Publication: Journal Santa Fe Section; Date: Aug 12, 2011; Section: Gallery Guide; Page: S8

‘GENIUS’ WITH COLOR Macdonald-Wright paintings displayed at Peyton Wright Art Issues

MALIN WILSON-POWELL

For the Journal

The international modernist — but never modest — painter Stanton Macdonald-Wright (1890-1973) was confident that he would eventually be recognized as a genius.There are grand examples of both 1940s still lifes and 1950-70s Synchromist paintings now on view at Peyton Wright Gallery. Will South, the curator of a 2001 travelingretrospective that ignited the ongoing rise in the artist’s posthumous reputation, wrote: “Stanton Macdonald-Wright never questioned that he was a great painter.History, he felt, would validate his self-assessment. Even in his last years, when he believed that the ego should be sacrificed for the fruits of Zen contemplation, his wonego was very much intact.’ There have been four great American painters,’ Macdonald-Wright declared, ‘Whistler, Ryder, Russell, and Wright.’ ”

Russell, of course, was Morgan Russell (1886-1953), the co-founder with Macdonald-Wright of the Synchromist movement in Paris in 1912, when the city was the artworld’s avantgarde center. In the spirit of the times, Synchromy is a word that melds sound and color to describe the young artists’ desire to create form using onlycolor. It was based upon their teacher Percyval Tudor-Hart’s rigorous color system emphasizing the “espacement” of colors, where the melody in color was created by thejuxtaposition of patches of colors from a selected color scale – with intervening neutral tints.

These early 20th century works were widely exhibited and recognized as breakthroughs in both Europe and in New York, where Macdonald-Wright decamped as WorldWar I loomed. Although MacDonald-Wright showed in the all important 1916 Forum Exhibition and had a 1917 solo show at Stieglitz’s “291” Gallery, he was miserable inthe city, discouraged by the rancor and pettiness of the art world, living in poverty and in failing health after years of dissolute living. Upon his doctor’s recommendationhe returned to the then-paradise of Southern California, where he and his brother had been raised in freedom, privilege and entitlement, with private tutors, like royalty.

At the time, such a move was like dropping off the map for a modern artist. But, for Macdonald-Wright it was right. With no avantgarde in place in southern Californiahe became very productive and actively exhibited his work, taught (very successfully), lectured, published a “Treatise on Color,” organized a “Synchromist” theater groupand curated exhibitions. During the depression he worked on impressive murals for the Santa Monica Public library and became director of the WPA Federal Art Projectuntil the office closed until 1941.

From 1942-46 he was the regular art critic for “Rob Wagner’s Script,” and in 1944 uncharacteristically praised Georges Braque in his column, a departure from decadesof decrying the undue influence of European movements on American painters.

At Peyton Wright there is a marvelous, lush, “Still Life with Oxblood Vase,” from 1945 that is by no means still. Although indebted to Braque, this Macdonald-Wrightcomposition is more rambunctious and retains his robust radiating touch in the contrapposto rhythm of its centrally placed tableaux. He skillfully uses the side-by-sideplacement of unmixed colors and animates the whole with sinuous S-curves that Russell called the “hollow and bump.” Another, smaller gem of this ilk is “Still Life withGreen Apples,” ca. 1940.

Just as the artists in Southern California began to gather momentum in the post-World War II era, Macdonald-Wright became increasingly remote, and he tried differentmodes of painting, none of them satisfying. He suffered a crisis of faith beginning in 1948 calling himself “un homme perdu” – feeling like a man falling, with no handholds anywhere — lost to desires, to ambition, to attachments — conceiving that all was futile…” His beloved wife, Jeanne, died in 1951, Morgan Russell died in 1953,and he resigned from teaching at UCLA in 1954 after being diagnosed with heart problems. This was the year he returned to the strict observance of Synchromism’scolor scales. Inspired in the studio, he painted 21 neo-Synchromist canvasses in 10 months and found himself astonished at returning full circle to make beautifulpaintings that were a pleasure to do. Although there are many fine paintings done in a domestic scale, curing Macdonald-Wright’s second immersion in Synchromism, hepainted magisterial scale canvasses for posterity, i.e., museum walls. In addition to being an obvious legacy from the artist’s WPA mural projects, these resolved laterworks are in a more luminous, even candycolored California palette, brighter than his early 20th century Paris works. There is an interesting grounding roughness to hissurfaces along with fuzzed edges that resolve into a prismatic crispness at a distance.

On the walls at Peyton Wright there are numerous successful canvasses ––both modest and grand. Many have been included in major Macdonald-Wright exhibitions andmuseum retrospectives including “Homage to Debussy,” 1954; “Parturition,” 1955-70; and, “Awakening,” 1956. Besides the opportunity to see so many significantpaintings, this show raises many pertinent questions. Will Macdonald-Wright –– who was withdrawing when the history of southern California art was being written –– begiven his due in the upcoming “Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980,” the 40-exhibition reassessment of Southern California art (beginning this fall andextending through 2012)? Will the notable prejudice against late career works by artists finally be acknowledged and surpassed? For example, another American in Pariswho experimented with Synchromism, Andrew Dasburg, arguably did his best work at the end of his life, long after he dropped off New York’s radar screen and moved toNew Mexico. Raymond Jonson, another modern master of color and New Mexico resident, also did his most transcendent paintings in his eighth decade. As L.A. rises inprominence it seems inevitable that Macdonald-Wright’s star will also continue to rise. New York, is, of course, still the center of the art market and home to greatmuseums. The terra incognita American art history in the West is being progressively revealed as much more widespread, influential and vital than imagined. If you go

WHAT: “Stanton Macdonald-Wright: Modern Synchromism”

WHERE: Peyton Wright Gallery, 237 E. Palace Ave.

WHEN: Through March 25

CONTACT: 505-989-9888 or fineart@peytonwright. com

‘GENIUS’ WITH COLOR http://epaper.abqjournal.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=Ol...

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COURTESY PEYTON WRIGHT GALLERY

“Subjective Time” is a 1958 oil on canvas by Stanton Macdonald-Wright (1890-1973).

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“Still Life with Oxblood Vase” is a 1945 oil on canvas by Stanton Macdonald-Wright.

‘GENIUS’ WITH COLOR http://epaper.abqjournal.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=Ol...

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“Awakening” is a 1956 oil on canvas by Stanton Macdonald-Wright.

‘GENIUS’ WITH COLOR http://epaper.abqjournal.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=Ol...

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