by donald dusinberre imartsyfartsy@gmail.com
I called my Top-Secret Contact at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens and asked if I could see the new American Art exhibit before everyone else did. They agreed to a special meeting, so I sauntered up to the Museum before it opened to the public and walked right in.
“We’ve been expecting you,” said the Top-Secret Contact. “Right this way.”
After we passed through a few secret doors and down a long dark tunnel, we approached the Jacobsen Gallery, which, of course, is not a secret room at all. It’s one of the Cummer’s primary exhibition spaces. But inside, the entire staff of the Cummer Museum was being treated to a private tour, and I was lucky enough to gather some very sensitive information.
I may have played up the drama on that one just a bit. But I was there and I learned a few things that might help viewers better appreciate the paintings on display. Heed these words carefully, for if I do not have an article in next week’s issue of EU, then you’ll know they’ve found me and silenced me forever.
The Cummer Museum is hosting a collection of American Art, predominantly from the 19th Century. The collection of 50 oil paintings is owned by the West Foundation, an Atlanta-based organization committed to highlighting American art.
Truthfully, I haven’t been a big fan of landscape, portrait and still life paintings, and I didn’t expect that putting “American” in front of those words would make me enjoy looking at them any more than usual. But something on the staff tour gave me a different perspective.
They conducted an exercise called “Token Response,” wherein each member of the staff was given two slips of paper–one with a heart on it, the other with a “yuck face.” They were instructed to briefly peruse the gallery and place the slips on the floor in front of their favorite and least favorite paintings. Some paintings had many hearts, while others had many yucks. What was most fascinating, though, were the paintings that earned a single slip, or the ones that got some of each.
Many art snobs would discourage expressing a gut reaction, but they’d be missing the point. The real point of the exercise was to examine how a viewer’s first impression changes as information and opinions are shared. The paintings that earned both hearts and yucks were the most heavily discussed, and I found that my thoughts had changed after hearing the arguments for and against them.
I encourage everyone to try the “Token Response” exercise. Bring a group of friends, colleagues or relatives to the Cummer and take a brief look at the paintings. I bet you they’ll even let you put slips of paper on the floor – as long as you ask first and pick up after yourself. Don’t read the information plaques until after you’ve placed your slips so you won’t influence your decisions. Then talk with your group (quietly) about your initial reactions.
My opinions didn’t always change, but my reasons for sticking with or changing them became more developed. It’s fun to challenge oneself, and the Cummer’s American Art exhibit is actually a pretty good subject for such an exercise. On the surface, it’s a boring genre that reminds me of my grandparents’ house, but there’s a wealth of history behind most of the paintings, giving them a documentary quality. For instance, Thomas Moran (one of the more famous names in the collection) painted a stunning countryside scene – of Long Island. Good luck finding that spot now.
I’ll tell you which artists I liked the most, and you can email me at imartsyfartsy@gmail.com to argue or agree, if you like. Either way, I’ll bet you come away more informed and entertained than you ever thought. My faves are: De Witt Clinton Boutelle, Daniel Ridgeway Knight, Arthur Parton, Elliott Daingerfeld, and Maurice Frederick H. DeHaas.
Check out the Oh Say Can You See exhibition anytime before January 2008.
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