I am sure we have all gone on to an Internet news site only to have our attention stray away from the headlines to something interesting in a sidebar. So it was with me one day, when my attention was captured by an interesting figure in a photo. A man, African-American, sat on what looked like a small sofa made of reddish-brown lacquered wood. One of his long-fingered hands dropped casually from an arm positioned on the sofa’s curved wood armrest, while the other hand propped itself up on the red sofa cushion. He wore what our mothers always told us never to wear together, plaids and stripes. Somehow, the plaid pants in navy blue with subtle red-violet touches and the striped shirt in horizontal bars of navy and white struck me as being oddly elegant. His eyes looked directly at the camera; the deep brown of his eyes held a warm glow. Behind him on the wall was a joyful abstract painting in pinks and blues. The caption gave this information: Normal Lewis, painter and abstract expressionist, subject of a retrospective at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts – Procession, the Art of Norman Lewis.
Procession, hmmm…I immediately thought of Jacob Lawrence and his famous Migration Series, a visual recitation of the movement of African-Americans from the rural South to the industrialized North, done in modernist style with angular figures and primary colors. I had met Mr. Lawrence and his wife, Gwendolyn Knight, many years before at the Bellevue Art Museum, in Bellevue, Washington, just outside Seattle. I was honored to have had those precious moments with one of the greats of American art and one of the few well-known African-American painters. However, Norman Lewis, I knew nothing of. Looking at this man of unusual elegance sitting on the lacquered wood sofa in front of a painting of dancing pinks, I felt ashamed of my ignorance.
In fact my ignorance of him was not completely my fault, as I found out when I read a comment by Lowery Stokes Sims, the first African-American curator at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, “There was a joke for a long time that if you went to a museum, you’d think there were only two black artists, Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden, and even then, you wouldn’t see very much.” (See link to NY Times article below). Well, I was not going to be anywhere near Pennsylvania for that retrospective, so I ordered the catalog, which opened up a world for me both historically and artistically. Lewis’ life in art truly was a procession from figurative works and works of social commentary, to finally his great leap into abstract expressionism.
The Yellow Hat (sometimes The Girl in the Yellow Hat) by Norman Lewis, 1936
The Yellow Hat (1936) is a fine representation of Lewis’ figurative work, especially in contrast to Lawrence. Here we see a nod to Cubism in the blocks in the background and a certain angularity in the pose, one leg crossing at a diagonal, with the yellow hat tilted in the opposite diagonal. The colors are not just primaries, but mottled mixtures of red-orange, green, gray, brown and white. And there is the mystery of what the girl is thinking. What problem does she seek to solve? What dream for the future is she constructing? Who else might she be thinking of? Or is she just tired?The pose and the hat covering her face, leave us a lot to guess about. This kind of expression with black characters center stage was almost a type of genre. They had a certain look, a certain subject matter, almost a codified style influenced greatly by Jacob Lawrence (my opinion, of course). Obviously Lewis could express himself well within those restrictions and make subtle differences as well.
Lewis, however, broke free of those confines and headed like a heat-seeking missile for freedom – abstract expressionism – where he was largely a black man alone. Though in his career he was in 150 group exhibitions, many with the likes of Jackson Pollack and Wilhem de Kooning, it was too much for the mindset of the times to accept him as an accomplished abstract expressionist. Sadly, his own prophetic statements seem to have come true. Speaking shortly before his death in 1979, he predicted that in 30 to 40 years his work would be seen for itself. He said at one point,”I wanted to be above criticism, so that my work didn’t have to be discussed in terms of my being black” (Artnet Artists). Now his work is being re-positioned in the history of modern American art, and yes, it is 40 years later.
On a personal level, I focused on some of his pieces that are more enigmatic and done in the last years of his life. Perhaps it is because of his love of the sea and nature, which I share, my favorites of his work are mysterious, fluid, and indecipherable like the two just below. My mind creates all kinds of stories in an attempt to figure out what they really are, but in the end I am just navigating the ethers, floating about marveling at the wonders.
