CHARLEY HARPER: WORKS ON PAPER 1961-1970
FEBRUARY 23rd– MAY 3rd, 2008
RECEPTION, SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23rd, 6-9 PM
Charley Harper: Works on Paper 1961-1970 is the second exhibition for the Cincinnati-based gallery, Country Club. This exhibition features original illustrations and paintings from classic books such as The Golden Book of Biology (1961, Golden Press) and The Animal Kingdom (1968, Golden Press). Also included in the exhibition will be original illustrations for Ford Times, Sohioan and various other publications from that time period. Most of this work has never been seen outside of Harper’s Studio.
Charley Harper (1922-2007), a Cincinnati-based artist who studied art at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, was known throughout his 60-year career as a prolific graphic designer, painter and illustrator contributing his unique, modernist style to a wide range of publications. Harper’s work is beloved in his adopted hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, though his influence has stretched across the world. He is best known for his unique style combining straight and curved lines and flat areas of carefully selected colors. Through his work for Ford Times and the publication of Charles Harper’s Birds and Words (1974, Frame House Gallery) together with his work for the U.S. National Park Service, Harper brought an entirely new perspective to the chosen subject matter of birds and wildlife, a genre dominated by naturalism and realism. Harper referred to his approach as “minimal realism.” Recent publications and exhibitions have introduced Harper’s modernist vision of nature to an entirely new generation of artists and critics. His work resonates as fresh and contemporary as any painter’s of his generation.
A versatile artist fluent in many techniques, Charley Harper: Works on Paper 1961-1970, adds another layer to Harper’s impressive career. The paintings and illustrations Harper completed in the years surrounding his work for Golden Press demonstrate a confident and entirely matured style highlighted by unusual, dynamic perspectives and lines that are simultaneously precise, lyrical and expressive. Harper’s work is even more remarkable given the fact that his sophisticated and decidedly minimalist approach to his subjects was applied to children’s books and corporate promotional literature. Harper’s exceptional skill and creativity elevated any book, advertisement or brochure to a true work of art.
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