August Issue 2000
Optical Perception: The Art of Julian Stanczak at the Asheville Art Museum
The Asheville Art Museum in Asheville, NC, will host an exhibition of paintings by Julian Stanczak from August 3 to September 24. Julian Stanczak is one of the leading practitioners of what has come to be known as Op Art. Indeed it was his first exhibition at the Martha Jackson Gallery in 1964 that the term Optical Art, or Op Art for short, was introduced. Optical art is based on the theories of Josef Albers; it explores the way the mind and eye perceive pattern and color, often through the use of repeated patterns and complementary colors. It is always abstract.
Stanczak studied with Josef Albers as a graduate student at Yale. Albers was noted for his color theories as set down in his book Interaction of Color and his series of paintings titled Homage to the Square. Richard Anuskiewicz, another artist associated with Optical Art, also studied with Albers during this time. Stanczak and Anuskiewicz developed Albers's theories in their own art, and they became two of the leading forces behind the movement that Josef Albers insisted should be known as Perceptual Art.
Understanding Josef Albers's thoughts and theories are important to the study of Optical or Perceptual Art. During Albers's long career, he was a student and teacher at the Bauhaus in Germany until it was closed by the Nazis in 1933, head of the art program at Black Mountain College here in Western North Carolina from 1933 to 1949 when he was named head of the art department at Yale.
Julian Stanczak was born in 1928 on his grandparent's farm in Borownica, a village in southeast Poland. He was interned along with his family in a camp in Siberia during World War II. The family eventually left Russia. They traveled to Africa and Stanczak spent his teenage years living in Uganda. It was here that he received his first private art lessons, and in 1948 had his first solo exhibition at the Stanley Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The family moved to England for a while, between 1949 and 1950 Stanczak took art classes at the Borough Polytechnic Institute in London. In May 1950, Stanczak and his family immigrated to the United States, settling in Cleveland. Stanczak received a BA degree from the Cleveland Art Institute in 1954. He then studied at Yale with Josef Albers. Stanczak received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale in 1956. From 1957 to 1964, Stanczak taught at the Art Academy of Cleveland. In 1964 he became professor of painting at the Cleveland Art Institute. He still lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
Optical Art was one particular movement in the area of Geometric Abstraction. Geometric Abstraction began in the early part of the 20th century with artists such as Piet Mondrian. It continues into the 21st century through the works of artists such as Kenneth Noland. Noland, was born in Asheville, studied at Black Mountain College and was a student of Julian Stanczak.
"While some felt Optical Art was in part 'stylistic change for its own sake,' it does offer artwork that exists as an independent object," said Frank Thomson, Curator of the Asheville Art Museum. "And that can be enjoyed on its own merits even though it does not reflect social issues or the emotions of the artist." Understanding Op Art provides an important context for the art of the 80's.
In the Atrium Gallery the Museum will also present artworks by Josef and Anni Albers, Richard Anuskiewicz and Victor Vasarely to offer a context for Optical, or Perceptual Art, and demonstrate the range of styles and approaches associated with this style. Optical Art along with Pop Art and Minimalism served in part as a reaction against the heroic style of Abstract Expressionism. In Optical Art, bold geometric patterns create the illusion of movement in some cases and depth in others. Another effect that is occasionally used is that of placing complementary colors- e.g. red/green, blue/orange or yellow/violet- of equal value side by side. This effect creates a sense of vibration as the human eye has difficulty focusing on the border between the two colors.
The Asheville Art Museum Shop will feature books and other items related to the exhibition as well as current books on American art of the twentieth century. Museum members receive a 10% discount on all purchases Proceeds from the Museum Shop support the Museum's public programs.
For further information check our NC Institutional
Gallery listings or call the museum at 828/253-3227.
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