William Christenberry. Tracing a Line

Transcription

1 William Christenberry Tracing a Line

2 Southern Tree IV, January 1999 Black gesso on paper Drawing, 1964 Pencil and colored pencil on paper Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation Tree, February 5, 2003 Above: Untitled, August 28, 2006, ink and colored pencil on paper, Above: Southern Mounument VI, , wood, gourds, metal, paint, Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation Providence Church, 1976, mixed media construction, Lent by the artist Cover: Palmist Hand, , mixed media on paper

3 William Christenberry Tracing a Line The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts presents William Christenberry: Tracing a Line, the first significant exhibition to focus specifically on the artist s drawings and how they relate to his overall body of work. While past exhibitions and publications have explored Christenberry s (American, born 1936) photographs and sculptures, this touring exhibition is the first to elucidate the importance of drawing in the artist s process illuminating his varied approaches to his subjects and themes. He states, My work as an artist includes drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography. Each medium is a part of the total expression of my deep feelings about where I m from, and about how I care about how we as human beings leave our touches, positively and negatively, on the things around us. In 1960, William Christenberry chanced upon a copy of James Agee and Walker Evans landmark study of rural life in the Great Depression, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men (1941). Evans ( ) photographs capture a place Christenberry knew well, Hale County, Alabama near where both sets of his grandparents lived. Although he moved to Washington D.C. in the 1960s he simultaneously began the practice of making yearly pilgrimages back to his home state of Alabama. He recorded changes from year to year while exploring the intersection of time and memory as a way to expresses my life, where I m from and what I care about and react to. To make his photographs, sculptures, and paintings, Christenberry began with drawings as a way to sketch his ideas before working with other processes. Drawing is the only medium he has worked in consistently since the beginning of his career, and his earliest memories include drawing. Christenberry s drawings incorporate immediacy unseen in his well-known photographs. The gestural movement, spare lines, and sure strokes of ink forms on paper made with pens, brushes, chopsticks convey the exploration of time and memory that encompass all of his works. As seen in William Christenberry: Tracing a Line, an examination of the role of Christenberry s drawings along with its ties to his work in photography, sculpture, and painting allows for a compressive picture of Christenberry s artistic process to emerge. Left, Top to Bottom: Tree, August 2, 2005, German ink and colored pencil on pastel paper, Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C. Memory Form, January 1995, stick and ink on Amalfi paper, Grave Study, September 2, 1997, wax crayon and ink on paper, Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation Side of Building with Palmist Sign Havana, Alabama, Negative 1971, printed 1980, color photograph on paper, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Association Purchase,

4 Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Blount Cultural Park One Museum Drive Montgomery, AL

5 William Christenberry : Tracing a Line William Christenberry: Tracing a Line, an exhibition organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, features the first comprehensive look at the how drawing formed a major part of Christenberry's artistic process and a relatively unknown aspect of his body of work. Christenberry's drawings incorporate immediacy unseen in his well-known photographs. The gestural movement, spare lines, and sure strokes of ink forms on paper made with pens, brushes, and other implements such as chopsticks convey the exploration of time and memory that encompass all of his works. As seen in William Christenberry: Tracing a Line, direct links tie Christenberry's drawings to his work in photography, painting, and sculpture demonstrating his desire to explore his themes through a variety of media. Dates Available for tour Venue 1 December 2015 February 2016 Venue 2 March May 2016 Venue 3 June August 2016 Participation Fee: $18,000 Exhibition period: 10 weeks Number of works: 65 Drawings, photographs, and sculptures Shipping: Pro-rated Brochure: A beautifully illustrated color publication will be published by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts to accompany the exhibition, and will include an essay by Jennifer Jankauskas, Curator of Art at MMFA. The participation fee includes 250 copies of this publication. To reserve your booking or to request additional information, contact either: Jennifer Jankauskas Curator of Art Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts jjankauskas@mmfa.org Sarah Puckitt Collections Information Specialist Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts spuckitt@mmfa.org

6 William Christenberry: Tracing a Line Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Working Checklist Early Drawings 1. Self Portrait, 1959 Pencil, ball point pen on paper 26 3/8 x 21 1/4 in. framed 2. Drawing, 1961 Pencil, colored pencil on paper 26 1/2 x 21 1/4 in. framed 3. Drawing, 1961 Pencil, ball point pen on paper 24 3/4 x 22 7/8 in. framed 4. The Eye is a Spider, 1962 Pencil on paper 25 x 21 1/8 in. framed 5. Sketch book, 1963 Pencil and colored pencil on paper 8 x 10 in. (open) 6. Untitled, 1964 Pencil and oil pastel on paper 22 x 18 1/2 in.

7 7. Drawing, 1964 Pencil and colored pencil on paper 22 x 18 7/16 in. framed 8. Drawing, 1964 Pencil, colored pencil on paper 22 x 18 1/2 in. framed 9. Drawing, 1964 Graphite on architectural print mounted on board 37 x 29 1/4 in. framed 10. Working Drawing for Advertisement, 1967 Graphite on paper Approximately 30 x 22 in. Graves 11. Study for "the Grave", 1963 Pencil on paper 25 3/8 x 31 1/4 in. framed Lent by the John and Maxine Collection of the John and Maxine Belger Family Foundation 12. Grave with Stone Markers, /4 x 10 1/8 in.

