Reflections on the Art Scene during 2022
Text by Ed Voves
Original Photography by Anne Lloyd
If it is possible to savor the events of a year like a fine wine, then 2022 was truly a vintage experience for Art Eyewitness. Indeed, the number of outstanding exhibitions was so great, especially during the final quarter of the year, that several reviews are still waiting to be posted.
During 2022, Art Eyewitness covered outstanding exhibitions of the work of Sean Scully, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, Winold Reiss, Hans Holbein, Maxfield Parrish, Henri Matisse and Amedeo Modigliani. Just to name a few.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Edward Hopper's New York exhibit at the Whitney Museum, New York City
2022 was also a year to celebrate great institutions. December 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the Barnes Foundation; November was the 20th year since the Neue Galerie opened its welcoming doors to art lovers eager to see beloved works of German and Austrian art like Gustav Klimt's The Woman in Gold.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Barnes Foundation, showing Henri Matisse's The Dance mural, 1932-33.
The Barnes Foundation and the Neue Galerie have provided many memorable "art moments" and Art Eyewitness essays celebrating them will be forthcoming in the new year.Ironically, the most significant Art Eyewitness encounter with great art during 2022 took place in a train station rather than a museum gallery.
This "learning experience" occurred on November 19th, the Saturday of the Philadelphia Marathon weekend. Oblivious of the scheduled race, my wife, Anne, and I ventured to downtown Philadelphia for an early morning photo shoot.
To our surprise, all of our return bus connections were cancelled or redirected because of the Marathon. To get home, we had to travel via train from 30th Street Station.
Living in Philadelphia, Anne and I are no strangers to 30th Street Station. In the main concourse of 30th Street is an imposing monument to the employees of the Pennsylvania Railroad company who were killed during World War II. Incredibly, the names of 1,307 men from the "Pennsy" are listed on the bronze plaques at the base of the statue. Think of it, 1,307 human lives lost to war, all workers from just one company!
From atop the base of the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial, rises The Angel of the Resurrection. This 28-foot bronze sculpture depicts St. Michael the Archangel embracing the soul of a dead soldier or seaman, one of the casualties of the second "War to end all Wars."
This deeply moving work of art was sculpted by Walker Hancock (1901–1998), long-time instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Hancock, one of the "Monuments Men" who helped save works of art stolen by the Nazis, created a masterpiece which literally halts one in their tracks - if you take the time to stop and look.
That's the problem with Hancock's Angel of the Resurrection. The angel looms-up over the vast concourse, its wings folded behind, cradling the soul of the dead G.I. And we - whose freedom was safeguarded by this sacrifice - rush by the statue to hail a taxi or run for a bus.
The light bathing the two figures set the left side of the statue aglow. The bronze wing, facial features, the robed figure of the angel and the nude torso of the slain warrior were caressed by the southern light, contrasting with the veil of shadows on the opposite side. This incredible contrast, almost conflict, between light and dark, calls to mind a state of war and the ultimate sacrifice of the citizen soldiers whose names appear below.
The shock-effect of viewing Walker Hancock's Angel of the Resurrection was made even more profound when we looked at the photos Anne took. Being "in the right place, at the right time" assumed a deeper significance with later reflection. This effect keeps on increasing in the vein of thought and feeling, the more we think and feel about it.
In short, the attention-grabbing sight of The Angel of the Resurrection on a Saturday morning in November 2022 perfectly illustrates the "Art Moment." From the retina of our eye to our brain to our soul, Art becomes part of our lives.
The year 2022 brought quite a few of these moments, along with the joy of returning to art museums and galleries, enjoying the company of fellow art lovers and observing their evident pleasure.
Over and over again, Anne and I encountered large, enthusiastic crowds in the galleries. The long lines of visitors waiting to see the Matisse in the 1930's exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, during the Christmas-New Year holiday week, was truly a sight to behold.
We especially noted large numbers of children and young people in the galleries during 2022. I was particularly touched to see a dad explaining a painting to a very-young art lover at the Whitney Museum's Edward Hopper’s New York exhibition (October 19, 2022–March 5, 2023).
