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New work by Jim SchaNtz

Pucker Gallery • Boston

the Nature of reflectioN

Cover Image:Late Summer ReflectionOil on panel48 x 48"JMS674

Vermont Winter TreesPastel30 x 44"JMS665

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Nature’s constancy is a comforting salve in a perpetu-ally shifting material world of cultural change, tech-nological and industrial development, and political

turbulence. Change in nature is gradual, shifting impercep-tibly until hundreds of years pass and differences are visible, while the world of man has changed dramatically manifold times. Nature affords us a longer view of the universe, where we contemplate the meaningful questions of existence and lose our tight grip on the vagaries of daily life. Nature’s tranquil presence quiets our outward-looking, busy minds in favor of self-reflection and in turn, nature reflects our moods. Like us, nature can be bright and cheery, or angry and brooding. Like us, she can feel youthful and spry, or tired and aged. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his essay Nature (1836), “not the sun or the summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of mind, from breathless noon to grimmest midnight.” Those who have followed Berkshire-based painter Jim Schantz for the past thirty years will notice that this recent

body of work is itself an exercise in self-reflection. Some works are quintessential Schantz, some reflect his push in new directions, while still others evoke an earlier style. Though he has always been inspired by nature’s beauty, he has of late become even more drawn to its cosmic quality—its ability to hold a mirror to the human experience be-yond the limits of a specific place or time. Tending toward the Romantic glorification of nature’s magnificence over a need to impose order and rationality on her, Schantz’s newest works feel more intense and direct but never cross the threshold into turbulent or melancholic. Schantz has energized his palette and his brushstrokes but retains his ultimate optimism and is, as always, a champion of nature’s restorative capacity. Still present are the horizontal riverside reflections such as September Sundown Reflection (JMS657), in which layered and diffuse colors deftly express autumn’s warmth. The intense oranges and reds fluoresce from behind the trees and under the water, while the intense green leaves cling to the last vestiges of summer. Visit a tree-lined riv-

New work by Jim SchaNtzthe Nature of reflectioN

Cover Image:Late Summer ReflectionOil on panel48 x 48"JMS674

Post Storm SunsetPastel16 x 48 ¼"JMS663

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er or lake at sunset, and you will feel as if you inhabit one

of Schantz’s paintings, his ability to capture the look and

feel is so masterful. The composition’s symmetry, typical

of Schantz’s work, simultaneously evokes a sense of bal-

ance while creating an ever-diminishing and infinite focal

point. Schantz also continues to be an expert at evoking the

feeling of the seasons, as in Green River, Morning (JMS668),

whose symphony of mellifluous greens is so suggestive one

can almost smell the dew.

In other cases, Schantz has moved away from strict real-

ism, coaxing beauty out of the underlying abstract qualities

of color, shape and light in nature while preserving some

of the representational style that has traditionally charac-

terized his work. Schantz is using fewer photographic ref-

erences to compose his canvases; instead pictures serve as

points of departure, calling on his memory, suffusing works

with a more subjective quality. Working with oils on canvas

is more deliberate than drawing with pastel, and the me-

dium lends itself better to abstract explorations. Schantz

creates movement within stillness through varying brush-

strokes and shapes, juxtaposing horizontals with verticals,

allowing the sky to ripple in a circular motion around the

sun or moon, or evoking wind with swaying branches and

undulating lines. The bottom and top registers of Atlantic

Storm Study (JMS678) use the same vivid blue palette, but

are separated by the horizon’s narrow rosy blush, and dif-

September Sundown ReflectionOil on panel48 x 48"JMS657

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ferentiated by the fact that the long brushstrokes of the wa-

ter sweep from one edge of the canvas to the other, while

the short brushstrokes of the sky breezily swirl around.

This, and the pastel sky piece, Post Storm Sunset (JMS663),

are reminiscent of another line from Emerson’s Nature,

when he comments that “the western clouds divided and

subdivided themselves into pink flakes modulated with

tints of unspeakable softness; and the air had so much life

and sweetness, that it was a pain to come within doors.”