8 13. Grave, August /4 x 10 1/8 in. 14. Grave Study, September 2, 1997 Wax crayon and ink on paper 10 1/4 x 13 3/4 in. Landscape Drawings 15. Kudzu and Road, x 13 1/4 in. 16. Palmist Hand, Mixed media on paper 37 1/2 x 47 7/8 in. framed 17. TB Hicks' Store, 1994 Ink and graphite on paper 14 x 18 in. 18. Silo in Landscape, August x 18 in. 19. Burned Tree in Landscape, February /4 x 17 1/4 in.

9 Memory Forms 20. Memory Form, January 1995 Stick and ink on Amalfi paper 9 1/4 x 13 in. 21. Memory Form, x 20 in. 22. Memory Form, 1997 Ink and graphite on paper 13 x 9 in. Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C. 23. Memory Form in Thicket, 1998 Sumi brush, black and blue ink, and graphite 20 1/2 x 16 3/4 in. (frame size, image size 10 x 8 1/2 in.) 24. Untitled, 2004 (Memory Form) Print 30 x 23 in. Trees 25. Tree, n.d. 10 x 12 in. 26. Night Tree, (February 25, no year) Blue and yellow ink on sandpaper 20 x 16 in.

10 27. Tree, n.d. Blue and yellow ink on sandpaper 20 x 16 in. 28. Gourd Tree, 1980 Watercolor and graphite 30 x 40 in. 29. Southern Tree IV, January 1999 Black gesso on paper 45 x 37 in. (frame size, 40 x 32 in. paper) 30. Southern Tree XI, March 1, x 32 in. 31. Southern Tree, x 14 in. Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C. 32. Untitled, January 17, 2000 Graphite on paper 40 x 32 in. 33. Studio Gourd Tree II, May 22, 2000 Black ink on paper 40 x 32 in.

11 34. Southern Tree, May 2001 Purple and tan ink on paper 13 x 14 3/4 in. Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C. 35. Winter Chinaberry Tree, February 2002 Black and white ink on paper 40 x 32 in. 36. Southern Tree, July 25, /2 x 37 in. 37. Dartmouth, January 18 (or 19?), x 37 in. 38. Untitled, January 30, x 32 in. 39. Untitled (Dartmouth), February 1, x 41 in.

12 40. Tree, February 5, x 21 1/2 in. 41. Tree, x 11 in. Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C. 42. Tree, July 26, 2005 Ink and colored pencil on paper 14 x 11 in. 43. Tree, August 2, 2005 German ink and colored pencil on pastel paper 28 x 20 in. Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C. 44. Night Tree, February 16, 2006 Yellow ink on sandpaper 20 x 16 in. Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C. 45. Tree, March 1, 2006 White ink on red paper 20 x 16 in. 46. Untitled, August 28, 2006 Ink and colored pencil on paper 8 x 10 in.

13 47. Untitled, February x 32 in. 48. Untitled, February 16, 2007 Black ink on paper 25 1/2 x 18 1/4 in. 49. Southern Tree, March 13, x 32 in. Photographs 50. Kudzu Vintage dye transfer print 30 x 25 in. 51. Tenant House, near Havana, Alabama, Negative 1961, printed 2002 Color photograph on paper 3 1/4 in. x 5 in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander, Grave, Stewart, Alabama, Negative 1962, printed 1996 Color photograph on paper 3 1/4 in. x 3 3/8 in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander, Tenant House on Mills' Hill, near Moundville, Alabama, Negative 1964, printed 2002 Color photograph on paper 3 1/8 in. x 5 in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander,

14 54. Grave, Stewart, Alabama (Windy Day), Negative 1964, printed 2003 Color photograph on paper 3 1/4 in. x 3 1/8 in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander, Side of Building with Palmist Sign Havana, Alabama, Negative 1971, printed 1980 Color photograph on paper 3 1/8 in. x 4 7/8 in. Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts Association Purchase, T.B. Hick's Store, Newbern, Alabama, Negative 1973, printed 1996 Color photograph on paper 3 1/8 in. x 4 7/8 in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Friedlander, Rebel Gas, Color photograph on paper Approximately 14 x 11 in. 58. Gourd Tree, Near Akron, Alabama, 1981, printed 1981 Vintage dye transfer print 20 x 24 in. Exhibition Print Lent by Hemphill Gallery, Washington, D.C. Sculpture 59. Providence Church, 1976 Mixed-media construction 22 in. x 23 in. x 30 in.

15 60. Southern Monument VI, Wood, gourds, metal, paint 20 1/4 x 16 x 16 in. 61. Rebel Gas, 1984 Balsa wood, Plexiglas, red soil, paint, metal, and paper 37 x 24 x 3 in. 62. View of Southern Monument XXII, 1989 Steel, wood, paint, mixed media, red soil Monument form: 22 x 12 x 12 in.; tray: 3 x 24 1/2 x 24 1/2 in.; pedestal 36 x 24 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. Private Collection, Washington, D.C. 63. Memory Form V, 1999 Construction board, encaustic, tacks, balsa wood, wood 12 1/4 x 33 x 11 in. 64. Black & White Memory Form, 2000 Archival board, wood, encaustic, paint 8 1/4 x 22 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. 65. Sprott Church (Memory), 2005 Mixed-media assemblage 45 x 72 x 60 in.