Crowded galleries were also a feature of the Met's long-awaited exhibit, The Tudors: Art and Majesty. But the sight of a young woman, deep in thought before a portrait of the much maligned monarch, Queen Mary, is one of the most vivid memories I have of this memorable exhibition.
Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Gallery view of The Tudors: Art and Majesty
In many ways, the Metropolitan Museum of Art set the tone for 2022 with a major exhibition, earlier in the year, Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents. The exhibit later traveled to the National Gallery in London.
Born in Boston, Winslow Homer (1836-1910) first made his mark as an artist for popular magazines like Harper's Weekly shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. From being a talented recorder of current events, Homer immortalized America's "new birth of freedom."
The drawings Homer made at the battle front and the paintings he produced on his return are some of the most important visual records of the Civil War. The 1861-65 conflict marked Homer for life - even his lyrical paintings of children produced in the years afterward were a reaction to the horror of the war.
The aftershock of the Civil War and the difficult realities of life during the Gilded Age infused Homer's oeuvre. His seascapes were beset by storms and shipwrecks, culminating in The Gulf Stream (1899).
This painting of the stoical courage of an African-American sailor in the face of calamity anchored the Met's exhibit. There seldom was a time during my two visits to Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents when there was not a throng of fascinated visitors grouped before it.
Adversity is a feature of all great artists' lives, usually at the beginning of their careers, with a "dry" period after some hard-earned success. That was certainly true of Henri Matisse during the late 1920's. While his paintings were earning him a comfortable income, Matisse was increasingly condemned by his fellow Modernists for producing "play safe" works recalling Old Masters like Ingres.
Matisse in the 1930's at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (October 20, 2022–January 29, 2023) details the great French master's decade-long campaign of reinvention. The curators of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the two French museums where the exhibition will travel later in 2023 collected a huge array of signature Matisse "Thirties" paintings but also works of sculpture, drawings for limited edition books and set designs for the ballet.
Art lovers able to come to Philly for Matisse in the 1930's have the opportunity to see the key work of Matisse's "decisive" decade, which will not be travelling to France. This is the mural, The Dance, created for Dr. Albert Barnes. It's on view - permanently - at the Barnes Foundation, a couple blocks from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Also on view at the Barnes is the exhibit, Modigliani Up Close. This examination of Modigliani's brief career did not stress his personal difficulties and private demons - of which he had many. Instead, the curators analyzed Modigliani's technique and his use of blocks of limestone, secured from Parisian building sites, and second-hand canvases to create a new "temple of beauty."
Although Modigliani's brief, tortured life was not used as a morality tale by the Barnes curators, there is one lesson which it is appropriate to mention here. Artists must work with a finite supply of time as well as paint, canvas, clay and stone. "Modi" had very little time to make his mark. The same is often true for art scholars and museum curators.
Alan Solomon (1920-1970) had less than three years at the Jewish Museum of New York to propel the rather staid museum into the vanguard of 1960's-style Modernism. The board of directors of the Jewish Museum were often perplexed by the dynamic Solomon's support for up-and-coming artists like Richard Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and Marjorie Strider. But as shown in the sensational 2022 exhibit, New York, 1962-1964, the effect of Solomon's controversial tenure was transformative.
New York, 1962-1964 shared a feature with all of the exhibitions mentioned here. At least in part, these phenomenal displays of art were planned and organized during the Covid-19 pandemic years. In the case of New York, 1962-1964, preparing the exhibition was made vastly more difficult by the death of the great Italian scholar leading the project. Germano Celent died from Covid-19 before seeing the project to completion. The 2022 exhibition at the Jewish Museum was a worthy testimonial.
2022 is already in the rear-view mirror and there is much to look forward to as we prepare for 2023. I don't have a crystal ball to predict the future events. But, as the sun comes up on a new year and the hard-working staff of the museum PR departments begin to post notices of coming exhibitions, I can share a few tips on what's in store for the coming year.
