{"id":1777,"date":"2010-06-16T09:27:59","date_gmt":"2010-06-16T16:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp\/2010\/06\/time_capsule_of_seattle_art\/"},"modified":"2010-06-16T09:27:59","modified_gmt":"2010-06-16T16:27:59","slug":"time_capsule_of_seattle_art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/2010\/06\/time_capsule_of_seattle_art.html","title":{"rendered":"Time capsule of Seattle art"},"content":{"rendered":"

None of William Ivey’s paintings have a title. All of Howard Kottler’s sculptures do. They’re either jokes or explication, the latter because he was a teacher.<\/p>\n

William Ivey (1919-1992)
\nUntitled, 1976
\nOil on canvas
Howard Kottler (1930-1989)
\n<\/i>Portrait Vase, 1988
\nCeramic with whitewash and luster<\/i><\/p>\n

\"williamiveybeth.jpg\" Ivey painted not what he saw but what he felt about what he
\nsaw: windows, waters, hills and dales, bridges, tables,
\nledges and restless passages of sky as they poured themselves out through the window in his
\nstudio.
\nLike Joan Mitchell, he continued to explore the premises that first inspired him. He wanted to push
\nrepresentation to the edge, hammer the hard contours of the world into
\nsubmission and infuse their shadowy forms with blunt yet atmospheric
\nradiance. He never became what Lester Young called a
\n“repeater pencil,” producing Iveys by the truckload.<\/p>\n

Like the Bay Area’s Robert Arneson, Kottler believed in the
\naesthetics of bad taste. Cheap consumer goods ignited flames in the fake fireplace of his imagination. Marbled contact paper stirred him more than marble, and simulated wood grain meant more than wood. He was part of a generation that dispensed with the high\/low divide, which meant, in his case, that art history also drew his magpie eye. Portrait Vase<\/i> is a tribute to Italian futurists, especially Umberto Boccioni. The fractures that were life and death for Boccioni became party favors for Kottler.  During his lifetime, some saw Kottler as trifling, which did not disturb him. When challenging the high\/low divide, protests from its adherents are expected. At least he wasn’t barking mad like the  futurists. (Yeats<\/a>: The best lack all conviction, while the worst
\n\/Are full of passionate intensity<\/i>.)<\/p>\n

Because Ivey and Kottler are always high points, that’s what they are in
\nA Corporate Legacy – A Continuing Cultural Gift<\/i>
\nat the Wright
\nExhibition Space<\/a>, curated by Beth Sellars. <\/p>\n

Aside from the coma-inducing title, the exhibit is a fine time capsule for a certain kind of NW art: strong in painting, ceramics and glass, barely there in photography and nonexistent in video, installation and anything that rests uneasily in a specific medium. <\/p>\n

The collection tends toward the conservative, bringing to mind Wallace Stevens<\/a>‘ reflections on his neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock<\/p>\n

The houses are haunted
\n
By white night-gowns.
\n
None are green,
\n
Or purple with green rings,
\n
Or green with yellow rings,
\n
Or yellow with blue rings.
\n
None of them are strange,
\n
With socks of lace
\n
And beaded ceintures.
\n
People are not going
\n
To dream of baboons and periwinkles.
\n
Only, here and there, an old sailor,
\n
Drunk and asleep in his boots,
\n
Catches tigers
\nIn red weather.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Another thing about that neighborhood: Stevens lived there. Days, he worked in a managerial capacity for an insurance company. Nights, he reinvented the language.  Conservative is not a synonym for irrelevant.  <\/p>\n

The collection from which the exhibit is drawn came from Safeco Insurance. The company began to acquire art in 1973 and did so with a regional focus. By the time Liberty Mutual acquired Safeco in 2008, its glory days in aesthetics were past, but as a final goodwill gesture the corporation donated 840 of the strongest works to the Washington State Art Consortium<\/a>, a support group for seven art museums in the state.<\/p>\n

Once abundant, corporate collections are now a rarity. Safeco’s rewarded artists, art at its source. In the 1980s, it was easy to take it for granted. Now, it appears to represent a better time. <\/p>\n

(Show list after the jump.)<\/p>\n


\nJuan Alonso<\/b> (b.1956)
\nTemptation, 1996
\nAcrylic on paper<\/p>\n

Guy Anderson<\/b> (1906-1998)
\nSummer Wind I, 1980
\nOil on paper
\n
\nAnne Appleby<\/b> (b.1954)
\nWestern Cedar, 1998
\nOil on canvas

