Geometric Vistas: Landscapes by Artists of Black Mountain College
Black Mountain - Ron Robertson 1950
Oil Painting

Exhibitions
Mixed Media Assemblage

Geometric Vistas: Landscapes by Artists of Black Mountain College

Ashville Museum of Art, Asheville, North Carolina

On view through October 30, 2016

Geometric Vistas: Landscapes by Artists of Black Mountain College provides visitors with the opportunity to explore abstract landscapes and cityscapes created by artists who studied and taught at Black Mountain College between 1933 and 1957. Black Mountain College was situated in the mountains of Western North Carolina, surrounding its students and faculty with beautiful scenery from which to take inspiration. Because of its remarkable setting, many students and faculty painted, drew and photographed the school and its nearby surroundings, making landscape an integral part of the learning process. Using the skills they acquired at the College, each artist moved beyond a realist interpretation of the landscape to create abstract forms rooted in nature and geometry.

Featuring a wide variety of approaches to abstraction in landscapes, including Cubist fragmentation, gridded compositions, and pure geometric abstraction, the artists in this exhibition explore landscapes both near and far. Depictions of Paris, Chicago and Florence appear along with views of mountains and sea from across the United States. Some works, such as Ronald Robertson’s Studies Building at Black Mountain College, were created while the artist attended the College. Others, such as Gerald van de Wiele’s Magic Mountain, were painted at a later date, but hearken back to the artist’s time in the Appalachian Mountains. Several works provide a window into the teachings of professors, such as Josef Albers and Joseph Fiore, who continued to reference nature despite their bold moves into abstraction. Two works by John Urbain combine landscape imagery with poetry, embodying the rounded liberal arts education that characterized the College’s curriculum. Uniting the artists in the exhibition is an underlying interest in how geometric shapes, planes and compositions can push representations of land and city into a world beyond reality.

Onward Art & Design

Artist's Reception, Thursday, April 3, 2014
5 to 8 pm

Presentation by Ron Robertson
7:15 - 7:45 pm

Food by Chef Edie Robertson
www.chefedie.com

Hosted by Mary Benenati

Onward Art & Design
Fine Home Furnishings, Art & Design
1233 State Street
Santa Barbara CA 93101

View the PDF catalog for additional information and a preview of featured works:

Onward Art & Design Reception | 2.1MB Acrobat PDF

Group Shows

2007

Indigo/Caruso-Woods
Caruso-Woods Benefit
Santa Barbara, CA

2006

Elverhoj Museum
Hans Christian Anderson
Solvang, CA

AFS Gallery
What Will They Create?
Santa Barbara, CA

Hera Gallery
Waging Peace
Wakefield, RI

Caruso-Woods Gallery
Buddha Abides
Santa Barbara, CA

University House Gallery
Wonderous Water
Issaqua, WA

S.B. Arts Forum Gallery
Recent Works
Santa Barbara, CA

2005

Seoul Calligraphy
Biennale
Seoul, Korea

S.B. Tours de Arte Gallery
Santa Barbara Artists
Santa Barbara, CA

2004

Caruso-Woods Gallery
Fortune-Five
Santa Barbara, CA

2001

S.B. Museum of Natural History
Impressions of Nature
Santa Barbara, CA

Channing Peake Gallery
Santa Barbara Artists
Santa Barbara, CA

2000

Reynolds Gallery
Millennium Assemblage Show
Montecito, CA

Solo Shows

2006

AFS Gallery
Recent & Older Works
Santa Barbara, CA

OTHER LINKS:

Santa Barbara Studio Artists
www.sb-studioartists.org

Prints and Mixed Media
Guernica Gallery, Santa Barbara
www.guernicagallery.com

Abstract Calligraphy
www.contemporarycalligraphy.com



© 2016 Ron Robertson. All rights reserved.