FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5/27/05:
CONTACT: JANIE COHEN (802) 656-0750
THE FLEMING MUSEUM PRESENTS
The Four Corners Series of Francis R. Hewitt
MAY 17 — SEPTEMBER 18, 2005
Wolcott Gallery
Native Vermonter Frank Hewitt obtained his university education out of state and received recognition as an artist and educator before returning to Vermont in 1970 to become associate professor of art at UVM. The Four Corner Series signals his return and the imaginative exploration of Vermont he began at that time.
This series consists of four large canvases, each defining a specific land area: the Hewitts' mountaintop farm, Corinth town and Orange County, in which the farm is located, and the state of Vermont. In the separate quadrants of each work, Hewitt applied paint that he made from samples of dirt taken from the four corners of the defined area. The effect is subtle and engaging. Art historian William Lipke has called these abstract works "Presentational" landscapes because they exhibit the actual material of the land, instead of its likeness.
We hope that the exhibition of this series, shown complete for the first time since 1971, will bring a renewed appreciation of its significance within the contexts of the artist's work and the history of 20th-century American art. Thanks to the generosity of Karen Hewitt we are able to present these little-known paintings created by her late husband.
Download high-resolution [.tif] image of a Hewitt painting
A Conversation about The Four Corners Series
SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 3PM
Frank Hewitt returned to Vermont at a time when young Americans were moving in large numbers from the cities to rural areas, in what is referred to as the "back-to-the-land" movement. After establishing himself in the New York art world, Hewitt came to UVM in 1970 as associate professor of art. Here he was part of a vibrant group of creative people at the University and in the greater Burlington community who responded to the Vermont environment.
Hewitt pondered a difference in sensibility: "Why is gardening more interesting than cultivating galleries; why is it that noticing changes in climate and season seems more absorbing than reading the ads, notices and reviews of current trends and exhibitions; why do I find talk about the natural environment... more to the point than talk about the art world...?"
Join us for a discussion with three members of Burlington's art community as they share their insights about the creation of The Four Corners Series, and how it defined Vermont in new ways.
The discussion will feature Bill Davison, professor emeritus, Department of Art, UVM; Karen Hewitt, toy designer and educator; and Bill Lipke, professor emeritus, Department of Art, UVM.