As part of his shift toward abstraction, Schantz focuses

several works on sky imagery alone. Known for his strong

interest in the river and water (a theme he continues to

use and still feels adeptly conveys nature’s universality), he

states that “the sky can take us out of the realm of a fixed lo-

cation and I like the ideal aspect of this subject.” The sky is a

metaphorical seat of repose for many religions, whether it is

called Heaven, Paradise or Nirvana, and in its ultimate mys-

teriousness it is egalitarian and universal. In Blue Mountain

Sunset Study (JMS676) we see what Shakespeare’s Hamlet re-

ferred to as “this majestical roof, fretted with golden fire,”

as sweeping orange and yellow bands radiate into blue and

violet spans, finishing in a clear aqua expanse.

In some cases, Schantz has returned to an earlier motif

where the sky is punctuated by the extending tentacles of

bare tree branches, as in Vermont Winter Trees (JMS665). The

soft and hazy violet sky and gentle cloud formations con-

trast sharply with the precise tree branches. Schantz had

moved away from this style in favor of more sweeping land-

scapes but has of late returned to the challenge of doing

detailed work in pastel, reveling in the tension that is cre-

ated between the diaphanous background and the object

in focus. Though seemingly austere, there is musicality to

the composition, and the figural branches seem to engage

in an energetic dance. Listening to Claude Debussy as he

works, Schantz channels the composer’s sensory sound,

and the contrast of the sky and tree in this painting reflects

elements of Debussy’s signature stark style.

In this body of work, Jim Schantz culls reflectively from

his thirty-year career, melding different media and balanc-

ing his traditional landscapes with fresh compositions—all

in homage to his steadfast muse. Nature has always been a

foil that reverberates with the artist’s moods and life ex-

periences. Emerson wrote in Nature that “in the tranquil

landscape, and especially in the distant line of the horizon,

man beholds somewhat as beautiful as his own nature.” As

viewers before Jim Schantz’s work, we see not only the tra-

jectory of the artist’s oeuvre but impressions from our own

lives, and we are given a quiet place in which to contem-

plate, relax and reflect.

—Jeanne V. Koles, September 2011

Jeanne Koles is an independent consultant who does writing, design, and project management for museums and the cultural sector in New England.

Blue Mountain Sunset StudyOil on panel17 ¾ x 23 ¾"JMS676

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Green River, Morning Pastel44 ¾ x 30 ½"JMS668

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Summer River, TwilightOil on panel20 x 72"JMS671

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Atlantic Storm StudyOil on panel16 x 16"JMS678

Storm Skyscape StudyOil on canvas10 x 20"JMS672

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Winter Tree, VerticalPastel44 x 30"JMS664

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Winter Pines, SunsetPastel21 x 48"JMS669

Housatonic August SunsetOil on panel12 x 24"JMS680

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Winter Pines, SunsetPastel21 x 48"JMS669

Tiepolo SunsetOil on canvas48 x 48"JMS670

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Full Moon RiverPastel38 x 30 ½"JMS666

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Twilight Crescent Reflection (Housatonic Series)Oil on canvas24 x 24"JMS659

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Summer River, DuskPastel38 ¼ x 25"JMS667

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Spring Twilight CrescentOil on canvas20 x 10"JMS673

Halfmoon ReflectionOil on canvas12 x 12"JMS654

Summer Dawn Oil on canvas6 x 12"JMS658

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Autumnal ReflectionOil on canvas20 x 20"JMS677

Moonlight StudyOil on panel8 x 8"JMS660 Autumn River, Sunset

Oil on canvas12 x 12"JMS661

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1955 Born in Perth Amboy, NJ

EDuCATION1981 MFA, university of California, Davis, CA1980 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture,

Skowhegan, ME

1978 Brooklyn Museum School, Brooklyn, NY1977 BFA, magna cum laude, Syracuse university, Syracuse, NY1975-1976 Hornsey School of Art, London, England

