"The Old and the New,"
Joseph Pickett, circa 1915. Colored pencil on paper courtesy of
Fleisher/Ollman Gallery, Philadelphia.
COTUIT, MASS. - The most beloved part of the Cahoon Museum of
American Art's permanent collection is the folk paintings of
Ralph and Martha Cahoon. Now, the museum is presenting an
exhibition that puts the Cahoons' work in context with that of
other important American primitive artists of the Twentieth
Century.
"Modern Primitives: Simple Art in a Complex Age" will run April
29 through June 21 and feature works by some 45 artists. An
opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 pm, Friday, May 2.
"Modern Primitives" represents a rare opportunity to see a
significant overview of American folk art of the past century,
including pieces by many artists who were working well before the
Cahoons turned from furniture decoration to easel painting in the
early 1950s. Many of them took up painting late in life, such as
J.O.J. Frost, a restaurateur who, after his retirement and wife's
death, took up the challenge of recording the history of his
native Marblehead in paint. "The Storm of 1868" is one of his
many depictions of ships tossed at sea.
One extraordinary addition to the show is a meticulous colored
pencil drawing by Joseph Pickett, a Pennsylvania carpenter who
died in 1918. Although only a half-dozen of his works have
survived, his painting "Manchester Valley" (in the collection of
the Museum of Modern Art) has been reproduced so frequently that
he is one of the country's most famous folk artists. Like
"Manchester Valley," the drawing, titled "The Old and the New,"
pictures a train chugging through a landscape.
Of course, no survey of Twentieth Century primitive art would be
complete without a painting by Grandma Moses, who is represented
by an appealing show scene. Anna Mary Robertson Moses began
painting memories of her life in rural upstate New York in her
70s and was easily America's most famous folk artist when she
died at age 101 in 1961.
There is also a painting by Earl Cunningham, who made a living
variously as a tinker, seaman, automobile repairman, chicken
farmer and antiques dealer, first in Maine, then in Florida.
Recalling two of Ralph Cahoon's favorite motifs, "Sunrise at
Lighthouse" pictures a lighthouse and a sailing ship under one of
Cunningham's typically fruit-colored skies -- in this case a hot
pink.
A number of artists who could be considered contemporaries of the
Cahoons worked outside the mainstream. Clementine Hunter,
sometimes called "the black Grandma Moses," was a kitchen and
laundry worker who began painting in a wooden shack. She recorded
her childhood among plantation workers in such simple, but
vibrant scenes as the show's "Saturday Night at the Honky Tonk."
After a career as a garment cutter and candy manufacturer, Polish
immigrant Harry Lieberman began painting pictures reflecting his
Jewish heritage and knowledge of the Old Testament, Cabala and
Talmud. "Rachel's Lament," with its large gathering of figures,
is typical of his work.
Religious conviction also figures strongly in the paintings of
Sister Gertrude Morgan, a New Orleans street preacher who dressed
all in white. As is typical, her "Mother Eliza Hudson" combines
words and images in an expressively childlike manner.
Another very significant "outsider" artist was Justin McCarthy, a
reclusive Pennsylvanian whose images have all the raw energy of
some of the century's best figurative abstractionists. His "Peggy
Fleming" shows the skater at three different spin positions.
Also well-represented in the "Modern Primitives" show are many of
the best primitive artists working today, including Warren Kimble
and Linda Nelson Stocks, and Will Moses, the great-grandson of
Grandma Moses. Cape and island artists include Janet Munro,
Rosebee, Elizabeth Mumford, Jayne Shelley-Pierce and Barbara
Moment.
The following "Tuesday Talks" have been scheduled in conjunction
with the exhibition:
Folk art collector and dealer Lyle Sarnevitz will speak on
"Collecting and Understanding Folk Art" at 11 am, May 6.
New York City folk art dealer Frank J. Miele will give a tour of
the "Modern Primitives" exhibition at 11 am, May 27.
Folk artist Denise Allen will give a slide presentation on her
wall hangings and paintings portraying African American life in
the Nineteenth Century at 11 am, June 17.
The Cahoon Museum is at 4676 Falmouth Road (Route 28). Hours
are 10 am to 4 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays. For information,
508-428-7581.
