clocks and calendars, also serves as a
bridge from inside to that which we take
as external. Internally, we perceive the
passage of time as a manifestation of
our metabolism, reflected in the rhyth
mic pulsations of our heart beat. Exter
nally, we watch the sun’s cycle, the
rhythmic rise and set of that ultimate
source, like a ‘polka dot’ apparently
circling the earth. Maria Artemis’ work
suggests this internal/external rela
tionship. She develops the works’ inter
nal anatomy with thin shavings of trans
parent mica, preciously and compul
sively encased in glass tubes. The trans
parent shavings become extensions of
the real branches and, in turn, direct
our attention outward to the external
reality of the gallery space. Her use of
the words, systole/diastole, reveals her
concern with internal metabolism, with
matters of the heart. The human heart
perfectly portrays systolic movement,
the act of expanding and contracting at
the same time, a spiral of energy, both
yin and yang. Artemis talks about be
ing aware of this duality in her mater
ials and in the way she perceives cer
tain qualities in her work as characteri
sing both male and female.
As a feminist, Artemis is ultimately
concerned with freedom, freedom for
us all, not only freedom from cultural
and social prejudice, but also freedom
from the barren academic and formal
art establishment ideas. Her work con
siders and develops freedom from con
ventions which assume a false sense of
formal hierarchy disregarding or rele
gating to a minor position art which is
radically different or art which doesn’t
applaud the status quo. Perhaps art is
like time, not something which passes,
but something which turns in a circle,
and center has always been the heart,
served in many ways and styles by the
hand and the intellect.
—Andy Nasisse
Andy Nasisse is a faculty member in
the art department of the University of
Georgia.
Maria Artemis, Systole/Diastole, clay, glass, branches, mica, paint, 1980 (photo: courtesy of
the Third Floor Gallery).
Richard Hunt, Tubing Form, welded cop
per, 1966 (photo: courtesy of Chi Wara
Gallery).
Richard Hunt
Chi Wara Gallery
Atlanta, Georgia
November 6 - December 15
...an art which need not seek strength
in revolt, but in the creative pulse of its
makers; an art having sinew and gut, as
well, as heart and soft flesh.
—Richard Hunt
The statement above, excerpted
from a Museum of Modern Art cata
log, best exemplifies the quiet man,
Richard Hunt, whose work in
sculpture and lithography continues to
flourish. Seemingly undaunted by
Vol. 5, No. 1 January/February 1981
trends and styles of the past ten years,
Hunt works within his own world of
hybrid forms, continuing to watch and
record in the true nature of a thought
ful observer.
Chi Wara Gallery exhibited a collec
tion of Richard Hunt’s small sculp
tures, lithographs, silk screens and la
minated handmade paper prints in No
vember and December. The exhibition
included early sculpture (dated 1966)
as well as other sculptural pieces from
throughout his many years of working.
While the lithographs and sculpture
are obviously closely related, the silk
screens and laminated paper work
seem fairly uncharacteristic in their
concern for coloration. Their palette
of greens and yellows with accents of
reds and purples yield softly elusive
images, very unlike the linear emphasis
of the sculpture’s and lithograph’s in-
sectile and zoomorphic forms. The
comfortable environment of Chi Wara
and the placement of Hunt’s work pro
vided the ease and quiet necessary to
study and enjoy the years of work re
presented in the exhibition.
Hunt is best known for his continu
ing series, “Hybrid.” He is an elusive
artist: if we try to label him an abstract
sculptor, all too often he will retain
more figurative elements; if we define
his work as figurative, he becomes
more mysterious and lyrical. “Hybrid”
expresses these qualities in the artist,
evolving from early winged figures to
floating cloud-like forms, but always
maintaining an enigmatic and dramatic
presence.
When compared with Hunt’s early
work in the late fifties and early sixties,
the recent work seems far removed
from its beginnings. Influenced by the
early work of David Smith and Julio
Gonzalez’ spatial sculptures, Hunt was
prompted to learn welding on his own.
The ensuing years show Hunt’s capabi
lities in direct metal sculpture. In re
cognition of his contributions, Hilton
Kramer wrote, “Hunt is one of the
most gifted and assured artists working
in the direct-metal, open form
medium.”
The continuity of Hunt’s work holds
true in small as well as large scale
work. In past years, Hunt has been in
volved in an increasing number of large
fabrication commissions, perhaps clos-
Italian Political Posters
Visual Arts Gallery
University of Alabama in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
30 November -19 December
In the past decade numerous exhibi
tions have been constructed around the
poster as a vehicle for the pedestrian
use of the graphic arts; one is particu
larly reminded of the exhibition of
Polish Posters from the Smithsonian
and the American Poster 1945-75 exhi
bition of the National Collection of
Fine Arts. Thus, at first one might be
inclined to dismiss this exhibition as yet
another in a series of poster shows.