TEACHINg2007-2008 Learning Leader Volunteer, Brandeis High School, New

York, NY2006 Visiting Lecturer, Kaye College, Beersheba, Israel1992-2007 Interlaken School of Art, Stockbridge, MA1992-1994 Westfield State College, Westfield, MA1991 Bard College at Simon’s Rock, great Barrington, MA1987 Russell Sage College, Albany, NY1982-1998 Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, MA1981-1982 Assistant Professor, California State College, Stanislaus,

Turlock, CA

gRANTS AND AWARDSFinalist, Massachusetts Council of the Arts FellowshipArtist in Residence grant, Massachusetts Cultural CouncilResearch Fellowship, university of California, Davis, CATeaching Fellowship, university of California, Davis, CASkowhegan Scholarship, Skowhegan School of Art, Skowhegan, MEFord Foundation grant, Syracuse university, Syracuse, NYRoswell g. Hill Award for Excellence in Painting, Syracuse university, Syracuse, NYForeign Study Scholarship, Syracuse university, Syracuse, NY

SELECTED ExHIBITIONS2012 Pucker gallery, Boston, MA2011 Harrison gallery, Williamstown, MA2010 Pucker gallery, Boston, MA

Pamatnik Terezin, Czech Republic2009 Sanford Smith gallery, great Barrington, MA

Argazzi Fine Art, Lakeville, CT2008 Pucker gallery, Boston, MA

Cavalier gallery, New York, NY2007 Banff Art Center, Leighton Studio, Banff, Alberta, Canada

Harrison gallery, Williamstown, MA2006 Pucker gallery, Boston, MA2004 Art Complex Museum, Duxbury, MA

Harrison gallery, Williamstown, MA John Natsoulas gallery, Davis, CA Pucker gallery, Boston, MA

2003 Harrison gallery, Williamstown, MA New Arts gallery, Litchfield, CT

2002 Pucker gallery, Boston, MA2001 Harrison gallery, Williamstown, MA

Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA2000 Pucker gallery, Boston, MA1999 Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY

New Arts gallery, Litchfield, CT1998 Pucker gallery, Boston, MA1997 Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA

Holsten galleries, Stockbridge, MA Simon gallery, Morristown, NJ Springfield Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA

1996 Berkshire gallery, great Barrington, MA Bridgewater/Lustberg gallery, New York, NY Rosenfield gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1995 Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA Pucker gallery, Boston, MA Schenectady Art Museum, Schenectady, NY Springfield Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA

1994 Holsten galleries, Stockbridge, MA Springfield Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA

1993 Arno Maris gallery, Westfield State College, Westfield, MA Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA Pucker gallery, Boston, MA

1992 Heritage State Park Museum, Holyoke, MA Holsten galleries, Stockbridge, MA Pucker gallery, Boston, MA

1991 Art Complex Museum, Duxbury, MA Holsten galleries, Stockbridge, MA Pucker Safrai gallery, Boston, MA Teikyo Post university, Waterbury, CT

1990 Pucker Safrai gallery, Boston, MA Rice gallery, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY

1989 Frank Bernaducci gallery, New York, NY Pucker Safrai gallery, Boston, MA Rice gallery, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY

1988 Pucker Safrai gallery, Boston, MA Simon’s Rock College, great Barrington, MA

1987 Holsten galleries, Stockbridge, MA Rice gallery, Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY Worcester Polytechnical Institute, Worcester, MA

1986 Ruth Siegel gallery, New York, NY1985 Clark-Whitney gallery, Lenox, MA

Westenhook gallery, Sheffield, MA1984 Stockbridge gallery, Stockbridge, MA1983 Adam L. gimbel gallery, New York, NY

Haber-Theodore gallery, New York, NY1982 California State College, Stanislaus, Turlock, CA

Dana Reich gallery, San Francisco, CA1981 gorman Museum, university of California, Davis, CA1978 Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY

