genell miller: memories

GENELL MILLERMemories

bruno david gallery

GENELL MILLER:MemoriesJanuary 23 - February 28, 2009

Bruno David Gallery3721 Washington BoulevardSaint Louis, 63108 Missouri, U.S.A.info@brunodavidgallery.comwww.brunodavidgallery.comDirector: Bruno L. David

This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition Genell Miller: Memories at Bruno David Gallery

Editor: Bruno L. DavidCatalog Designer: Yoko KiyoiDesign Assistants: Claudia R. DavidPrinted in USA

All works courtesy of Bruno David Gallery and Genell Miller

Cover Image: Genell Miller. Roses Square #1 (detail), 2007-0866 x 66 inches (167.64 x 167.64 cm)Oil on linen

Copyright © 2009 Bruno David Gallery, Inc.All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery, Inc.

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Contents

Essay by Sarah Hadef

Afterword by Bruno L. David

Checklist of the Exhibition

Biography

Essay by Sarah Hadef

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I had the chance to visit Rome as a teenager almost ten years ago. Until now it remains one of my best and most memorable

experiences as a traveler. What struck me more than anything else was the beautiful and exceptional light that illuminated

the Eternal City and its monuments. The famous French writer Henry Beyle alias Stendhal, said about Rome:

The light that reveals Rome’s monuments is not that to which we are accustomed; it produces numerous optical effects plus a

certain atmosphere, all impossible to put into words. The light strikes Rome in ways that I’ve never seen.

If Rome’s light and beauty cannot be translated into words according to Stendhal’s opinion, Genell Miller’s most recent paint-

ings prove that it can be perfectly rendered into paintings. Her last exhibit in Saint Louis entitled Memories at Bruno David

Gallery consisted of large-scale paintings, all of them having the same subject matter, roses and similar tones and colors.

What most of the paintings reveal without any doubt is her deep connection with the Italian city. The Memphis-born artist

has spent eleven years of her life in Rome where she taught at Cornell University and Temple University. A few years ago, she

finally moved back to the city of her childhood, Saint Louis, where she resides and paints at her studio located in the pictur-

esque historic Soulard neighborhood. When she returned to Saint Louis, she brought along the warm memories and colors

of her European life translated into works of art. The red, ocher, gold and flesh tones she chose are reminiscent of the heat

and stunning light of Rome. Indeed, the light strikes her paintings in a way that is as unique and beautiful as the Roman sun

reflecting upon the ancient monuments.

Trained mostly as a figurative artist (she graduated in painting from Washington University in 1977), she explained to me

that she rapidly lost her interest in painting or drawing figures. After graduating, she started her career painting geometrical

forms with an illusionistic touch. Using a similar palette she has experimented throughout her entire career, she was highly

concerned with forms and color relationships. Rather than spontaneous, the paintings during this phase of her career were

mathematically preconcepted and arranged. She later returned to figures when she created paintings inspired from movies

and TV drama depicting sentimental stories in the 1980s. Her career was often an alternation between figurative imagery

and more abstract and decorative works. She was always greatly interested in the decorative aspects of the arts, whether it

is quilting, wallpapers or embroidery. She believes that decorative arts should be recognized as a noble art and refuses any

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hierarchies among the visual arts. Her fascination for old frames led her to paint beautiful pictures combining textures and

patterns imprinted like a stamp on the paint. She would first choose a frame from a roman antique store and then paint the

canvas to match the unique frame. Overwhelmed by the art history classes she attended while in Philadelphia, she continu-

ously integrated the old masters she admired into her own oeuvre. The Memories exhibit perfectly illustrates this aspect of

Miller’s work.

Her newest body of works may seem like an interesting distillation of her past experiences as a traveler and an incessant

learner. The large scale paintings of Memories deal with formal concerns of pattern, repetition and scale. They consist of a

repetition of roses contained in geometrically arranged grids. One cannot avoid thinking about traditional women’s crafts,

particularly the art of quilting. She always had a great fascination for embroidery that she practiced herself. As she admits,

the reference to quilting let her solve compositions issues by allowing esthetical repetitions and geometrical arrangements.

The roses are quite rough in the way she sketched them on the canvas and one may see the process of each flower’s creation.

Comparable to the Renaissance artists sketches such as Leonardo Da Vinci, her gestures seem as passionate as her colors.

Like many artists, she is to a great extent mostly interested in the processes involved when creating a work of art. Before

painting the roses, she was committed to make one drawing a day. Skillfully done, yet very simple, they were black and white

drawings of curves and lines that interlaced to form dazzling floral designs. She explained to me that “the gestures are the

life, spirit and poetry of her drawings”. The choices of the roses as her main subject matter became then obvious to me. The

spiraled flowers undoubtedly offered to Miller the ability to fully express herself. The hand of the artist then becomes the one

of a magician whose every gesture creates a new world charged with energy and beauty.

