Jack Rutberg Fine Arts

For Immediate Release

MEDIA CONTACT:
Scott McDowell
Director of Communications, New York
347-416-3138
semcdowe@syr.edu

DRAWN TO PAINT: THE ART OF JEROME WITKIN
Retrospective exhibition first to examine crucial aspect of artist's career

The Two of Us, Bergen - Belson, 1945 and Israel, 1951, 2009

September 8 through October 23, 2011
Opening Reception Thursday, September 8, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11-4:30 p.m.; Thursdays 11-8 p.m

Syracuse, New York - Drawn to Paint: The Art of Jerome Witkin consists of 70 works including drawings, paintings, and sketchbooks. Dividing the show between two venues, allowing for broader access and engagement within the community, Drawn to Paint will be on view at the SUArt Galleries on the Syracuse University main campus and the XL Projects gallery in downtown Syracuse. This exhibition, with Dr. Edward A. Aiken as its curator, is the first time Jerome Witkin has allowed his drawings to be displayed beside their finished works. Drawn to Paint will be traveling to other museums around the country during a two-year tour that will conclude at the Palmer Museum of Art in University Park, Pennsylvania.

“Jerome Witkin's command of the brush and finesse as a draftsman has established him as one of the preeminent artists of our time, keeping the style of figurative narrative painting relevant in contemporary art,” says Domenic Iacono, director of SUArt Galleries. “Drawn to Paint: The Art of Jerome Witkin is more than a selection of masterfully painted narratives. Through the juxtaposition of drawings and sketchbooks, the exhibition represents a rare look into the artist's process, from the inception of an idea to the completed artwork."

The works of Jerome Witkin carry forward into our era the grand Western European tradition of history painting. His images offer dramatic narratives that reveal themselves over time. Many of his most interesting paintings are large multiple panels, each section presenting a different chapter of an unfolding story. Their scale pushes the viewer back to see the whole composition while his brushwork encourages close examination to better admire the painting’s surface.

Exhibition curator Edward Aiken points to Taken, a four-panel work created shortly after the horrific events of 9/11 and included in this retrospective, as an illustration. “Taken is at once an homage to those who died; a patriotic record; and a quiet acknowledgement of his own history as a painter of terrible events.”

Iacono sees a cinematic quality in Witkin’s images. ”In some this quality is a frozen moment during a frenzy of action, for others it is a complex series of images that evoke a complete drama through the gestures and actions of his figures. His art functions on numerous levels, it is timely yet classic, he shows empathy with his subjects but is never maudlin and his painting style- perhaps best described as a type of action-painting- appeals to both the connoisseur and the layman.”

Division Street, 1984-1985, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute

Francine Street Posing in Anger
[study for Division Street], 1984

While Witkin’s painterly technique appears spontaneous, it is grounded in drawing. He is a highly skilled draftsman who enjoys drawing both for its own sake and as a way to work through the challenges of designing large compositions. Drawing allows Witkin to study various possibilities before committing brush to canvas. Drawn to Paint explores, for the first time, this crucial aspect to Witkin’s consummate process. By installing the preparatory drawings, sketches and sketchbooks along side the finished canvases, such as in the multi panel Division Street, which will have two preparatory drawings as well as a sketchbook on display, the exhibition invites the public to see the artist’s method as the compositions evolve to completion.

The artwork included in Drawn to Paint: The Art of Jerome Witkin come from galleries, private collections and museums across the country. Notable institutional lenders include the Munson-William-Proctor Arts Institute in Utica, NY; the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY; the Everson Museum in Syracuse; the Palmer Museum of Art in University Park, PA, and Jack Rutberg Fine Arts in Los Angeles, CA.

Both the exhibition and accompanying catalog will contribute new information to the study of contemporary narrative painting. The comprehensive and fully illustrated catalog will be published by the Syracuse University Art Galleries and features an essay by Dr. Edward A. Aiken, long time colleague of Witkin, as well as articles by Peter Selz, Donald Kuspit and Sherry Chayat, well-known scholars of contemporary art. Aiken presents original information on Witkin’s narrative style, while Selz and Kuspit comment on several of Witkin’s most important works. The catalog will be available for purchase through the gallery store and the SU Bookstore.

Witkin’s career as a professor at Syracuse University’s School of Art and Design spans four decades. He has known an enviable number of artists central to the development of 20th American painting and he has studied the history of art with great care. Witkin brings all of this knowledge of drawing, painting and history to bear in the classroom studio where he encourages and critiques his students. Alumni remember the lessons they learned in Witkin’s classes. This exhibition celebrates Jerome Witkin’s career as an artist-teacher, a dual role in which he has excelled.

The show is free and open to the public. Complete information and related programming is available by visiting the official exhibition website at http://suart.syr.edu/witkin

Taken, 2002-2003

Opening reception

The SUArt Galleries will host a free opening night reception from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, September 8. Guests of honor will include the artist and curator of the exhibition. Patrons are welcome to view the exhibition until the gallery closes at 8 p.m. The reception is open to the public.

About The SUArt Galleries

The SUArt Galleries strives to provide the best possible environment for art appreciation and scholarly development. No photography will be allowed in exhibition spaces. For approved, press-ready images, visit the exhibition website.

The SUArt Galleries, accessible through the Shaffer Art Building on the SU campus, enhance the cultural environment of SU and the Syracuse area through meaningful educational experiences and encounters with the University's permanent collection and traveling exhibitions. It is the main campus venue for the visual arts and home of the University's extensive permanent collection. The facility hosts a variety of temporary and permanent exhibitions throughout the year. The SUArt Galleries is a member of SU's Coalition of Museum and Art Centers (CMAC)