BiographyJim SchaNtz

Autumnal ReflectionOil on canvas20 x 20"JMS677

Autumn River, SunsetOil on canvas12 x 12"JMS661

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SELECTED PuBLIC COLLECTIONSArt Complex Museum, Duxbury, MAChildren’s Hospital, Chicago, ILThe Boston Company, Boston, MACitizen’s Bank, Boston, MACongregation Kehillath Israel, Brookline, MADana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MAEverett Jewish Life Center, Chautauqua, NYFidelity Investments Corporation, Boston, MAFirst Albany Corporation, Albany, NYFleet Bank, Western Massachusetts, Springfield, MAThe Jerusalem Foundation, New York, NYLowe Art Museum, Syracuse university, Syracuse, NYMemorial Library, university of California, Davis, CAMount Saint Benedict Priory, Erie, PANelson Museum, university of California, Davis, CANorman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MAPamatnik, Terezin, Czech RepublicPost university, Waterbury, CTRose Art Museum, Brandeis university, Waltham, MASchick gallery, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NYSimon’s Rock of Bard College, great Barrington, MATufts university, Medford, MAuniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst, MAWilliams College Museum, Williamstown, MA

PROJECTS AND COLLABORATIONSHawthorne String Quartet, music and art collaboration, Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood, Stockbridge, MA, August 2009Hawthorne String Quartet, music and art collaboration, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, March 2008Hawthorne String Quartet, music and art collaboration, u.S. Ambassador’s Residence, Prague, Czech Republic, September 2007Places of the Spirit: The Holy Land, CD collaboration with flutist Paula Robison to benefit the Jerusalem Foundation, Spring 2007Hawthorne String Quartet, music and art collaboration, gasson Hall, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, April 2007Hawthorne String Quartet, music and art collaboration, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, great Barrington, MA, March 2006Places of the Spirit, CD collaboration with flutist Paula Robison to benefit the Camphill Foundation, Spring 2003

Biography continued

IN APPRECIATIONI would like to thank Bernie and Sue Pucker for all their support and encouragement. This year marks the 25th anniversary of our special relationship. Throughout the years the Puckers have shown a rare commitment not only to the arts, but have set the example of helping others in all aspects of life. I feel very fortunate and honored to have the opportunity to know Bernie and Sue and be represented by their gallery.

Thank you to Liz Burgess and the staff of Pucker gallery for all their excellent work. Special thanks to Justine Choi for facilitating the production of this catalogue and exhibition and to Jeanne Koles for her thoughtful essay.

Finally, thank you to my wife Kim and our ever growing family for all their love, creativity and inspiration.

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CREDITS: Design: Leslie Anne FeagleyEditors: Justine H. Choi and Mari SilipoPhotography: Cassandra Sohn and Keith McWilliams

© 2012, Pucker galleryPrinted in China by Cross Blue Overseas Printing Company

Blue Mountain Sunset Oil on canvas26 x 72"JMS675

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New work by Jim SchaNtz

the Nature of reflectioN

Pucker Gallery171 Newbury Street • Boston, ma 02116Phone: 617.267.9473 • fax: 617.424.9759e-mail: contactus@puckergallery.com

to view this catalogue and other Gallery publications and to experience an audio tour of the exhibition, please visit www.puckergallery.com.

Gallery hourS:monday through Saturday 10:00 am to 5:30 pmSunday 10:30 am to 5:00 pm

we offer one free hour of validated parking at the 200 Newbury Street Garage. the garage driving entrance is located on exeter Street between Newbury and Boylston Streets. the nearest mBta stop is copley Station on the Green line.

Pucker Gallery is a member of the Boston art Dealers’ association and the New england appraisers association.

chaNGe ServiceS requeSteD.

DATES: 4 February to 26 March 2012OPENINg RECEPTION: 4 February 2012, 3:00 to 6:00 pmThe public is invited to attend. The artist will be present.

After the StormOil on canvas30 x 72”JMS679