Walking in to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s newest exhibit can be an overwhelming experience. Called Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the exhibit initially comes off like a hodgepodge of random pieces from the museum’s extensive collection. Gene Davis’ black ink and wash Saber Dance (1952) hangs just one wall away from Alfonso Ossorio’s surrealist watercolor Double Portrait (1944). The exhibit’s only common thread is that all the pieces are paper-based American works from the same time period. A moment’s consideration, however, reveals that this is an exhibition with a real purpose – to expose visitors to great American works of the early twentieth century that frequently go unseen.
Graphic Masters II is the second installation of a three-piece series of exhibitions celebrating the work of American artists. The showcase displays a number of works from the 1920s through the 1960s, all taken from the museum’s permanent collection and selected by Joann Moser, the senior curator for the graphic arts at the American Art Museum. In selecting the works, Moser chose to focus on the variety of art being created during the four-decade period rather than any particular movement. From landscape paintings to abstract inks to charcoal self-portraits, each piece contributes something unique to the story of the artists’ individual interpretations of America.
“The advantage of this type of show is that anyone can find a piece they love. There is abstract work, figurative work, narrative work. Some exhibits over simplify what was being done, but this exhibit really gives a sense of the richness of art during that time period,” Moser said.
There are certainly a few pieces that caught worthy of special attention. One particularly beautiful work is Mark Tobey’s Canticle (1954), an earth-toned casein on paper. The painting is adorned with beautiful “white writing”, a technique inspired by Tobey’s studies of Arabic and Japanese calligraphy. While “canticle” refers to liturgical hymns sung in church, the incorporation of different cultures’ calligraphy communicates Tobey’s desire for unity of different peoples.
In addition to presenting a wide swath of American art during the 20th century, Graphic Masters II also serves as a wonderful introduction to an oft-overlooked museum. The American Art Museum, the nation’s first collection of American art, has a magnificent selection of contemporary American artists, in addition to its selections from our nation’s past. Drawing on the museum’s vast collection, Graphic Masters II gives visitors an opportunity to see works from American greats including Stuart Davis, Edward Hopper, Joseph Stella and Andrew Wyeth.
“The thing that makes the museum distinctive is that we show work from artists all over the country. Some museums only focus on local American art,” Moser said. “I loved this museum when I was studying art history, because I could always come in here and find something new, some artist that I had never heard of and really liked. There is a sense of discovery here.”
Graphic Masters II will be on display until January 10, 2010. The American Art Museum is open every day from 11:30 to 7:00 and admission is free.
