern,” at the Pivot Art + Culture gallery in South Lake Union features paintings, drawings and sculptures by David Hockney, Frank Stella, Agnes Martin, Mark Rothko, Robert Delaunay, Guillermo Kuitca, Mark Rothko, Wassily Kandinsky, and Jasper Johns, to name a few.
This exhibition is a series of panels that depict the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North during and after World War I.
In 1941, Jacob Lawrence, only 23 at the time, spent months working on the subject, writing captions and sketching preliminary drawings. After that, he painted the 60 panels all at once.
This amazing work looks like a beautiful graphic novel telling us an important part of African American history in primary colors and modern art.
From the Philips Collection: “The series was the subject of a solo show at the Downtown Gallery in Manhattan in 1941, making Lawrence the first black artist represented by a New York gallery. Interest in the series was intense. Ultimately, The Phillips Collection and New York’s Museum of Modern Art agreed to divide it, with the Phillips buying the odd-numbered paintings.”
These 60 panels are shown together for the first time in 2 decades on the West Coast.
18. The migration gained in momentum
31. The migrants found improved housing when they arrived North.
32. And people all over the South continued to discuss this great movement
39. Railroad platforms were piled high with luggage
58. In the North African Americans had more educational opportunities
Jacob Lawrence was born in NJ in 1917 and was a teacher at University of Washington from 1970 till 1986.
If you have not seen it yet, run to the exhibit because it is on view only through April 23rd.
If you want to learn more about the migration series and Jacob Lawrence follow this link: Lawrence Migration Series
This exhibition features Chuck Close’s photographic work. Chuck Close is renowned for his highly inventive techniques of painting the human face, and is best known for his large-scale, photo-based portrait paintings. He has mostly photographed friends and relatives but you can also see some nudes, flowers, and celebrities. But what I found more interesting is how he has used photographs as tools or first step to create paintings, prints, and also tapestry. This exhibitions also shows how photography has always played a fundamental role in his art.
If you like Chuck Close’s artwork, you may also have heard that in NEW YORK, the new Second Avenue Subway Line (an extension of the Q line on Upper West Side) has opened on New Year’s day and 12 works of Chuck Close adorn the brand new 86th Street station’s walls.