Sonja Blomdahl<\/b> (b.1952)
\nUntitled (SP5387), 1987
\nHand-blown glass
\n
\nSonja Blomdahl<\/b> (b.1952)
\nYellow\/Orange\/Plum, 1992
\nHand-blown glass

Wendell Brazeau<\/b> (1910-1974)
\nStill Life, La Tavola, 1957
\nOil on panel 1984.002
\n
\n
\nMichael Brophy<\/b> (b. 1960)
\nSmall Curtain, 1999
\nOil on canvas

Louis Bunce<\/b> (1907-1983)
\nImages of the Afternoon, 1942
\nColor silkscreen on paper

Mark Calderon<\/b> (b.1955)
\nCrena, 1996
\nSteel over cement
\n
\nKenneth Callahan<\/b> (1905-1986)
\nThe Meeting, 1965
\nTempera on board <\/p>\n

Diem Chau<\/b> (b.1979)
\nWomen, 2008
\nPorcelain cup, silk, and thread <\/p>\n

Diem Chau<\/b> (b.1979)
\nUnion, 2008
\nPorcelain cup, silk, and thread

Dale Chihuly<\/b> (1941)
\n#146 Black Set, 1980
\nHand-blown glass
\n
\nDale Chihuly<\/b> (1941)
\nCylinder, 1978
\nHand-blown glass

Claire Cowie<\/b> (b.1975)
\nSpring Village, 2008
\nSoftground spitbite aquatint etching

William Cummings<\/b> (b.1917)
\nCutting the Cow, 1981
\nTempera on board

Michael Dailey<\/b> (1938-2009)
\nSandy Cove, 1977
\nOil on canvas
\n
\nMargaret Ford<\/b> (b.1941)
\nMoth, 1980
\nCeramic

T. Michael Gardiner<\/b> (1946)
\nParlor with Fish Table, 1984
\nGouache

Justin Gibbens<\/b> (b.1975)
\nBird of Paradise VIII: Rock Wren with Appendage, 2008
\nWatercolor, graphite, gouache, oolong on paper <\/p>\n

Ford Gilbreath<\/b>
\nNear Duwamish Head, 1998
\nHand painted silver gelatin print

Richard Gilkey<\/b> (1925-1997)
\nLa Connor Landscape, 1980
\nOil on linen

William Givle<\/b>r (1908-2000)
\nWindow Washers, 1935
\nOil on canvas
\n
\nJoseph Goldberg<\/b> (b.1947)
\nSiren, 1995
\nEncaustic on linen

Boyer Gonzales<\/b> (1909-1987)
\nComposition, 1966-70
\nOil on canvas
\n

Morris Graves<\/b> (1910-2001)
\nResilient Young Pine, 1944
\nTempera on laminated paper
\n

Gaylen Hansen<\/b> (b.1921)
\nBison and Tulip, 1994
\nOil on canvas
\n

Alfred Harris<\/b> (b.1953)
\nFunctionary Project #880 and #896, 1993
\nMixed media (ink on tea stained vellum on panel)

Randy Hayes<\/b>
\n(b.1944)
\nTapestry Chair, 2005
\nOil on photographs with pushpins<\/p>\n

Blake Haygood<\/b> (b.1966)
\nHitch and Tickle, 2000
\nColor drypoint etching
\n
\nPaul Heald<\/b> (1936)
\nSleeper, 1982
\nAcrylic on linen

Anne Hirondelle<\/b> (1944)
\nChorister Triptych, 1992
\nStoneware

Paul Horiuchi<\/b> (1906-1999)
\nThoughts in Color #10, and
\nCollage

Calvin Hunt<\/b> (b.1956)
\nKolus (Thunderbird) Transformation Mask, 1988
\nRed cedar, acrylic, twine

Walter Isaacs<\/b> (1886-1964)
\nHorse in Paddock, 1945
\nOil on Board 1979.020
\nWilliam Ivey (1919-1992)
\nUntitled, 1976
\nOil on canvas

