Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis, TN
901-544-6200
http://www.brooksmuseum.org/
Donald Sultan: In the Still
Life Tradition
The work of Donald Sultan is voluminous and
varied. Since 1975, when he arrived in New York, Sultan's creative energy
has manifested itself in the media of paint, printing, and sculpting. His
extensive body of work has placed him at the forefront of contemporary art,
where he has become best known for his ability to successfully merge the
best of yesterday's artistic tradition with a fresh, modern approach that
is unique. Continuing through April 9, 2000, at the Memphis Brooks Museum
of Art, is Donald Sultan: In the Still Life Tradition. Organized
by the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, this exhibition focuses on Sultan's
untraditional approach to a traditional theme -- Still Lifes. Featured are
twenty of the artist's large-scale paintings (8' x 8'), including his well-known
vases and flowers, lemons, dominos, and buttons as well as his latest works
of red tomatoes. (left: Four Lemons, Feb. 1, 1985, 96 x 96
inches)
The representation of an assemblage of objects from the
everyday world has captivated artists and their audiences throughout history.
Still lifes find their origin in the ancient ritual of hospitality; the
ability to offer one's guests flowers or fruit, as a sign of prosperity
and generosity, eventually found its way into artistic representation. Throughout
art history, from the mosaics of antiquity through Dutch seventeenth-century
still life paintings to cubist compositions, fascination with still lifes
has remained constant. Donald Sultan's works fit perfectly in this tradition,
while at the same time offering a springboard into the next century.
Sultan's
still lifes have been described as studies in contrast. His powerfully sensual,
fleshy object representations are rendered through a labor-intensive and
unique method. Instead of canvas, Sultan works on Masonite covered with
12 inch vinyl floor tiles. The format is dictated by the tiles: one-foot
squares, eight-foot squares, or most recently, four-foot squares. Sultan
cuts the shapes he desires into the vinyl. He fills in the cutout space
with plaster and/or tar, and then paints over it. These multiple layers
create the texture and subsequent richness that are so appealing. (left:
Stacked Dominos, Oct. 28, 1994, tar, oil, latex paint, on linoleum,
96 x 96 inches, courtesy of Knoedler & Co., NY)
Although his paintings fit into the criteria of a still
life, Sultan describes these works as first and foremost abstract. The largeness
of Sultan's compositions, huge pieces of fruit, flowers, dominoes and other
objects, set against the stark, unsettling tar-black, eight-foot square
background, dominate the viewer. He is best known for his lemons and fruit,
and states that his subjects develop from previous work. The oval of his
lemons has led to a series of oval-blossomed tulips. Dots from dice have
become oranges. What does not change with Sultan's work is the powerful
statement his forms make. Sultan's work incorporates basic geometric and
organic forms with a formal purity that is both subtle and monumental. His
images are weighty, with equal emphasis on both negative and positive areas.
Sultan describes his work as "heavy structure, holding fragile meaning"
with the ability to "turn you off and turn you on at the same time."
Born in 1951 in Asheville, North Carolina, Donald Sultan
received his BFA from the University of North 
Carolina, Chapel Hill and his MFA from the School
of the Art Institute in Chicago. He moved to New York in 1975. Sultan has
been given numerous exhibitions dedicated to his work, as well as having
been included in a number of group shows. His work is included in the permanent
collection of many prestigious institutions including The Museum of Modern
Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (right:
Packed Vases, Jan. 31, 1995, tar, oil,plaster and silkscreen on linoleum
over masonite, 96 x 96 inches, courtesy of Knoedler & Co., NY)
Since his first one-man show in 1977, Donald Sultan has
enjoyed a distinguished career as painter, printmaker, and sculptor. In
this past year he collaborated with the playwright David Mamet on the book,
Bar Mitzvah. Also last year, Marco Fine Arts released Visual Poetics:
The Art of Donald Sultan, a very impressive, limited-edition livre d'artiste,
which includes several specially commissioned poems by Beat veteran Robert
Creeley.
Donald Sultan: In the Still Life Tradition is organized by the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and curated by
Dana Holland-Beickert. The exhibition is being circulated by Pamela Auchincloss,
Arts Management. Funding for the national tour and catalogue is provided
by FedEx.
Images and text courtesy of Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.
Read more about the Memphis
Brooks Museum of Art in Resource
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Copyright 2009 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights
reserved.
The work of Donald Sultan is voluminous and
varied. Since 1975, when he arrived in New York, Sultan's creative energy
has manifested itself in the media of paint, printing, and sculpting. His
extensive body of work has placed him at the forefront of contemporary art,
where he has become best known for his ability to successfully merge the
best of yesterday's artistic tradition with a fresh, modern approach that
is unique. Continuing through April 9, 2000, at the Memphis Brooks Museum
of Art, is Donald Sultan: In the Still Life Tradition. Organized
by the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, this exhibition focuses on Sultan's
untraditional approach to a traditional theme -- Still Lifes. Featured are
twenty of the artist's large-scale paintings (8' x 8'), including his well-known
vases and flowers, lemons, dominos, and buttons as well as his latest works
of red tomatoes. (left: Four Lemons, Feb. 1, 1985, 96 x 96
inches)