A host of exhibits are being prepared to honor Picasso, fifty years after his death in 1973. The Guggenheim has one planned, Young Picasso in Paris, May 12, 2023 - August 7, 2023. Georgia O’Keeffe: To See Takes Time will debut at MOMA, April 09, 2023 – August 12, 2023. An exhibition of ancient art, which I am particularly looking forward to, entitled Tree and Serpent, Buddhist Art in Early India, is scheduled to open July 17, 2023 - December 3, 2023 at the Met.
I have all three of these exhibits marked on my calendar, but I am finding it hard to let go of the fabulous 2022 exhibitions, especially since some still have a few weeks to go and I have reviews to post!
So, let's take a few more moments to reflect on 2022. Let's summon up our memories of great art and great people. Let's not rush by, ignoring The Angel of the Resurrection and other memorials and testimonials to those who have sacrificed so much for our welfare.
I am going to pause and meditate on the miracle of human creativity. I am going to sit down and meditate, like the fellow in the jaunty jacket at the Matisse in the 1930's exhibit (above).
"Let Freedom Ring!" That is what the letters spell-out on his colorful jacket. I am going to take some time to think on those words, to remember and to be grateful for the gifts of art and life and liberty.
***
Text: Copyright of Ed Voves, all rights reserved Images copyright of Anne Lloyd, all rights reserved.
Introductory Image: Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Walker Hancock's The Angel of the Resurrection (detail) from the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial, 30th Street Station, Philadelphia, PA., August 10, 1952.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of Edward Hopper's New York at the Whitney Museum, showing Edward Hopper's Self-Portrait,1925–30. Oil on canvas: 25 3/8 × 20 3/8 in. (64.5 × 51.8 cm).
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA., showing Henri Matisse's The Dance mural, 1932-33.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) The Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial. Walker Hancock's Angel of the Resurrection, sculpted, 1950, and dedicated, August 10, 1952 at 30th Street Station, Philadelphia, PA. Bronze statue: 28 ft (8.53 m.) on 11 ft. (3.35) black granite base. The base has two inscribed dedications and four bronze plaques listing the 1,307 Pennsylvania Railroad employees who were killed in World War II.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, showing patrons viewing Claude Monet's Japanese Footbridge and the Water Lily Pool, Giverny, 1899.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Interior view of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, December 28, 2022, showing patrons waiting to see the Matisse in the 1930's exhibition
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of Edward Hopper's New York, showing Hopper's House at Dusk, 1935.
Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Gallery view of The Tudors: Art and Majesty, showing Patron viewing Hans Eworth's Mary I, 1554. Collection of the Society of Antiquaries, London
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Winslow Homer's A Sharp-Shooter on Picket Duty (detail), 1863. Oil on canvas: 12 1/4 x 16 1/2 in. Portland (Maine) Museum of Art #1992.41
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Winslow Homer's The Gale, 1883-1893. Oil on canvas: 30 1/4 x 48 5/16 in. (76.8 x 122.7 cm) Worcester Museum of Art, Museum Purchase. #1916.48
Ed Voves, Photo (2022) Winslow Homer's The Gulf Stream, 1899. Oil on canvas: 28 1/8 x 49 1/8 in. (71.4 x 124.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Matisse in the 1930's exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, showing The Chant Fireplace mural (1938) painted by Matisse for Nelson Rockefeller.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Modigliani Up Close exhibition at the Barnes Foundation, showing Amadeo Modigliani's Head, 1911-12. Limestone: 25 x 6 x 8 1/4 in. ( 63.5 x 15.2 x21 cm.) Guggenheim Museum. #55.1421
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of New York:1962-1964, showing Roy Lichtenstein's Thinking of Him, 1963. Collection of Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, and Marjorie Strider's Girl with Radish,1963. Ruth and Theodore Baum Collection.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2023) Winter Dawn and Prism, January 2023.
Anne Lloyd, Photo (2022) Gallery view of the Matisse in the 1930's exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, showing two versions of Henri Matisse's Window at Tahiti, 1935.
