Where do artists find imagery to convey transcendent meaning in a secular, urban world? At the Red Barn Art Center, within a stone’s throw of the Rhyolite ghost town, answers abound. Many artists are still attracted to nature and music, perennial sources of spiritual nourishment; others to Renaissance depictions of the Gospel stories and medieval symbolism; while yet others find a transcendent reality in humble objects. Which source is the richest vein of spiritual gold?
The new exhibit at Red Barn, Out of Print, attempts to answer these questions by bringing together a series of drawings, including relief prints and lithographs, from 25 Utah artists.
Bruce Smith’s lithograph “Bait (The Woman Taken in Adultery)” is based on a story from the Gospel of John. The Pharisees try to trap Jesus into contradicting the Law of Moses, which commands that an adulteress be stoned. Jesus replies, “Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone.” Rembrandt’s etching of the story is well-known. Smith, rather than challenge the master of facial expression and gesture, applies slashes of vibrant color to faceless figures and reserves chalk white for Jesus, forming a powerful emotional contrast.
Peter Myer’s lithograph “He Was Cut Off Out of the Land of the Living” is a depiction of the crucifixion. Inspired by Handel’s Messiah, the familiar image is cropped to create a stark modernistic composition. A vertical beam of light enters the body of Christ and dissolves his skull into a circle of light whose shape is echoed in the dark red sun. His upper arms and shoulders are twisted and gnarled, strangely like the crown of thorns suggesting the body equals pain.
Susan Makov’s “Lamentation” is based on Giotto’s early Renaissance painting that depicts the mourning of angels and disciples over the dead body of Jesus. She substitutes a well-fed, self-satisfied cat with bird in mouth for the figures, while darting birds stand in for the hysterical angels. As she explains, “Instead of humanizing sacred personalities, I chose to depict the human qualities of a cat and the animal qualities of humans.”
Wulf Barsch is also serious about finding spiritual meaning in a secular world—the title of his lithograph is “I Tego Arcana Dei,” which translates as “Be gone! I contain the secrets of God”—but his slick Art Deco style, associated more with home decorating than religious iconography, undermines his purpose. Barsch depicts a tangerine-colored room with tall French doors looking out on a tropical scene cast in indigo blue hues. He intends the doors to separate “the harsh human-made world” from the “kingdom of God,” but I didn’t find any harshness or enlightenment, only complementary colors.
Using a harmonious palette of muted orange, yellow, and turquoise, Connie Borup’s lithograph “Stand of Trees” conveys the reverence she has for the land. Growing up in rural Utah, she established an early bond with nature, particularly trees, her favorite subject. Her trees, seen at dusk, lose detail to become forms and shapes and foreground rills and grasses are suggested by loose washes and staccato dabs of color.
Like Borup, David Dornan is a skilled painter who works in a realistic style. His compositions are typically chock full of objects, but his lithograph is sparse—a baby-food jar with a conical spout, the precise outline of which is in contrast to a layer of splatter, à la Jackson Pollock. His fascination with containers as stand-ins for our own carapaces imbues them with personality and weightiness that far exceeds their small size and function.
For me the most effective works were the least portentous. The Gospel stories still have an appeal to basic human emotions, but the ancient symbolism that attracts some artists has lost its meaning for most of us. I suggest you visit the Red Barn late in the afternoon, then at dusk stroll through Rhyolite as the skeletal remains of a once-booming town are silhouetted against the darkening sky; and you will see how the subtleties of light and color can turn the most ordinary scene or object into an extraordinary sight.
Out of Print
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Through June 15
Red Barn Art Center
Goldwell Open Air Museum
Beatty, Nevada
goldwellmuseum.org