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February Issue 2003
Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, Features Works by Benny Andrews and John Monteith
Two new exhibitions open to the public Feb. 7 at Winthrop University Galleries in Rock Hill, SC, and continue through Mar. 30, 2003. Benny Andrews' The Human Spirit Series features oil and collage works in the Rutledge Gallery while John Monteith's new paintings titled ASL/SC are in the Elizabeth Dunlap Patrick Gallery.
Benny Andrews is one of the most distinguished artists in America. Following in the footsteps of noted artists like Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden, Andrews is considered among the "second generation" of Twentieth Century African-American artists who have finally been acknowledged by the mainstream. He may well be the most important chronicler of American life since Norman Rockwell. His art has addressed human issues during the last half of the century in a manner that combines the narrative tradition of the South with the sophistication of contemporary culture. From any point of view, his work stands alone as a distinct personal voice that speaks with an understanding of universal humanity.
Born during the 1930s Depression Era, into
a Georgia sharecropper's family, Andrews briefly attended Fort
Valley State College in Georgia on a modest scholarship. Then,
after service in the US Air Force during the Korean War, he attended
the Art Institute of Chicago where he earned a BFA. Upon graduation,
he immediately moved to New York to begin his artistic career.
His exhibitions in the late 50s and early 60s proved Andrews to
be a major figure in the evolving art scene, at a time when the
nation was experiencing unprecedented civil rights change.
Andrews' works are in numerous public collections including The
Detroit Institute of Arts, The Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, The
High Museum of Art and The Ogden Museum of Southern Art. He has
received critical acclaim in numerous articles and publications
including J. Richard Gruber's extensive work American Icons:
From Madison to Manhattan, the Art of Benny Andrews, 1948 - 1997.
More recently, during an opening at ACA Galleries in New York in Dec. 2000, Andrews unveiled new works from his series entitled "The Human Spirit Series". The series received national attention and has since been exhibited in venues across the country.
Andrews describes the positive, ecumenical
subjects in "The Human Spirit Series" as "people
who have endured terrible mistreatment during their lifetimes...for
example, the African-American slaves and victims of the holocaust.
These were horrific historical events and cannot be forgotten.
In these paintings, I'm involved in depicting something that is
bigger than simply the physicality of the figures. They are profound
symbols of the ability of the human being to survive."
Also showing at Winthrop, artist John Monteith will debut a shift
in style and concept with his latest works for the Patrick Gallery.
Though working from a small, home-based studio in Columbia, SC,
Monteith has shown nationally and internationally. His images
have often evolved from popular culture media including found
high school year books. His works have been exhibited in the prestigious
Biennale de Lyon d'Art Contemporaine in Maison de Lyon, France,
and at Ricco/Maresca Gallery in New York. Monteith's latest paintings
have emerged from over two years of collecting "self-portrait"
digital photographs from South Carolina chat-room sites over the
internet. "This work is truly cutting-edge as John has used
cyberspace figurative images like models. His rendering in oils,
the voyeuristic view provided by the original image, both contribute
to a Degas-like realism of private worlds made public," notes
gallery director Tom Stanley.
Monteith will present a gallery talk on Feb. 16, at 3pm, while Benny Andrews will present a gallery talk on Mar. 16, at 3pm. The public is invited free of charge to the exhibitions and artist presentations.
For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, callTom Stanley at 803/323-2493 or e-mail at (stanleyt@winthrop.edu).
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