Still Life in Historical Perspective
August 6 – October 1, 2022
In conjunction with Kathy A. Moore’s contemporary take on still life, I sifted through RAM’s permanent collection to offer other examples of the art form over the years. The Oxford English Dictionary defines still life as a painting or drawing of an arrangement of objects. Of the approximately 120 items from RAM’s permanent collection considered for this exhibit.
*Around 60 percent are works by women. The items selected reflect the same percentage. RAM has a long history of supporting women artists. Its third acquisition, In Wonderland by Pauline Rudolph Dohn, hangs in the Phillip H. Starr and Elizabeth S. Starr Gallery.
*Some 70 percent feature flowers. We’ve lowered that percentage a bit to be able to include other traditional still life subject matter, such as fruits and vegetables, vases, crockery, and glasswork – even skulls and medical paraphernalia. In the process of selecting these works, we discovered
*Some artists like a challenge. This exhibit includes Wayman Adams’ 1915 depiction of slaughtered hogs in the shop of Centerville butcher (and noted art collector) John Nixon. Why such a gruesome subject? “Oh, I guess it was just pure devilishness,” Adams said. “But really you know, the coloring of those heads was so tempting and the molding of the muscles so perfect, I couldn’t resist the temptation to try to reproduce them.”
*Still life is a traditional yet flexible format. Robert Hugo Selby’s vase of flowers is placed not in a studio but out of doors. Catherine Morrison Mattison puts her everyday objects in a composition something like a kaleidoscope. This spring’s All Wayne County High School Art Exhibition included several still life works. Hear what three of the young artists have to say about their entries in the video playing in the First Bank Richmond entrance.
Louise Ronald
Curator of Exhibition