Bert Long's Red BookJuly 10-August 14, 2010
HCG Gallery
Artist reception
July 10, 7:00-9:00 pm
One of the most legendary Texas artists, Bert Long, unveils to Dallas "Bert Long's Red Book," an exhibit of new works that have come in response to Swiss psychiatrist, C.G. Jung's recently published private journal, The Red Book. Come funkily dressed for this red carpet reception as we celebrate the HCG Gallery opening of Long's latest works, this Saturday from 7-9 pm.
The showed debuted at the Houston Jung Center with great reception in May 2010. J. Pittman McGehee, Jungian analyst and Jung Center board member, notes that Bert Long's revelations are "whimsical, deep and significant." Clint Willour, curator for the Galveston Arts Center, suggests that this is "arguably the strongest body of work he has made since those he did during his residency as a fellow at the American Academy in Rome."
"Creativity Imprisoned" is one of the 17 new works included in the exhibit. It has a bright pink background with a photo of the artist "imprisoned" behind a fence, a seemingly "crashed" object contained in the outline of a cube, highlighted in bright colors, and a heavily decorated plaster frame bound by dingy steel bars. Long alludes to the fact that he does not know what it is like to have his creativity hindered by referencing text from the psychiatrist's Red Book, "This is the very thing I would love to know but don't."
When asked to psycho-analyze Long and this current body of work, Kirk Hopper, HCG Gallery owner and long-time collector, says that he "isn't sure what all lies deep in the recesses of Bert's psyche, but it all seems to be the result of at least some serious swagger and a whole lot of cornbread."
Long is a native Texan who studied adult education at UCLA, graduating in 1972. He was awarded the Rome Prize Fellowship in 1990 and was also recognized as Texas Artist of the Year. Most recently he completed a 30-foot painting commissioned by the LOOSCAN Library of Houston, as well as signing a contract for a book by renowned writer Thomas McEvilly. Long is also the subject of a recent documentary by Just Right Films which debuts at The McKinney Avenue Contemporary August 6th.
"It," 2010, acrylic on canvas, plaster frame, gold paint, 34" x 39" x 3"
During my visit to DC I saw the Mark Rothko exhibition in the Tower at the National Gallery East Building. This exhibition featured the late black paintings and a small selection of early works where Rothko incorporated black paint. In the Tower, were 7 large scale black paintings exhibited in a chapel setting. I imagine that this is similar to the Rothko Chapel in Houston, which I hate to say I have never visited.
In a small side gallery adjacent to the Tower were paintings Rothko completed in the 40's. All of this work was new to me. The National Gallery has the largest collection of Rothko works which were donated by the Mark Rothko Foundation.
