James Rosenquist ‘Rembrandt’s World’prod-images.exhibit-e.com/... · James Rosenquist, F-111,...
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104 April 2012 ARTnews reviews: new york James Rosenquist Museum of Modern Art Through July 30 Wrapping James Rosenquist’s mesmeriz- ing F-111 (1964–65) around the inside of a specially constructed gallery, MoMA re-created the pioneering Pop artist’s first solo exhibition at Leo Castelli’s origi- nal uptown gallery space. The 86-foot-long work was painted on 23 panels, installed close together like tiles. Made to cover the gallery’s four walls, the work unfolds like an oversize Japanese narrative screen, telling a story of beauty, consumption, and violence. The title refers to an experimental war- plane being built at the time the painting was made, “an already obsolete fighter plane,” as Rosenquist explained in his autobiography, “a monstrous vacuum cleaner for taxes.” The painting begins with tacky floral patterns rolled over aluminum and a section of a red airplane. Next, part of an enormous Firestone tire looms over an angel-food cake decorated with flags identifying the nutrients it contains. Ambiguous neon areas of orange, red, and turquoise lead to three giant light- bulbs. A fork arises from some noodles, and a red-lipped blond child sits under a reflective silver hood dryer that resem- bles a pilot’s helmet. Uniting images of modern hedonistic pleasure with sym- bols of technology and conflict, F-111 was created at the dawn of widespread protest against the escalating Vietnam War. To Rosenquist, the painting repre- sented a fighter bomber “flying through the flak of consumer society.” In spite of the seduction of its lusciously toxic Day-Glo colors and creamy paint, the piece is really an indictment of the mid- dle class’s acceptance of the war indus- try that fueled their prosperity. —Elisabeth Kley ‘Rembrandt’s World’ Morgan Library & Museum Through April 29 This spectacular show, subtitled “Dutch Drawings from the Clement C. Moore Collection,” roundly contradicts its own title: the world of Dutch drawing is not exclusively Rem- brandt’s. It belongs to the more workaday geniuses here, includ- ing Jacob de Gheyn II, Anthonie Waterloo, Abraham Bloemaert, Daniel Bailly, Cornelis Visscher, Hans and Ferdinand Bol, and Herman Saftleven. Rembrandt was a genius on a cosmic scale; these men stood in the ambigu- ous space where the artist was still linked to the artisan. They gave the public just what it wanted—Dutch perspectives on Dutch life, celebrations of Hol- land as a landscape and habitat of a people eager to engage with their world, be it in commerce or play. “God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland,” as an old saying goes. Take Jacob de Gheyn II, who produced engravings, paintings, etchings, and 1,500 drawings. He is represented here by a striking river scene and one of the original drawings for the military manual The Exercise of Armes, published simultaneously in Dutch and English. The book consists of 117 depictions of sol- diers handling various weapons, the im- ages that would inspire Watteau at the latter end of the 17th century. De Gheyn’s meticulous attention to detail transforms the abstract man-at-arms of the manual into a real person. The translation of drawings into prints created an art economy that was not governed by aristocrats or wealthy pa- trons. It is probably the case that Bloe- maert’s or Waterloo’s etchings are more familiar to us today than are their draw- ings or paintings. This combination of unique and multiple works of art is even more striking in the case of Hendrik Goltzius, the quintessential Mannerist. The Moore Collection, reversing our ex- pectations, presents him as a naturalistic artist, with a circa 1600 portrait of a boy, a tiny masterpiece. Another Mannerist, Bloemaert, represented here by several images, also moves into a more naturalis- tic mode with his Danaë Receiving the Golden Rain (ca. 1610). The beauty of this nude explains why Zeus would metamorphose into a shower of gold: her loveliness is that of a real woman, not the twisted, elongated figures of Man- nerist hysteria. UP NOW UP NOW James Rosenquist, F-111, 1964-65, oil on canvas with aluminum, 23 sections, 10' x 86', installation view. Museum of Modern Art. GIFT OF MR. AND MRS. ALEX L. HILLMAN AND LILLIE P. BLISS BEQUEST (BOTH BY EXCHANGE)/©2012 JAMES ROSENQUIST/LICENSED BY VAGA, NEW YORK/PHOTO JONATHAN MUZIKAR Hendrik Goltzius, Portrait of a Smiling Young Boy, ca. 1600, pen and brown ink, 3 7 /8" x 3". Morgan Library & Museum. Copyright 2012 ARTnews LLC 48 W 38th St NY NY 10018. Not for reprint.
Transcript of James Rosenquist ‘Rembrandt’s World’prod-images.exhibit-e.com/... · James Rosenquist, F-111,...
