Visiting the Museum of Wisconsin Art

A primary reason for my recent trip to the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend, Wisconsin was to visit one of my favorite paintings - The Flagellants by Carl von Marr. The enormous oil is an incredibly ambitious epic painting with a multitude of figures. The painting was masterfully designed with attention to value contrast with focal points of color. The Trek Bicycle installation was a surprising juxtaposition.

Carl von Marr

(b. Milwaukee, 1858; d. Munich, Germany, 1936)

The Flagellants (Procession of the Flagellants), 1889

Oil on canvas

Lent by the City of Milwaukee Collection

The painting's dark colors and high gloss varnish made photographing it extremely difficult, but I tried to capture a few details.

Modern and contemporary Wisconsin artists are also highlighted at MOWA.

Tom Uttech, a former professor I studied under at UWM in 1986, had 4 large paintings of the North Woods on display.

Tom Uttech

(b. Merril, 1942)

Minwabadam, 1998

Oil on canvas

Lent by Maureen and E.B. Smith, Jr.

The style and personal iconography of art world star Fred Stonehouse is always fascinating. He is represented here by his large acrylic Dream of the Marsh Potatoes. 

Fred Stonehouse

(b. Milwaukee, 1960)

Dream of the Marsh Potatoes, 2011

Acrylic on canvas

Museum of Wisconsin Art, 2017-27

Mark Mulhern, who paints figures isolated in the field, focuses our attention on subtle gestures and body language in Brocante Loire Valley.

Mark Mulher

(b. Milwaukee, 1951)

Brocante Loire Valley, 2014

Oil on canvas

Lent by the Tory Folliard Gallery

Reginald Baylor's large acrylic The Directions To and From burst with vibrant color separated by dynamic line work.

Reginald Baylor

(b. Milwaukee, 1966)

The Directions To and From, 2013

Acrylic on canvas

Museum of Wisconsin Art, 2014-2

Paintings by the late Mary Nohl are also included in the gallery. I am grateful to have received two travel grants from The Greater Milwaukee Foundation's Mary L. Nohl Fund Suitcase Fund for Visual Art, which she bequeathed to support local artists.  

Mary Nohl
(b. Milwaukee, 1914;,d. Milwaukee, 2002)
Untitled, ca. 1960-1998
Oil on board
Lent by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center

Two temporary exhibitions are on view through July 29, 2018. Check them out if you can make the trip to West Bend:

Jenie Gao: Survival Tools

Jenie Gao

Man's Well-Regulated Friends, 2018

Woodcut

Jenie Gao, a Madison artist and printmaker, presents an installation of large woodcut boards. Her images use the gundog and bulldog to communicate her thoughts about war, violence, and protest. 

Daniel Gerhartz: The Continuum of Beauty

Daniel Gerhartz

Lilacs

Oil on Canvas

Lent by West Bend Mutual

In this retrospective Daniel Gerhartz, a classically trained artist from Kewaskum, WI, presents a collection of 31 of his Realist canvases. His bravura brushstrokes demonstrate an impressive technical facility reminiscent of the great artists of the Golden Age. 

Daniel Gerhartz

Green Velvet

Oil on canvas

Lent by Dan and Deborah Carey

My next blog post will cover my new series of paintings created for the Look Here! exhibition to be held June 28 - September 16, 2018 at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum in Milwaukee, WI. 

Check out my artwork available at my Etsy store and on my Facebook page as well as my Instagram feed.