CONTACT:Whitney Hale, (859) 257-1754 Ext. 229; Or

CONTACT:Whitney Hale, (859) 257-1754 ext. 229; or

Dorothy Freeman, (859) 257-5717

FOR RELEASE

Exhibition Focuses on Relationship Between Modern Art, Poetry

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 7, 2009) − The Art Museum at the University of Kentucky presents a new exhibition of modern art influenced by poetry. "Robert Motherwell and Jasper Johns: Poetic Works as Metaphor" comes to the museum Jan. 11 through March 1.

Motherwell, one of the principal exponents of abstract expressionism, and Johns, one of the leaders responsible for the breakthrough from abstract expressionism to the pop art movement which succeeded it, are brought together in this showing of their combined bibliophilic works. The exhibition focuses on collaborative efforts with poets that share the artists' vision. "Robert Motherwell and Jasper Johns: Poetic Works as Metaphor" focuses on two separate and isolated projects involving unusual collaborations between an artist and a poet.

The Motherwell prints, all lithographs created between 1980 and 1983, are directly related to the poem "El Negro Motherwell," written by the Spanish poet Rafael Alberti and dedicated to the artist. The Johns’ prints are etchings and aquatints produced in 1976 for publication with a series of five essays, written and interpreted in English and French, by the Irish-born poet Samuel Beckett.

Both collaborations were successful, though both projects might be considered more of a responsive endeavor than a true partnership. The admiration and respect that each held for the other brought about the collaboration. The result was never the less extraordinary with Motherwell producing 19 lithographs and Johns’ 31 etchings in response to the written works.

This exhibit's Motherwell prints are viewed with the full sheet exposed in the frames to showcase the works' handmade paper. The artist's interest in handmade paper stems from his study of East Asian art that utilized Chinese calligraphy and Zen images. Motherwell often commented that paper was "the most sympathetic of all painting surfaces." The making of the lithograph prints began with the brush creating a design on the printing plate.

Johns' etchings include much of the familiar imagery that the artist uses in his work: flagstones, hatching, plaster casts, numbers and words. Arguably considered the greatest printmaker of our time, Johns printed with strong designs and a variety of compositional uses. The quality of the drypoint and aquatint, as well as the drawing, makes the prints in this collaborative effort with Beckett a major work by the artist.

The exhibition catalog that accompanies the show provides an interpretation of the images and discusses the relationships between the artists and poets. Although the exhibition is of visual artworks, there is an awareness of language and an understanding that the world is more than what one perceives through sight alone.

Both Motherwell and Johns incorporate words into their art. Words become images that express emotions and ideas. The final result is an intellectual exercise that plays an important role in the understanding and interpretation of this exhibition. The ideals that the artists and poets commonly address are centered on the awareness of humanism. Motherwell's interests are committed to philosophical issues of freedom, while Johns relates more to literary artistic freedoms and is more focused on what one sees and what he understands as truth.

"Robert Motherwell and Jasper Johns: Poetic Works as Metaphor" is a national touring exhibition organized by Contemporary and Modern Print Exhibitions of Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Tickets to the exhibition "Robert Motherwell and Jasper Johns: Poetic Works as Metaphor" are $8 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens. Admission for all students and UK faculty, staff and alumni is free. All individuals are welcome to visit the exhibition on Friday evenings for free from 5 to 8 p.m. Group tours are available by reservation. For more information on the exhibition or to make a reservation, contact the UK Art Museum at (859) 257-5716 or visit online at www.uky.edu/ArtMuseum.

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