104 April 2012 ARTnews
reviews: new york
James RosenquistMuseum of Modern ArtThrough July 30Wrapping James Rosenquist’s mesmeriz-ing F-111 (1964–65) around the inside ofa specially constructed gallery, MoMAre-created the pioneering Pop artist’sfirst solo exhibition at Leo Castelli’s origi-nal uptown gallery space. The 86-foot-long work was painted on
23 panels, installed close together liketiles. Made to cover the gallery’s fourwalls, the work unfolds like an oversizeJapanese narrative screen, telling a storyof beauty, consumption, and violence.The title refers to an experimental war-plane being built at the time the paintingwas made, “an already obsolete fighterplane,” as Rosenquist explained in hisautobiography, “a monstrous vacuumcleaner for taxes.” The painting begins with tacky floral
patterns rolled over aluminum and asection of a red airplane. Next, part ofan enormous Firestone tire looms overan angel-food cake decorated with flagsidentifying the nutrients it contains.Ambiguous neon areas of orange, red,and turquoise lead to three giant light-bulbs. A fork arises from some noodles,and a red-lipped blond child sits under areflective silver hood dryer that resem-bles a pilot’s helmet. Uniting images ofmodern hedonistic pleasure with sym-bols of technology and conflict, F-111was created at the dawn of widespreadprotest against the escalating VietnamWar. To Rosenquist, the painting repre-sented a fighter bomber “flying through
the flak of consumer society.” In spite ofthe seduction of its lusciously toxicDay-Glo colors and creamy paint, thepiece is really an indictment of the mid-dle class’s acceptance of the war indus-try that fueled their prosperity.
—Elisabeth Kley
‘Rembrandt’sWorld’Morgan Library & MuseumThrough April 29This spectacular show, subtitled “DutchDrawings from the Clement C. MooreCollection,” roundly contradictsits own title: the world of Dutchdrawing is not exclusively Rem-brandt’s. It belongs to the moreworkaday geniuses here, includ-ing Jacob de Gheyn II, AnthonieWaterloo, Abraham Bloemaert,Daniel Bailly, Cornelis Visscher,Hans and Ferdinand Bol, andHerman Saftleven. Rembrandtwas a genius on a cosmic scale;these men stood in the ambigu-ous space where the artist wasstill linked to the artisan. Theygave the public just what itwanted—Dutch perspectives onDutch life, celebrations of Hol-land as a landscape and habitat ofa people eager to engage withtheir world, be it in commerce orplay. “God made the world, butthe Dutch made Holland,” as anold saying goes. Take Jacob de Gheyn II, who
produced engravings, paintings, etchings,and 1,500 drawings. He is representedhere by a striking river scene and one ofthe original drawings for the militarymanual The Exercise of Armes, publishedsimultaneously in Dutch and English. Thebook consists of 117 depictions of sol-diers handling various weapons, the im-ages that would inspire Watteau at thelatter end of the 17th century. DeGheyn’s meticulous attention to detailtransforms the abstract man-at-arms ofthe manual into a real person. The translation of drawings into prints
created an art economy that was notgoverned by aristocrats or wealthy pa-trons. It is probably the case that Bloe-maert’s or Waterloo’s etchings are morefamiliar to us today than are their draw-ings or paintings. This combination ofunique and multiple works of art is evenmore striking in the case of HendrikGoltzius, the quintessential Mannerist.The Moore Collection, reversing our ex-pectations, presents him as a naturalisticartist, with a circa 1600 portrait of a boy,a tiny masterpiece. Another Mannerist,Bloemaert, represented here by severalimages, also moves into a more naturalis-tic mode with his Danaë Receiving theGolden Rain (ca. 1610). The beauty ofthis nude explains why Zeus wouldmetamorphose into a shower of gold: herloveliness is that of a real woman, notthe twisted, elongated figures of Man-nerist hysteria.
UP NOW
UP NOW
James Rosenquist, F-111, 1964-65, oil on canvas with aluminum, 23 sections, 10' x 86', installation view.Museum of Modern Art.
GIFT OF MR. A
ND MRS. A
LEX L. HILLM
AN AND LILLIE P. B
LISS
BEQUEST (BOTH
BY EXC
HANGE)/©
2012 JAMES
ROSENQUIST/LICENSED BY VAGA, N
EW YORK/PHOTO
JONATHAN
MUZIKAR
Hendrik Goltzius, Portrait of a Smiling Young Boy, ca. 1600, pen and brown ink, 37⁄8" x 3". Morgan Library & Museum.
*NY Revs Apr 2012_Layout 1 3/1/12 5:32 PM Page 3
Copyright 2012 ARTnews LLC 48 W 38th St NY NY 10018. Not for reprint.
