The Figurative Art Movement is alive and well in San Francisco Bay Area
by jonfarreporter
Since COVID-19, much has changed especially as the “Cancel Culture” & “Woke Movement” followed in its path. For artists this has been a concern. Especially artists like Catherine Merrill who is among the 10 artists who are exhibiting their works at The San Francisco Women Artists Gallery on Irving Street in a show entitled “THIRD GENERATION: THE BAY AREA FIGURATIVE MOVEMENT TODAY”
The Figurative Movement was a mid-20th Century art movement made up of a group of artists in the San Francisco Bay Area who abandoned working in the prevailing style of Abstract Expressionism in favor of a return to figuration in painting during the 1950s and onward into the 1960s.
“The Bay Area Figurative Movement never died, said the exhibit’s curator Susan R. Kirshenbaum. It continues to thrive.”
Explaining it further Kirshenbaum added. “San Francisco Bay Area artists and models founded the Models Guild in 1946, and it’s no wonder that we still have such a healthy, lively community, chock-full of dedicated talent.”
Agreeing with her co-curator and the gallery’s curator Janice Rumbaugh, Merrill is elated. But she is also very aware of the current political and social climate.
“I’ve heard and read about the ‘Cancel Culture’ & ‘Woke Movement,’ said Merrill. It upsets me greatly but I don’t let it stop me from doing my art.”
As one who more than believes in the power of art, Merrill, like Kirshenbaum is pleased as well as amazed that the arts have survived locally during the pandemic. "During Covid, I was able to continue making pottery in my studio and exhibit and sell it at the SFWA Gallery on Irving Street."
The making of functional pottery helped Merrill bring in some extra income. “It was helpful and still is,” said Merrill. “Especially, in that it’s affirming and motivating.”
Like everyone, Merrill was taken aback by the uncertainty and the “uncharted territory” of “going into a difficult space, she said not knowing how long we as a society would be living in a lock down situation.”
Being able to do pottery amid the eeriness of the situation was helpful. Yet Merrill mentioned that not having the ability to work with models for painting and sculpting was for her most distressing. “Art is something we do with our hands,” she said. “It’s truly a human endeavor. How people can promote something like AI - an Artificial Intelligence to do this truly human work is puzzling to me.”
Even though Merrill is grateful for the use of app technology like Zoom and the like that helped people stay connected through virtual meetings, she still has misgivings.
“People are not using their hands enough,” she said. “So much relying upon technology has left a gap. There’s fewer paintings and sculptures; it seems, it's more and more digital and intense intellectual concept art,” Merrill said.
For Merrill, art is all about connection. From her perspective, people lately have lost that connection to using their hands, to being part of nature. Ironically, as schools have been cutting back on art programs, “it’s when art is promoted, the sciences flourish also,” said Merrill.
“There’s an alchemy in ceramics, said Merrill. It’s the mixture of dirt from the earth, with water, air and then fire. And what emerges from the kiln is something beautiful, art.”
Even the mixing and preparation of glazes is a science as well as an art. “It’s about measuring, application and precise temperature of the kiln. “Again, that’s science and art working together, said Merrill, a connection. How administrators and bureaucrats in schools can miss that I’m baffled.”
Yet one thing Merrill isn’t baffled by is the human form, the body. “It was my years as a dancer in my 20s that lead me into art,” she said. Like art and science, Merrill understands the mind and the body are also connected. “The body has a brain within it,” said Merrill.
“Growing up, said Merrill, like most people in American culture, (which has always been influenced by it’s Puritan colonial roots) I was ashamed of my body.”
But art helped Merrill understand and appreciate the human form even more. This is why she considers the exhibit ‘THIRD GENERATION: THE BAY AREA FIGURATIVE MOVEMENT TODAY’ at the gallery on Irving Street as significant.
“The human form, the body is beautiful, said Merrill. It’s meant to be celebrated and cherished. It’s really our only truly organic connection to the natural world and to one another.”
In addition to Merrill and co-curator Kirshenbaum showing their works, artists Joseph Abbati, Madelyn Covey, Jane Fisher, Diane Olivier, Fernando Reyes, Randall Sexton, May Shei & Charles H. Stinson will be featured.
