RMAC / CURRENT EXHIBITIONS / THE GINORMOUS PAINTING SHOW

In the land of Supersize, America is known for its unbridled sense of scale: the scale of our continent, economy, industry, architecture, fast food, and monster trucks. The theme of this exhibition is based on scale and the crucial role that it plays in artistic expression. It is the scale of ambition, psychology, history, and technology that informs the viewer’s experience in the gallery.

Scale has played a demonstrative role in the creation of art. As mankind established communities, civilizations, and empires scale was a primary tool in the celebration of gods and the heroic deeds of men; the greater the deed the more lofty the monument. With the rise of great cities came architecture, and with architecture came walls, ceilings, and floors. Grand architectural environments provided the opportunity for visual expression to flourish in the forms of mosaic, fresco, tapestry, bas relief, sculpture, and painting.

The rise of heroic painting walked hand in hand with the technological development of oil painting in the 15th century. As the chemistry of oil paint and the technology of materials use advanced, so did the scale of ambition of artists and their patrons. In the 17th century, Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens set the bar for grandiose paintings of the Baroque period and the Counter Reformation in Europe. Rubens’ career as a painter of the court received great acclaim for both secular and religious paintings packed with heroic action and voluptuous larger-than-life characters.

The 20th century heralded the advance of Modernism and revved the engines of American influence and commerce in the world. New York City became the center for art and culture, setting the stage for grand explorations of scale. The art world of New York became the arbitrator for the art historical codification of modern art movements and descriptive “ism’s”: Modernism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, and Super Realism, to name a few. The Ginormous paintings selected for this exhibition are from the Roswell Museum and Art Center’s permanent collection, and the artists represented reflect a chronological dialogue of painting in the 20th century.







	Roswell Artist-in-Residence: Pang-chieh Hsu Raymond Wielgus: A Connoisseur's Eye Roswell Artist-in-Residence: Debra M. Smith Emil Bisttram and the Taos School of Art Roswell Artist-in-Residence: Janice Jakielski Wanda Gág, Howard Cook, and Barbara Latham: 20 Years of Illustration The Ginormous Painting Show Mary Peck: Upon the Horizon New Mexico: 20th Century Visions Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth Collection Robert H. Goddard Collection of Liquid Propellant Rocketry West of Beyond: The Rogers and Mary Ellen Aston Collection of the American West Back to index	The Ginormous Painting Show Hunter Gallery November 21, 2009 - June 6, 2010
		Robert Colescott, A Letter From Willy, 1986, acrylic on canvas, Gift of Les Paull and Tom Owen, 1987.025.0001.
			In the land of Supersize, America is known for its unbridled sense of scale: the scale of our continent, economy, industry, architecture, fast food, and monster trucks. The theme of this exhibition is based on scale and the crucial role that it plays in artistic expression. It is the scale of ambition, psychology, history, and technology that informs the viewer’s experience in the gallery. Scale has played a demonstrative role in the creation of art. As mankind established communities, civilizations, and empires scale was a primary tool in the celebration of gods and the heroic deeds of men; the greater the deed the more lofty the monument. With the rise of great cities came architecture, and with architecture came walls, ceilings, and floors. Grand architectural environments provided the opportunity for visual expression to flourish in the forms of mosaic, fresco, tapestry, bas relief, sculpture, and painting. The rise of heroic painting walked hand in hand with the technological development of oil painting in the 15th century. As the chemistry of oil paint and the technology of materials use advanced, so did the scale of ambition of artists and their patrons. In the 17th century, Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens set the bar for grandiose paintings of the Baroque period and the Counter Reformation in Europe. Rubens’ career as a painter of the court received great acclaim for both secular and religious paintings packed with heroic action and voluptuous larger-than-life characters. The 20th century heralded the advance of Modernism and revved the engines of American influence and commerce in the world. New York City became the center for art and culture, setting the stage for grand explorations of scale. The art world of New York became the arbitrator for the art historical codification of modern art movements and descriptive “ism’s”: Modernism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, and Super Realism, to name a few. The Ginormous paintings selected for this exhibition are from the Roswell Museum and Art Center’s permanent collection, and the artists represented reflect a chronological dialogue of painting in the 20th century.

©2007-2010 Roswell Museum and Art Center. All Rights Reserved. Images may be protected by copyright or other restrictions. No images may be reproduced, transmitted, copied, or otherwise used without permission.