George Johanson<\/b> (b.1928)
\nNight Games #5, 1996
\nEtching <\/p>\n

Fay Jones<\/b> (b.1936)
\nLotus-Eaters, 1993
\nAquatint<\/p>\n

Helmi Juvonen<\/b> (1903-1985)
\n

Mark Tobey<\/b> 1955
\nTempera on paper

Ken Kelly<\/b> (b.1955)
\nBirdland, 1996
\nOil and acrylic on wood <\/p>\n

Lee Kelly<\/b> (b.1932)
\nYucatan Nose Rack, 1985
\nSteel

Leo Kenney<\/b> (1925-2001)
\nDecember Hours, 1980
\nGouache on paper

Gwen Knight<\/b> (1913-2005)
\nInterior, 1941
\nGouache on paper

Carolyn Krieg<\/b> (1953)
\nFountainhead #5 HH, 1996
\nAltered chromogenic print

Jacob Lawrence<\/b> (1917-2000)
\nBuilders, 1980
\nGouache on paper

Norman Lundin<\/b> (1938)
\nStudio Floor:Two Jugs, 1981
\nCharcoal, pastel, dry pigment on paper

Dante Marioni<\/b> (1964)
\nSet of Three Whopper Vases, 1988
\nHand-blown glass

Sherry Markovitz<\/b> (1947)
\nDonkey Profile, 1993
\nGouache on paper

Alden Mason<\/b> (1919)
\nHandy Pink, nd
\nOil on canvas

Phil McCracken<\/b> (1928)
\nMother and Young, 1971
\nBronze on walnut base

Nancy Mee<\/b>
\nEncased in Their Beliefs, 1990
\nGlass, wood, and steel

Peter Millett<\/b> (1949)
\nEight, 1989
\nPainted wood <\/p>\n

Jeffry Mitchell<\/b> (1958)
\nConstellation II, 1998
\n

William Morris<\/b> (b.1957)
\n11.1.82.B, 1981
\nHand-blown glass

Spencer Moseley<\/b> (1925-1998)
\nCoda Con Comedo, 1965
\nAcrylic on canvas

Frank Okada<\/b> (1931-2000)
\nSwing Line II, 1989
\nOil on canvas <\/p>\n

Mary Randlett<\/b> (b.1924)
\nEmerging City, Seattle, 1993
\nGelatin silver print

Michele Russo<\/b> (1909-2004)
\nHello, Hello, 1988
\nAcrylic on canvas
\n
\nDavid Schwarz<\/b> (b.1952)
\nZ.A.O.F. 12\/16\/91, 1991
\nHand-blown glass <\/p>\n

Frances Senska<\/b> (1914-2009)
\nBrickyard, 1952
\nLithograph on paper

Roger Shimomura<\/b> (1939)
\nDiary January 1, 1943, 1983
\nAcrylic on canvas <\/p>\n

Michael Spafford<\/b> (1935)
\nThe Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs V, 1991
\nOil on paper

Robert Sperry<\/b> (1927-2008)
\nPlate #781, 1987
\nCeramic

Lino Tagliapietra<\/b> (1934)
\nUntitled, 1990
\nHand-blown glass

John Takehara<\/b> (1929-2009)
\nSound of Earth, 1989
\nCeramic with rawhide ties

Whiting Tennis<\/b> (b.1959)
\nSurvey with Blue Flower, 1995
\nOil on canvas on board

Barbara Thomas<\/b> (b.1948)
\nMan Cleaning His Fish II, 2006
\nWood block

Mark Tobey<\/b> (1890-1976)
\nLes Signes, 1962
\nTempera on paper <\/p>\n

George Tsutakawa<\/b> (1910-1997)
\nJuan De Fuca, nd
\nSumi ink on rice paper 1997.024

Jamie Walker<\/b> (b.1958)
\nUntitled, 1995
\nPorcelain

Patti Warashina<\/b> (1940)
\nRome Series Portait #8, 2004
\nWhiteware ceramic

James Washington Jr<\/b>. (1909-2000)
\nGrosbeak Hatching, 1978
\nGranite on wood base

Wesley Wehr<\/b> (1929-2004)
\nAlberni, 1991
\nOil on paper

Myra Albert Wiggins<\/b> (1869-1956)
\nUnloading the Catch, 1898
\nGelatin silver print <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

None of William Ivey’s paintings have a title. All of Howard Kottler’s sculptures do. They’re either jokes or explication, the latter because he was a teacher. William Ivey (1919-1992) Untitled, 1976 Oil on canvasHoward Kottler (1930-1989) Portrait Vase, 1988 Ceramic with whitewash and luster Ivey painted not what he saw but what he felt about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1777","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1777\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/anotherbb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}