Untitled painting by Norman Lewis, 1977.
Part Vision by Norman Lewis, 1971.
In my own painted world, based on a Chinese concept of laying in colors and “finding” the painting, I see maybe a trace of Lewis.
My meanderings are hardly brave, but when I see how Lewis forged ahead despite conditions so different from my own, I am heartened and enlightened by now knowing who he was. I only wish I could talk to him.
Note: The Norman Lewis paintings are used in accordance with Fair Use Policy for the purposes of critique and review.
Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com.
What? Vineyards in New York?
Looks familiar, doesn’t it? The same long rows of neatly tethered vines run in military parade formation down a hill leading to distant vistas, which look like they might be in the Napa or Sonoma Valleys. But no. These vines are in New York. Yes, read it and weep California, Oregon and Washington, New York State is the third largest wine producing area in the United States, and it is growing.
Wine production began in New York in the 17th century when the Hudson River Valley was settled by Dutch and Huguenot immigrants. Admittedly they grew the local variety of grape, the Concord grape, and even today 70% of the grapes produced in New York go into the production of fruit juices not wine. That being said, the state boasts 240 wineries and cultivates a variety of different grapes.
The secret to New York’s being able to grow so many varieties from Riesling to Bordeaux varietals has to do with its micro-climates. Laura Burgess’ article, “What the Heck is a Micro-Climate?” vinepair.com goes into detail. However, simply put it is the smallest element in the world of climate descriptions, covering the rainfall, temperatures, altitude, and soil variations, sometimes over something as small as one field or even part of a field. New York seems to be blessed with enough of these climate variations to be able to grow grapes from the more northern Finger Lakes Region right on down to Long Island, a borough of New York City. Yes, Long Island, the eastern end of which is good for growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes because of its warmer climate. An abundance of lakes keeps its climate balanced making it warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
The oldest winery in America happens to be in New York State. It is the Brotherhood Winery, founded in 1839. Started as a small, family-run operation producing sacramental and “medicinal” wines, it has proudly survived three wars and Prohibition. The winery itself has expanded its operations over the years to include fine dining facilities in the wonderful stone structure of the winery, a boutique, a wine museum, and of course, a tasting hall.
New York is also the home of America’s biggest company specializing in the production and sale of wine, beer and spirits, Constellation Brands (crbrands.com). Constellation owns a number of famous California wineries like Robert Mondavi and Franciscan Winery.
So from small things, like Dutch and Huguenot growers of Concord grapes, many great things have come. For more on the history of New York Wines see this article, “A Brief History of New York Wines” by Benjamin Mitrofan-Norris at learn.winecoolerdirect.com. And for a cool look at the wine producing region of New York’s Finger Lakes area, see this video youtube.com. Should you want to make a quick visit to a winery in New York, try the North Fork area of Long Island. Known for its red wines, this area is just two hours from New York City, youtube.com.
Now, a great way to get a well-rounded tasting experience is to join a wine club. Cellars Wine Club has clubs that fit every level of wine enthusiasm and budget. One exceptional value is the Premium Wines Club, which offers 12 bottles of wine, all reds, all whites, or a mix of the two for $99.00. Click on the Cellars Wine Club page in the right hand column or go to CellarsWineClub.com
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©marjorie vernelle 2020
Coming Soon: The Painted Walls of Bonampak and Mayan Drinks.
When we think of paintings on walls, we most frequently go to the murals of the Italian Renaissance, but mural painting appears in a variety of different cultures. Modern Mexico has a penchant for the mural. One thinks immediately of Diego Rivera, who always claimed his painting was truly ethnically Mexican, even when there was no proof. Then came the discovery of Bonampak, which proved Rivera’s artist’s instinct to have been correct. While the ancient Mayans did not drink wine, they did have a fascinating variety of drinks. Come along on this adventure and maybe enjoy a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon while reading about these murals.