HC Westermann
Of all the art that I saw at last weekend’s NYC art fairs, the most exciting display was the display of HC Westermann paintings, sculptures and works on paper at Lennon, Weinberg Gallery from the ADAA Art Fair. The gallery mounted a Westermann exhibit a couple of years ago, which I enjoyed and took some inspiration from. Though there was some overlap, this display was deeper, wider and richer. There were early paintings that have recently come out of private collections; Boy in the Forest, from 1953 taking cues from Paul Klee, sang clear, loud and beautiful. This is an example of a great artist able to take an influence and make it his own. Battle of Little Big Horn, from 1959 and Chicago Joint, from 1954, on the other hand, make clear how much of an influence Westermann was on younger Chicago painters, in particular the Imagists especially Karl Wirsum and Jim Nutt. Chicago Joint has faint echoes of Stuart Davis but with a quirky madness and humor that I see as some of main characteristics of Westermann’s vision.
A Poorly Stretched Canvas –A Woodcarving, from 1965, has a beautifully carved black-stained floral-motifed frame around a carving of canvas with a hole punctured in it. In a twist, the wood grain of the canvas is painted. This is such a strange piece.
Among the works on paper, my favorites were Holiday Inn, 1972, and Heart of Darkness- Joseph Conrad, 1977. Holiday Inn comes from Westermann’s period in LA (where he continued to influence the younger artists he met) and depicts a post-apocalyptic resort. Heart of Darkness parallels this vision of entropic human efforts at civilization and control.
Westermann served in the Marines in WW II and the Korean War and it’s clear that his experiences there informed both his imagery and his acerbic wit.
As I continued making the art fairs I found that I was not the only one was excited about this work. Several other dealers identified this as a high point for them as well. I have to admit too, that I’ve been slow come around to Westermann. I missed the retrospective that Michael Rooks mounted at the MCA in Chicago a few years back. Isolated pieces seemed interesting, but not mineable (like most artists I’m a part-time image and idea thief- don’t tell). The take away here for me though, is an example of an artist who can draw on the things he sees in the world and from his experience and express them in his own idiom; strange, idiosyncratic, humorous, personal ultimately, curious. That is a practice to emulate.