Carefully scrutinizing the roses contained in the grids, I thought of a paradox. Indeed, the practically nervous, obsessive and

agitated gestures that form the roses are not freely exposed on the canvas. They are on the contrary carefully arranged in

regular rows and columns as if the artist was attempting to restrain her own vitality. The repetition may appear compulsive

but putting her motives into grids, the artist attempted to rationalize the incontrollable. The repetition of the same motif also

suggests mass produced artworks that reminds the art of Andy Warhol’s factory. Miller acknowledged Pop Art to have had a

great influence on her, which isn’t surprising for an artist who graduated in the 1970s and practiced her art in the 1980s. I had

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a chance to view some of her previous artworks that depicted repetitive figures painted in a similar palette as Jim Dine which

clearly recalled Pop artists’ works. Another prominent characteristic of her roses paintings is their stunning colors which

cannot be reduced to a reference to her Roman memories. As a student, she was “bombarded’ with multiple historical refer-

ences that she later synthesized into her work. Renaissance masterpieces that she would be daily exposed to in the Eternal

City have been one of her greatest influences. However, she has nourished for years a passion for the medieval Illuminated

Manuscripts. The gorgeous gold paint in the painting Gold Roses that captivate our eyes are memories of her acquaintance

with the historical books treating the subjects as well as old Roman stores that still practice this art.

As much as we are now global citizens, Miller is a global artist. Every physical place and time throughout her career gave birth

to new techniques and shifts in her art and made her grow as an artist. In Memories, it seems like she managed to synthesize

her multiple influences to produce beautiful nostalgic paintings and drawings. She told me that her fascination for floral

motifs, particularly roses is not something new. Once, she was asked to draw a repetitive motif in an art class in high school.

First thing that crossed her mind was to draw roses. Decades later, and nourished with a life of travels and artistic experimen-

tations, ‘her’ roses now demonstrate their full maturity.

— Sarah Hadef

Sarah Hadef received her B.A. in Political Science from the Institute of Political Science in Aix-en-Provence, France and her M.A. in Arts Admin-

istration from Lindenwood University, in St. Charles, Missouri. She currently lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri. This essay is one in a series

of the gallery’s exhibitions written by fellow gallery artists and friends.

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Afterwords by Bruno L. David

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I am pleased to exhibit a new series of paintings by Genell Miller at the Bruno David Gallery. Support for the creation of sig-

nificant new works of art has been the core to the mission and program of the Bruno David Gallery since its founding. Genell

Miller’s remarkable and compelling paintings make her one the most impressive artist of the gallery.

Genell Miller presents a series of recent paintings and drawings titled “Memories” that explore formal concerns of pattern,

repetition and scale, while hinting at her art historical influences. Miller created this series upon returning to St. Louis after

staying eleven years in Rome, Italy, and her time among the old masters peeks through her craft. Her reiterations of flora are

brought to life in flesh tones reminiscent of the wispy peach-pink of Raphael’s bodies. Her color palette is warm and nostalgic,

a maternal embrace on canvas, and the use of repetitive line gesture is indicative of Miller’s exposure to the art history of Italy.

The rough, charcoal history of each flower’s beginning often shows through, and the almost architectural investigation and

rendering of the form allude to pages from Michelangelo’s sketchbooks. The suggestion of the traditional women’s crafts of

quilting and sewing are evident in the grid-like repetition, which also conversely conveys a sense of mechanical mass produc-

tion. Miller’s new work is a marriage of technique and sensibility, line and form, learned history and sense memory.

Miller was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in St. Louis. She received her BFA in painting from Washington University

in St. Louis in 1977, and her MFA from Temple University in Philadelphia. She taught design at St. Louis Community College

and was a painting instructor at Beaver College, as well as a guest lecturer at institutions such as Webster University, Cornell

University Rome, and Temple University Rome. Miller has been featured in over 49 individual and collective exhibitions in

cities around the world, including New York, Kansas City, Chicago, Italy, Switzerland and Taipei, and her work is held in private

collections across the United States and Europe.

— Bruno L. David

Checklist of the Exhibition and Images

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Roses Square #2, 2007-08 Oil on linen 66 x 66 inches (167.64 x 167.64 cm)

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Roses Square #1, 2007-08Oil on linen 66 x 66 inches (167.64 x 167.64 cm)

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Roses Square #1 (detail), 2007-08Oil on linen 66 x 66 inches (167.64 x 167.64 cm)

Flowers for Bonnie, 2008 Oil on panel 80 x 32 inches (203.20 x 81.28 cm)

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64 Roses #1, 2009 Oil on linen32.5 x 128 inches (82.55 x 325.12 cm)(diptych)

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64 Roses #1 (detail), 2009 Oil on linen32.5 x 128 inches (82.55 x 325.12 cm)(diptych)

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64 Roses #2, 2009 Oil on linen32.5 x 128 inches (82.55 x 325.12 cm)(diptych)

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64 Roses #2 (detail), 2009 Oil on linen32.5 x 128 inches (82.55 x 325.12 cm)(diptych)

