Center for the Arts
Vero Beach, FL
561-231-0707
Broken Silences: The Collages
of Paul Jenkins
Paul Jenkins is one
of the premier artists of his generation. His work in acrylic on canvas
of the 1960s and 1970s is well known to those versed in the art history
of the latter part of the twentieth century, but it is his work in collage
that will be the subject of the exhibition Broken Silences: The Collages
of Paul Jenkins, a retrospective of Jenkins' work in the Holmes Gallery
at the Center for the Arts continuing through Sunday, January 7, 2001.
One
of the best indications of Jenkins' long-standing love of collage is his
house in New York City, which has been his his winter home (his summers
are spent in France) since the mid-1970s. In this four-story townhouse,
walls, doors, cabinets and even a bathtub are covered with pages from books,
Japanese prints, painted Tibetan mandalas, pieces of wood and parts of old
hand tools. A permanent part of the house, these works form a backdrop for
the artist's collection of his own paintings and those of his French and
American colleagues, as well as, among other things, glass prisms, Tibetan
drums, a rock crystal lingam, Chinese stirrups and knives and swords from
every part of the world. (left: Phenomena Under the Green Umbrella,
1997, acrylic and collage on canvas with wood, 30 x 24 inches)
Jenkins's penchant for collage goes back forty-six years,
when he began to collage the walls and doors of his 
first studio in Paris. The earliest works in the Center's
exhibition include these doors, collaged between 1954-1958. Covered with
Japanese prints, calligraphy on rice paper and placards purchased and found
in the shops and streets of Paris, these collages were sometimes augmented
later with acrylic paint. The doors were a part of Jenkins's studio for
many years. When he left the studio in 1996, he took the doors with him,
as well as a large freestanding work, "Hokusai Portal," 1954-1958,
which will also be seen in the exhibition. (right: Phenomena Mercury
Tibetan Flask, 1992, wood construction with acrylic, 19 1/4 x 20 inches)
Jenkins'
"portable" collages, those created on paper and canvas, date back
to "Egyptian Profile" of 1953, which is included in the exhibition.
It is a work in gouache and ink on papyrus mounted on canvas. During the
1950s, Jenkins was also painting. He experimented with different types of
paint, often combining on the same canvas oil, chrysochrome, and powdered
pigments. Influenced by French Tascism and American Abstract Expressionism,
the paintings led to the now well-known lyrical works of the 1960s in a
then brand-new medium, acrylic paint. It was not until the late 1970s that
Jenkins returned to collage. Included in the exhibition is "Phenomena
Where the Winds Meet" of 1977, a two-panel work that features an acrylic
painting on the left and a torn paper and acrylic paint collage on the right.
(left: Phantom of Manhattan, 1998-1999, acrylic and collage on canvas,
36 x 24 inches)
The 1980s saw collage come into its own in Jenkins's oeuvre
with such works as "Dynasty of Three" of 1984-1985. In this collage,
a painting of a seated Chinese lady in court robes is flanked by skeletons
from an anatomy textbook. Large rectangular shapes of paper in a symmetrical
arrangement float over the trio, and behind all are the filmy veils of a
Jenkins painting on canvas that show through the paper layers. Rather than
being surreal, the effect is formal and delicately elegant.
The exhibition is made possible through the generosity
of Bessemer Trust Company, Mr. and Mrs. James Balog, and Mrs. Richard M.
Ross. Additional support has been provided by Mr. and Mrs. Marvin G. Messex.
Read more about the Center
for the Arts in Resource Library Magazine
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This page was originally published in Resource
Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for
more information. rev. 4/27/11
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One
of the best indications of Jenkins' long-standing love of collage is his
house in New York City, which has been his his winter home (his summers
are spent in France) since the mid-1970s. In this four-story townhouse,
walls, doors, cabinets and even a bathtub are covered with pages from books,
Japanese prints, painted Tibetan mandalas, pieces of wood and parts of old
hand tools. A permanent part of the house, these works form a backdrop for
the artist's collection of his own paintings and those of his French and
American colleagues, as well as, among other things, glass prisms, Tibetan
drums, a rock crystal lingam, Chinese stirrups and knives and swords from
every part of the world. (left: Phenomena Under the Green Umbrella,
1997, acrylic and collage on canvas with wood, 30 x 24 inches)
