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Susan Wadsworth
Press Release
Spring series of art lectures, “Why is this art?”
continues at the Jaffrey Civic Center
to explain modern abstraction
Ever wonder why artists create crazy abstraction instead of copying the realism behind the images? Want to know a bit more about the changes in artistic styles from the late nineteenth into the twentieth century? Four informal spring presentations by artist and retired professor Susan Wadsworth will welcome questions and challenges on the part of the audience at the Jaffrey Civic Center.
On Wednesday March 18 at 1:30 p.m, the series examined the development of Cubism: “Picasso and Braque and Cubism: Why is this art?” Why did Picasso and his friend Georges Braque want to flatten the space of his paintings? What were they thinking and what styles did they want to create? Can you figure out the puzzle of the still life and landscape forms in the paintings?
The second in the spring series will be at 1:30 on Wednesday April 22: “Georgia O’Keeffe and Early American Modernism. Why is this art?” O’Keeffe and others took the modernism of Europe and adapted it to the landscape motifs of North America. Can you see the sensuality and spirit beneath the abstraction?
The third presentation will be on Wednesday May 20th at 1:30: “Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko: Why is this art?” Why did Pollock drip paint on his canvases, and what meaning is behind the colorful rectangles of Mark Rothko?
The fourth meeting will be Wednesday June 17 at 1:30: “Earthworks and Light: Why are these works art?” These large works like the Spiral Jetty in Utah and magical light experiences by James Turrell show new conceptions of art. Are they really art?
Susan Wadsworth is an artist and critic from Rindge. She has a Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a MA in art history from Tufts. She taught art history and studio art in the Humanities Department at Fitchburg State for 27 years before retiring in 2019. She has made dozens of presentations on a wide variety of artistic styles and history, and her pastel works have been shown in numerous shows throughout New England. The series began last spring with a discussion of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism as well as the art and music of German Expressionism.
The series is free, but donations are welcome. The Jaffrey Civic Center is at 40 Main Street, Jaffrey NH. The galleries showing regional and solo shows are open W-F 12-5 and Saturdays 10-2. For more information, contact Susan Wadsworth at susan.wadsworth@gmail.com or 603-801-6746.
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