Some current work by the state’s artists has attracted national attention.
LEWISTON – The quick answer is no, Maine’s landscape artists are not endangered.
However, Bruce Brown actually meant for his provocative topic, “Maine’s Landscape Painters: An Endangered Species?” at Thursday’s Great Falls Forum, to be a springboard for extolling the innovative work being done by Maine artists in other forms of expression.
“Something else may be in the air, particularly among young artists,” said Brown, who is curator at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport.
Some current work is bringing national attention to several of the state’s young artists, he said. They are predominantly witty or satirical, making use of unusual media and methods of presentation.
Brown voiced respect for the long line of famous landscape painters of Maine. He began with a slide of a Blue Hill scene done in 1824 by Rev. Jonathan Fisher and he paid homage to greats such as John Marin, Edward Hopper, Carl Sprinchorn, and Lewiston’s Marsden Hartley.
And then there is the “icon of all icons,” Andrew Wyeth’s painting of “Christina’s World.”
The Olson house, depicted in that painting, is the focus of an abstract representation by Lisa Dodd, who lives and paints a short way down the same road in Cushing. Among other established Maine landscape artists he recognized were Alex Katz, Neil Welliver and Emily Nelligan.
But landscape painting may not be a “Johnny-One-Note theme,” Brown said. He suggested that young people working in Maine have sought and received “permission of their elders” to move in other directions.
“The mold-breaking has been going on for a century now,” Brown said. He cited influences ranging from Picasso to the instructors at the Maine College of Art, the university system and at Bates, Bowdoin and Colby colleges.
Brown described a recent opportunity for several young Maine artists to be seen in an exhibit he was invited to curate at Brooklyn’s nonprofit d.u.m.b.o. arts center, under the Manhattan Bridge overpass, which is dedicated to showing young and emerging artists.
That show, “Home,” features 16 artists from Maine and Brooklyn, who explore the theme of domesticity through sculpture, video, installation and drawing. The show runs through mid-March.
Among them are artists who work in precious metal, soap, thread or oil on deerskin.
Brown urged the attendees at the Great Falls Forum to visit the current exhibition of sculptural installation and drawings by Nancy Romines at the Atrium Gallery of the University of Southern Maine’s L-A College in Lewiston. It runs through March 6.
Brown, a retired teacher from Freeport High School, has been a strong presence in the Maine art scene for more than 20 years. He has educated many people about art and has assembled a phenomenal collection of contemporary prints on a limited budget.
About 80 people attended the presentation of the Great Falls Forum. Now in its sixth season, the forum is a monthly public platform providing thought-provoking speakers and discussion. It is sponsored by the Sun Journal, Lewiston Public Library, Bates College and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center.
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