Highlights - Jay DeFeo at SFMOMA
I thoroughly enjoyed myself - the exhibition was done in a way that gave the large paintings the breathing room they needed and there was no big "unveiling" of "The Rose". It was there, appropriately placed, early on in the exhibition. But before I get into it, there were a few notable works done in the late 40's and 50's.
I couldn't find all the images for posting short of buying the catalogue but here are a few that I found idmages for and enjoyed.
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| "Landscape with Figure" 1955 |
Goofy, Morandi like, and fun.
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| "Veronica" 1947 |
"Veronica" was a tremendous painting. The layering of paint and force of the brushstrokes made the image look heavy and light at the same time. The strokes had a feathery feel to it yet the big strokes gave it stabilty and ballast.
The "Annunciation" had a pleasing mixture of blues, venetian red, umber and white. I though from a distance, it was a butterfly, my friend thought it looked like 2 large pieces of meat hanging. I liked her interpretation better.
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| "The Annunciation" 1957-59 |
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| "Origin" 1956 |
This felt like geological formations out of granite and at the same time, it could have been a flea's eye view in a dog's thick coat. In any event, the strong vertical lines did not seem contrived like drips but strong, purposeful strokes.
In the description of "The Eyes", it said that DeFeo never thought of herself as a particularly good draughtsman - if you see this in person, you will notice the details and you might disagree with her assessment. I usually don't read the text that go with the exhibition, preferring to interact with the piece, but also, i don't want to waste precious time and energy reading.
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| "The Eyes" 1958 |
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"Blossom" 1958
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I love seeing the different ways artists create work and in this case, it was nice to see her collages. I haven't been successful with doing collages but I always admire people who can do them successfully.
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| Jay DeFeo working on "The Rose" |
Now, back to "The Rose". In this photo, you see DeFeo working with cigarette in hand. My painting professor Bruce McGaw from my days at the San Francisco Art Institute told me how DeFeo would always have a cigarette in her hand. Back in "those" days, everyone smoked but I think she took it to the extreme, hence succumbing to lung cancer. I found that the painting sucked me in like a magnet. It had a powerful attraction as if you were being pulled into a white tunnel (on the way to meet one's maker!). Upon close examination, it seemed less like a painting and more like a building project. It really is an amazing piece.
Then there was the time between 1972 and 1975 which did not appeal to me. The work seemed contrived however, after that period, her drawings were interesting. The scaled up painting version of the drawings were not as successful. Again, in the 80s I saw great drawings and less successful paintings. Her paintings contained a lot of negative space but there was no attention given to this area. It was as if she didn't care or the work was unfinished. I also didn't like her pallet and over use of tape for her edges. The work lacked a freshness and completeness.
Her last two pieces in the show were beautiful but unfortunately, I couldn't find an image to post. They are "Room with a View" 1989 and "Last Valentine" and sad and poignant piece. She died November 11, 1989.
I definitely will be revisiting this show before it closes February 3, 2013.
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| Jay DeFeo |
| Jay DeFeo Biography |
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| 1946 - 1950 | | B.A. in painting from University of California at Berkeley, CA |
| 1950 - 1951 | | M.A. in painting from University of California at Berkeley, CA |
| 1951 | | Sigmund Martin Heller Traveling Fellowship, University of California - Berkeley |
| 1973 | | National Endowment for the Arts, Individual Artist Fellowship |
| 1982 | | Honorary Doctorate from San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA |
| 1984 - 1985 | | Adaline Kent Award, San Francisco Art Institute, CA |
| 1985 - 1986 | | National Endowment for the Arts, Individual Artist Fellowship |
| 1989 | | Died in Oakland, California |
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I thoroughly enjoyed myself - the exhibition was done in a way that gave the large paintings the breathing room they needed and there was no big "unveiling" of "The Rose". It was there, appropriately placed, early on in the exhibition. But before I get into it, there were a few notable works done in the late 40's and 50's. 
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