However, there are many elements which
make this exhibition both different
from the aforementioned predecessors
and compelling to the viewer.
First, one should be conscious of the
cultural context from which this exhibi
tion is derived. Unlike in our own cul
ture, in Italy the poster is a major
method of communication from the
political parties to the people and is in
terwoven into the fabric of Italian life.
With the possible exception of church
es, no structure’s street facade is im
mune from the role of disseminating a
collage of political ideologies from the
myriad of political parties in Italy. The
strength of each party can be discerned
and the political bias of each neighbor
hood can be ascertained by observing
the posters which remain intact and the
remnants of posters which are removed
or covered over. The neighborhood
street in an Italian town is not merely
a method moving from point to point,
but rather a literal extension of the
home, the living room of the neighbor
hood. With the exception of the mid
day break from noon to four when
most business and social activities cease,
the street is activated by groups of men
gathered near the bar to argue politics
and sports, and by groups of women,
seated in chairs they brought from
home, discussing the day’s events and
sewing. From the grand Galleria in Mi
lan, to the Camp di Fiore in Rome, to
the small, elegant Piazza di Popolo in
Todi, the street is the meeting place, the
point of exchange, the forum of Italian
social and political life. Within this con
text the political poster finds its home
and-its importance as a means of poli
tical communication.
In their original context, very little
value is placed on the posters as works
of art. They are not bought and collect
ed, but disseminated on the walls as an
effective, inexpensive means of political
communication. They are printed on
inexpensive paper; nearly all copies pro
duced are distributed onto the facades
of the towns and cities. Their lifespan
is generally short as they are vandalized
by disagreeing individuals or covered
over by an alternative viewpoint. Others
endure by their location in secure, ele-
est to Atlanta is his work at the Green
ville County Museum of Art. Hunt has
achieved a reputation for his large scale
images, even surpassing his early career
in direct metal sculpture.
The exhibition at Chi Wara gave us a
chance to view in miniature the forms
and thoughts of Richard Hunt from
throughout his career. In this case, a
whole world of thought occurs within
the boundaries of a tiny universe con
trolled by an artist’s hands. Imagina
tion creates a place for these important,
if small pieces in our environment.
—Ron McDowell
Ron MacDowell, an Atlanta sculptor,
directs a complete bronze foundry in
the city.
vated heights, only to suffer the slower
demise of fading in the hot Italian sun.
Yet in this exhibition context, the pos
ters are presented as a graphic art, per
haps arguing one definition of art might
be the removal of cultural bias and pre
conception. Many of the elements that
adorn the cases of the Metropolitan
Museum in New York and the Field
Museum in Chicago are common ele
ments of daily life removed from the
Egyptian, Roman, Greek or American
Indian culture. In making such an ar
gument, one recognizes the additional
historical connotations at play, most
notably a sense of duration and survi
val, in the exhibiting of past cultures.
This removal of the cultural bias, to
gether with the imposition of the bar
rier of language, although translations
are provided, allows these posters to be
viewed primarily as works of graphic
art.
What is presented is a spectrum of
nearly eighty Italian political posters
developed by ten different political
parties over the past two years. These
are augmented by a series of reprinted
posters by the Partito Liberate (Liberal
Party) from the turn of the century, a
representative set of posters of the past
decade by the Partitio Radicale (Radi
cal Party), and a set of posters on peace
and environmental issues commissioned
by the Partito Communisto (Commun
ist Party). The graphic quality varies
widely from the naive and ecclectic to
the unique and sophisticated. The ex
hibition, while apparently showing no
political bias, nevertheless suggests a
varying difference in the commitment
to the poster as a political tool by the
various parties. Despite these differ
ences in the quality and quantity of
poster production from party to party,
one is quickly aware of a common
thread among them which makes them
unique in the American context—that
is one of visual and verbal intention.
The political poster as a means of com
munication in the United States, driven
to near extinction by radio and televi
sion advertising, is now relegated to a
mere curtain call every four years for
the elections. Even then the intention is
purely cosmetic with a large photograph
of the candidate, and eye-appealing
color scheme, and a catchy slogan the
only information provided. By con
trast, in this exhibition of 119 posters,
only one mentions a political figure
and even then not as a candidate but
rather as a speaker.
In these matters of content and in
tent, the Italian Political Poster is dis
tinguished from works in other coun
tries, particularly the United States.
Rather than photographically present
ing a candidate to the voters, the pos
ters are used to explain the candidate’s
party’s platform and political philoso
phy to the people on the street. The
propaganda activity is engaged in by all
