A cut-out of John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" stands posed as if ready to dance in the main gallery of Niagara University's Castellani Art Museum's main exhibition hall. He's there as an appropriate introduction to the Castellani's new exhibit, "Flash Back to the 70s: Highlights from the Castellani's 1970s Collection," a large exhibit that will be on display until the spring. The exhibit provides the museum with an opportunity to highlight an important and large part of its collection. It follows a previous show that featured the museum's '80s collection.
"The '70s, like the '80s retrospective," said Michael Beam, curator at the Castellani, "was done from our collection and shows the astounding works that we have collected. But it's not about the number, it's about the importance of each artist represented. These artists are found in every major museum in the United States. People need to see this show. Visitors will have a fun walk through history."
The main exhibition hall is filled with the bright, even fluorescent, colors of the period.
A large, very colorful geometric piece, "Lisa" (1971), by Alvin Loving, dominates. Done in two cube-like, separate, free-form pieces, its hexagonal shapes are almost fluorescent. Painted, hard-edged forms are each separated by a carefully drawn line. The piece is a fine example of the geometric work being done at the time, as well as an example of the jarring colors that were being used.
Next to Loving's piece is something more realistic. "Head of a Young Girl" (1971) is an acrylic on canvas by Malcolm Morley. It is a very large head of a pig-tailed, freckle-faced girl.
Another colorful eye-catcher placed in the same room is Alexander Calder's "Avalanche" (1972), a gouache on paper. Calder, with his engineering background, is well-known as the inventor of the mobile. But Calder also loved color as much as movement -- large, bold, primary colors and primitive shapes. The work on display here is from the end of his career and is a cheerful, colorful piece that delights in its childlike, abstract shapes.
"Equinox" (1973), by Herbert Aach, is another example of the kind of work that was done during the period. With four fluorescent, circular pieces nestled together, it is set against a white ground, easily dominating the space around it.
Next to "Equinox" hangs another larger-than-life portrait. It's an acrylic on canvas by the subject's son. Simply titled "Anna Mesches I" (1974), it stands as one of a series that the artist painted of his mother during the last 30 years of her life. Mesches' lively brush delights in every crevice and wrinkle and wisp of white hair.
"The Artwork of the 70s" Web site is part of a project begun by the Castellani Art Museum in 1991 to improve access to the museum's collection.
It follows the format of the "Art of the 80s" Web site. Both were created by Elizabeth Licata with the help of designer Jim Charlier. Licata was formerly curator at the Castellani and is now editor in chief of "Buffalo Spree" magazine.
"Flash Back to the 70s" remains on view until April 3, 2005.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | Dec. 28 2004 |