Horizontal Roses, 2008Oil on panel18 x 80 inches (45.72 x 203.20 cm)

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Horizontal Roses (detail), 2008Oil on panel18 x 80 inches (45.72 x 203.20 cm)

Rose Square #3, 2008 Oil on panel48 x 48 inches (121.92 x 121.92 cm)

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Rose Square #3 (detail), 2008 Oil on panel48 x 48 inches (121.92 x 121.92 cm)

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Genell Miller: Memories at Bruno David Gallery, 2009 (installation view - detail)

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GENELL MILLER

Born in Memphis, TennesseeLives and works in St. Louis, Missouri

EDUCATION

B.F.A. 1977, Painting concentration, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 1988, Art History. Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2009 Bruno David Gallery, Genell Miller: Memories, St. Louis, Missouri (January)2007 Galleria Incontro D’Arte, Roses and Landscapes, (with Lucy Clink), Rome, Italy. (January)2006 Lydon Fine Art, Paesaggi e Giardini, (with Lucy Clink), Chicago, Illinois. (January)2004 Lydon Fine Art, La Bocca Della Verita, (with Linda Salerno), Chicago, Illinois. (March)1998 Lydon Fine Art, Florence Mission Drawings, Chicago, Illinois. (October)1996 Lydon Fine Art, Objects of Luxury, Chicago, Illinois. (April)1994 Lydon Fine Art, Votive, Chicago, Illinois. (December)1993 Lydon Fine Art, Dopo La Dolce Vita, Chicago, Illinois. (September)1991 Lydon Fine Art, Paintings, (with Fred Nelson), Chicago, Illinois. (September)1990 Lydon Fine Art, Nothing Sacred Nothing, Chicago, Illinois. (September)1987 Locus Gallery, Genell Miller: Paintings, St. Louis, Missouri.1984 Timothy Burns Gallery, Diaries, St. Louis, Missouri1982 Timothy Burns Gallery, Recent paintings, St. Louis, Missouri

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2009 Overview_09, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri2006 Chere Louise, Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna, Curated by Martin Kunz Ascona, Switzerland. (December)2004 Artist Collect, Temple Gallery, Temple University, Rome, Italy. (November)2003 Blindfolded, American Academy in Rome Gallery, Curated by Dana Prescott, Rome, Italy. (Spring)2000 Per Un Albero, Chiostro del Convento Padri Mercedari, Nemi, Italy. (May)

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1997 30th Aniversary, Temple Gallery, Temple University, Rome, Italy. (March) Dal Reale Al Virtuale, Temple Gallery, Curated by Shara Wasserman and Ludovico Pratesi, Temple University, Rome, Italy. (October)1996 Paintings, Z Gallery, New York, New York. (June)1995 Icons as Images, Baret Reicher Gallery, Lake Forest, Illinois. (January)1993 American Art, Chinese Cultural University, Taiwan. (Spring)1991 Paintings, Lawrence Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia, PA.1983 September, Carol Shapiro Gallery, St. Louis, MO.1977 Women Artists 77, Curated by Miriam Shapiro, Kansas City, Missouri.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hadef, Sarah. “Genell Miller”, Catalogue, Essay. Bruno David Gallery Publication, January 2009Candinas, Pia. “Woman’s Studies in Italy”, Temple University, (1991-1997)Degener, Patricia. “Miller Rosenbloom: The Language of Feminism”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 1987_____________ “Faces, Portraits of St. Louisians”, St. Louis Magazine, (March 1986)Harris, Jim. “Architectural Subjects Through Varied Visions”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 1986Degener, Patricia. “Genell Miller”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 1985Ferger, Kim. “Genell Miller”, West End Word, January 1985Degener, Patricia. “1+1=2”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 1983Ferger, Kim. “Works”, West End Word, January 1983Pollack, Sidney. “Genell Miller”, New Art Examiner, April 1983King, Mary. “Four Artists”, St. Louis Globe Democrat, June 1981_____________ “Interview”, The Today Show, NBC, New York, New York. 1982Lipkin, Joan. “Group Show”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 1981King, Mary. “Two artists at Meramec”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 1981Duffy, Robert. “Use of Patterns in Distinctive Ways”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 1980

Margaret Adams Dickson BeallLaura Beard Elaine Blatt Martin BriefLisa K. BlattShawn Burkard Bunny Burson Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Jill Downen Yvette Drury Dubinsky Corey Escoto

Beverly FishmanDamon Freed William Griffin Joan Hall Takashi Horisaki Kim Humphries Kelley Johnson Howard Jones (Estate) Chris Kahler Bill Kohn (Estate) Leslie Laskey Sandra Marchewa Peter Marcus

Patricia Olynyk Robert Pettus Daniel Raedeke Chris Rubin de la Borbolla Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas SleetBuzz Spector Lindsey Stouffer Cindy TowerMario Trejo Ken Worley

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