Monthly Art Column – April 2016

By Jeff Davis

It is time to get in your car and head south to explore what is happening behind the “Orange Curtain.” Both The Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach and the Laguna Art Museum are showing two superb exhibitions.

– The Laguna Museum of Art is showing: “Helen Lundeberg: A Retrospective” – through May 30. Museum is located at 307 Cliff Drive in Laguna Beach. For more information, call (949) 494-8971 or visit http://lagunaartmuseum.org/helen-lundeberg-a-retrospective.

Lundeberg (1908 – 1999) was a Southern California painter whom the majority of art enthusiasts and even a number of gallery owners may have never heard of, despite her critical success and large number of museum exhibitions. The retrospective features over 60 paintings; beginning with her Post-Surrealist works from the 1930s through her evolution in the 1950s toward pure abstraction as she explored landscapes, planetary systems, and architectural elements.

Her earlier Post-Surrealist paintings display the same technical virtuosity of surrealists such as Dali or Magritte, however, the subject matter is much more humanistic, introspective, or still life based. There are no melting clocks, giraffes on fire, or tigers awakening you from a dream. You have to stare a little longer at the paintings to interpret the possible symbolization or intent of the artist. Many of the older painting are done on Celotex; a fiber board that has significantly more texture than Masonite or canvas, giving the paintings additional dimension.

Her most famous painting, “Double Portrait of the Artist in Time” illustrates the Post-Surrealism style. It shows the young artist as a toddler in the foreground holding the stem of a plant and her shadow fading backwards into the older Lundeberg depicted in a portrait on the wall; her same right hand holding bloomed buds while contemplating the world before her.

“Double Portrait of the Artist in Time,” 1935, oil on fiberboard, 47.75 inches by 40 inches, Smithsonian. – Courtesy Photo

The majority of Lundeberg’s works have a muted palate; even the purely abstract or planetary paintings rarely turn up the color amplitude too loud. That is not to say they are not visually arresting – the precision and hard edges are done masterfully. One of the most interesting aspects of the retrospective is the illustration of the breadth of Lundeberg’s work; you rarely see an artist with the ability to move from the technical demands of surreal portraiture to abstraction without missing a beat. Many artists remain in the same vein their whole career and paint either what sells or what’s in their comfort zone. Lundeberg was an exception.

– “Marilynn Minter: Pretty /Dirty” is on exhibit at the Orange County Museum of Art through July 10.  Museum is located at 850 San Clemente Drive in Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 759-1122 or visit www.ocma.net/exhibition/marilyn-minter-prettydirtyy, or www.marilynminter.net.

Whereas Lundeberg painted with a more restrained palate and subject matter, Minter is the exact opposite. She turns up the volume all the way to provoke emotions, senses, and controversy at times. The colors, size, texture, and subject matter of her paintings grab your focus and does not let go for a minute. Although the exhibit includes her earlier work which shows off her strong photo realism painting skills and a series of photographs of her mother from 1969, the true excitement comes from her mega-sized paintings, photographs and videos featuring women’s eyes, lips, tongues, and feet in high heels up close. A note of caution: a small fraction of the paintings are “adult only” (appropriately located behind walls with warning).

“Orange Crush,” 2009, 9 feet by 12 feet, enamel on aluminum. – Courtesy Photo

My favorite work was “Orange Crush,” 2009, a massive nine-foot by 12-foot enamel on metal painting based on Minter’s “Green Pink Caviar” video from the same year. The video is a slow motion view of a gargantuan mouth sucking and slurping up liquefied candy from a glass plate (shot from below). The painting is provocative, suggestive, a color feast for the eyes. You have to step back to view such a large painting to appreciate the details, however, up close the texture and technique are still amazing. There are additional works featuring eyes covered in shimmering metallic make up; feet in high heels wrapped with shiny jewels and a red tongue covered in glistening black caviar.

“Black Orchid,” 2012, C-Print, Salon 94, Regen Projects. – Courtesy Photo

The artists’ photography is just as challenging as her videos and paintings – most of which revolve around the same themes. The stand out photo from the exhibit is “Black Orchid” from 2012, C-Print. The photo is of a woman’s face wearing dark blackberry lipstick shot behind a plate of glass with water streaming down in front of it. Unlike the paintings you have to view the photos from some distance otherwise you get a sense of the pixilation from the film that is absent in the analog and arguably more beautiful paintings. Gas up and go now!

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