By Dorothy Shinn
Beacon Journal art and architecture critic
The National Midyear Show at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown is such an institution that, should it ever be removed from the museum’s exhibition schedule, artists all over the country would rise up in protest.
At least that’s what staff members at the Butler believes, especially those who have the most direct contact with artists who enter the show year in and year out. This is the Midyear’s 75th anniversary, and the work that’s on view demonstrates why this national juried exhibit is so valuable and cherished.
George Mauersberger (Juror's Choice), Cleveland, Hed II
Work that’s entered into the Midyear is normally quite good, if more than just a tad on the traditional side. For its 75th anniversary, however, juror Gary T. Erbe, a New Jersey painter, historian and curator of no mean credentials, has picked an excellent crop of paintings, not only demonstrating that superb craftsmanship is the basis of all great art, but also that it defies boundaries and classification.
The many representational paintings in this exhibit are beautifully realized, without exception. What is so revealing, however, are the nonrepresentational paintings. Many’s the time the argument has been made that in nonobjective paintings, the evidence of the artist’s hand is lacking and that the standards by which realistic paintings can be judged are thrown out the window.
Not so in this show. The obvious skill and supreme artistry of the nonrepresentational, abstract paintings are as clear and present as in the most meticulously painted of their realistic brethren.
And that high level of achievement is present throughout the exhibit, in all 102 works.
Usually, when we look at juried shows, there are a few works that obviously just made the cut and a few that are standouts, and the rest fall somewhere in the middle. In this exhibit, however, the quality is so universally high that the middle and lower levels of ability are practically nonexistent.
Moreover, Erbe has made sure to include something from almost every painting genre and style, from Chardin-like still lifes to Monet-like landscapes to a Hoffman-like abstraction to a folk art-like cityscape to Johns-like flags, and a smattering of American Scene nostalgia thrown in for good measure.
In short, there’s a bit of everything that’s been good about American art for the last 150 years.
Out of this mix, the works that tickled my aesthetic fancy the most were two flag paintings — American Flag, an oil by Art Beery of Marion; and My American Dream, melted crayon by Robert Bonanno of Newark, N.J. — and a fantasy landscape, Requiem, an acrylic/oil by Randall Tiedman of Cleveland, who won first place in the 1992 Midyear.
Bonanno creates his work by melting Crayola crayons. “I heat the tips of my Crayolas with the low flame of a propane torch until one drop forms,” he said. “Now, it is what I do with that drop that will determine what the piece will look like. I have gained more and more control of these drops, and I have discovered many techniques over the years which allow me to mix, layer, or build, to create works of art. I named my art form the art of ‘Melting.’ The pieces are called ‘Meltings,’ and I am ‘The Meltist.’ ”
Portraiture is strong, as is surrealism (a natural extension), but so is the use of mixed media, lyrical examples of the minimal/conceptual approach, and the kind of abstraction one can only achieve with collage.
There’s a price list available, and Butler officials said they’ve already sold a few. Try not to be too astounded at some of the figures, as several of the artists have slapped five-figure sums on their works. We’re told that the high prices are to discourage buyers, but as several of the works are by artists from the East Coast, where art is often much higher priced, it may be what they normally expect to get.
As to the mediums, oil is still the standard bearer, with 62 of the 102 works painted in that most traditional of mediums. That’s not to say that all of the oil paintings are traditional. Several of them provide examples of the most contemporary works in the show.
There’s a smattering of pen and ink, digital, photography, printmaking, colored pencil, graphite and encaustic works, while acrylics, watercolors and pastels are more numerous.
The works are so superb, Erbe must have had a heck of a time deciding who would get awards, as evidenced by the fact that he gave six honorable mentions.
Those who were deemed best of the best include three who received Juror’s Choice Awards:
• William Kennon of New York, N.Y., for his oil-on-linen, Rowhouse at Night.
• George Mauersberger of Cleveland for his pastel, Hed II.
• Will Wilson of San Francisco, for his oil, Alchemy.
John Randall Younger of Ivy, Va., took the Allied Artists of America Award for his oil, Train. Founded in New York City in 1914, this organization has been devoted to exhibiting the work of both current and former members. The nonprofit national art society is made up of painters and sculptors, active and sustaining members from across the country.
Paul Hamilton of Granville received the Phil Desind Award for his oil, Ohio Steel, Warren, Ohio. This award is given annually to an outstanding representational work in honor of Desind (1910-1996), longtime director of Capricorn Galleries of Bethesda, Md., which specialized in contemporary American realist painting.
Holly Hope Banks of Clearwater, Fla., won the Dianne B. Bernhard Art Spirit Purchase Award for her pastel, Artist’s Mother. The Art Spirit Foundation promotes the arts, illustrating how art enriches lives and providing insight into the spirit of art as a life-changing force. Bernhard’s sponsorship of this award, designated for a work in pastel, is part of the ongoing collaboration between the Butler and the Spirit Foundation.
I would put up this exhibit in its present form against any other juried show in the country, in terms of the quality of the work and the aesthetic vision of the artists. Erbe has done a magnificent job, and his choices are well worth seeing. It’s a big show, too, so plan to spend some time.
Dorothy Shinn writes about art and architecture for the Akron Beacon Journal. Send information to her at the Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640 or dtgshinn@neo.rr.com.
