Spring Into Summer
Bill Hodges Gallery is thrilled to announce Spring Into Summer, our upcoming exhibition beginning in June and ending in August. This summer, we are exhibiting a dynamic selection of works on paper, drawings, and prints by some of the most influential African American artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This presentation will feature artworks such as And God Created All Beasts of the Earth (1990) by Jacob Lawrence and Caribbean Flowers (ca. 1971-1972) by Romare Bearden, two artists who have continued to impact art history. Their contributions have shaped the visual language of modern art through innovative techniques in collage, narrative painting, and social commentary.
Stanley Whitney's Stay Songs, 2002-2004 is a part of a series of abstract paintings and monotype prints that explore color and form through grid-like structures. These works are characterized by vibrant, saturated colors arranged in stacked blocks, separated by gestural, freeform lines. Whitney's style is often described as improvisational, drawing inspiration from jazz and other artistic influences. This sentiment is similar to that of other artists exhibited in Spring Into Summer, many of whom were surrounded by modern jazz, art, and fashion, such as Norman Lewis or Romare Bearden.
In contrast to some of our twenty-first century artists, Grafton Tyler Brown, was an American painter born in 1841. His work influenced Black artists of the twentieth century to create landscape art, and to capture nature from an art-historical perspective. Brown painted Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The artwork is a representation of the famed tourist attraction, which many artists were interested in documenting, but Black artists were rarely given the opportunity to. In the 1880s, Brown was appointed as an expedition artist for government led geological surveys in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. Also a cartographer and lithographer, Brown documented gold rush towns and settlements on the West coast. He later worked as a draftsman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributing technical drawings and maps for federal infrastructure projects. Brown's legacy is especially important as he made way for other Black landscape artists to claim space within artistic genres that are often exclusive.
This exhibition offers a thoughtful combination of storytelling, abstraction, and experimentation. From the delicate sketches of Norman Lewis to a unique composition of Willie Cole, each work invites viewers to engage with a depth of artistic expression. Spring Into Summer is a celebration of legacy, material, and vision, and we welcome you into the gallery to engage with these artworks this summer.
Recommended for you
Bill Hodges Gallery is thrilled to announce Spring Into Summer, our upcoming exhibition beginning in June and ending in August. This summer, we are exhibiting a dynamic selection of works on paper, drawings, and prints by some of the most influential African American artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This presentation will feature artworks such as And God Created All Beasts of the Earth (1990) by Jacob Lawrence and Caribbean Flowers (ca. 1971-1972) by Romare Bearden, two artists who have continued to impact art history. Their contributions have shaped the visual language of modern art through innovative techniques in collage, narrative painting, and social commentary.
Stanley Whitney's Stay Songs, 2002-2004 is a part of a series of abstract paintings and monotype prints that explore color and form through grid-like structures. These works are characterized by vibrant, saturated colors arranged in stacked blocks, separated by gestural, freeform lines. Whitney's style is often described as improvisational, drawing inspiration from jazz and other artistic influences. This sentiment is similar to that of other artists exhibited in Spring Into Summer, many of whom were surrounded by modern jazz, art, and fashion, such as Norman Lewis or Romare Bearden.
In contrast to some of our twenty-first century artists, Grafton Tyler Brown, was an American painter born in 1841. His work influenced Black artists of the twentieth century to create landscape art, and to capture nature from an art-historical perspective. Brown painted Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The artwork is a representation of the famed tourist attraction, which many artists were interested in documenting, but Black artists were rarely given the opportunity to. In the 1880s, Brown was appointed as an expedition artist for government led geological surveys in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. Also a cartographer and lithographer, Brown documented gold rush towns and settlements on the West coast. He later worked as a draftsman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributing technical drawings and maps for federal infrastructure projects. Brown's legacy is especially important as he made way for other Black landscape artists to claim space within artistic genres that are often exclusive.
This exhibition offers a thoughtful combination of storytelling, abstraction, and experimentation. From the delicate sketches of Norman Lewis to a unique composition of Willie Cole, each work invites viewers to engage with a depth of artistic expression. Spring Into Summer is a celebration of legacy, material, and vision, and we welcome you into the gallery to engage with these artworks this summer.
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