“THIRD GENERATION: THE BAY AREA FIGURATIVE MOVEMENT TODAY” is at the SF Women’s Artist Gallery with an opening reception on April 8 and the exhibit continues until April 22. Gallery Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10:30AM-5:30PM
The Figurative Movement was a mid-20th Century art movement made up of a group of artists in the San Francisco Bay Area who abandoned working in the prevailing style of Abstract Expressionism in favor of a return to figuration in painting during the 1950s and onward into the 1960s.
“The Bay Area Figurative Movement never died, said the exhibit’s curator Susan R. Kirshenbaum. It continues to thrive.”
Explaining it further Kirshenbaum added. “San Francisco Bay Area artists and models founded the Models Guild in 1946, and it’s no wonder that we still have such a healthy, lively community, chock-full of dedicated talent.”
Agreeing with her co-curator and the gallery’s curator Janice Rumbaugh, Merrill is elated. But she is also very aware of the current political and social climate.
“I’ve heard and read about the ‘Cancel Culture’ & ‘Woke Movement,’ said Merrill. It upsets me greatly but I don’t let it stop me from doing my art.”
As one who more than believes in the power of art, Merrill, like Kirshenbaum is pleased as well as amazed that the arts have survived locally during the pandemic. "During Covid, I was able to continue making pottery in my studio and exhibit and sell it at the SFWA Gallery on Irving Street."
The making of functional pottery helped Merrill bring in some extra income. “It was helpful and still is,” said Merrill. “Especially, in that it’s affirming and motivating.”
Like everyone, Merrill was taken aback by the uncertainty and the “uncharted territory” of “going into a difficult space, she said not knowing how long we as a society would be living in a lock down situation.”
Being able to do pottery amid the eeriness of the situation was helpful. Yet Merrill mentioned that not having the ability to work with models for painting and sculpting was for her most distressing. “Art is something we do with our hands,” she said. “It’s truly a human endeavor. How people can promote something like AI - an Artificial Intelligence to do this truly human work is puzzling to me.”
Even though Merrill is grateful for the use of app technology like Zoom and the like that helped people stay connected through virtual meetings, she still has misgivings.
“People are not using their hands enough,” she said. “So much relying upon technology has left a gap. There’s fewer paintings and sculptures; it seems, it's more and more digital and intense intellectual concept art,” Merrill said.
For Merrill, art is all about connection. From her perspective, people lately have lost that connection to using their hands, to being part of nature. Ironically, as schools have been cutting back on art programs, “it’s when art is promoted, the sciences flourish also,” said Merrill.
“There’s an alchemy in ceramics, said Merrill. It’s the mixture of dirt from the earth, with water, air and then fire. And what emerges from the kiln is something beautiful, art.”
Even the mixing and preparation of glazes is a science as well as an art. “It’s about measuring, application and precise temperature of the kiln. “Again, that’s science and art working together, said Merrill, a connection. How administrators and bureaucrats in schools can miss that I’m baffled.”
Yet one thing Merrill isn’t baffled by is the human form, the body. “It was my years as a dancer in my 20s that lead me into art,” she said. Like art and science, Merrill understands the mind and the body are also connected. “The body has a brain within it,” said Merrill.
“Growing up, said Merrill, like most people in American culture, (which has always been influenced by it’s Puritan colonial roots) I was ashamed of my body.”
But art helped Merrill understand and appreciate the human form even more. This is why she considers the exhibit ‘THIRD GENERATION: THE BAY AREA FIGURATIVE MOVEMENT TODAY’ at the gallery on Irving Street as significant.
“The human form, the body is beautiful, said Merrill. It’s meant to be celebrated and cherished. It’s really our only truly organic connection to the natural world and to one another.”
In addition to Merrill and co-curator Kirshenbaum showing their works, artists Joseph Abbati, Madelyn Covey, Jane Fisher, Diane Olivier, Fernando Reyes, Randall Sexton, May Shei & Charles H. Stinson will be featured.
“THIRD GENERATION: THE BAY AREA FIGURATIVE MOVEMENT TODAY” is at the SF Women’s Artist Gallery with an opening reception on April 8 and the exhibit continues until April 22. Gallery Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10:30AM-5:30PM