February 1, 1994
Charles Clough's Three Paintings for One Wall, created in 1985 and exhibited at The Brooklyn Museum in 1986, is making a return visit to the Museum’s Grand Lobby through April 10. The suite is accompanied by Clough’s Nine Paintings for One Book, a recent work.
In 1985, after a trip to France, Clough began to try his hand at large-scale paintings. He used existing works as inspiration, creating abstract compositions that, through their size and color schemes, suggested specific historical works. Three Paintings for One Wall is a trio inspired by The Brooklyn Museum’s permanent collection of American paintings: The Governor responds to Albert Bierstadt’s Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie (1866); Doubloon to Benjamin West’s The Angel of the Lord Announcing the Resurrection to the Three Maries at the Sepulchre (1805); and Oysters to several paintings by Childe Hassam and John Henry Twachtman. Using broad, colorful brushstrokes applied with what the artist calls "the big finger" (a wooden pole with a round pad at the end), Clough created his own bold landscapes while commenting on the grandeur of others’.
As a contrast, The Brooklyn Museum also presents Nine Paintings for One Book, a collection of small compositions designed to accompany his studio notes in a publication entitled Surface Verses Probe.
In conjunction with this installation, the artist will explain the themes and methods important to his work in a free slide lecture for adults on Sunday, March 20, at 2 p.m. in the Education Division. Charles Clough will also host a Meet-the-Artist workshop for children 6-12 years old on Saturday, April 9, at 3 p.m. The program will explore the artist’s work, visit the permanent American paintings collection, and include an art-making experience with Clough. Space is limited; please call (718) 638-5000, ext. 230, to reserve a place.
Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1989 - 1994. 01-06/1994, 027-28. View Original
