For immediate release:
Youngstown, Ohio—The Butler Institute of American Art is to
present the exhibition “The Paintings
of John Mellencamp
November 3, 2013 through January 12, 2014. This
show, which will feature some forty paintings, some never before seen by the
public, is the artist’s first art museum exhibition.
According to Butler director and chief curator Dr. Louis Zona, who organized the exhibition, “The Butler is
pleased and proud to showcase these remarkable paintings by an American icon.
Mellencamp’s very personal works, rooted in the traditions of European
expressionism, display a unique understanding of art history, theory and
composition. They are crafted with both skill and spontaneity by a great talent
who is truly “twice blessed” with the creative gene.”
John Mellencamp was born in Seymour, Indiana, in 1951, a
descendant of German immigrants. Mellencamp played music from the age of
fourteen. His interest in painting began at ten years of age through observation
of his mother, who painted with oils. The artist’s study at New York City’s Art
Students League with portrait painter David Leffel was superseded in the early
1980s by a skyrocketing musical career; yet the artist continued to explore
painting a a means of self-expression.
According
to Mellencamp, “Initially I was interested in portraitures only. I started
looking at Rembrandt and those guys. That genre of painting. That led me to
Impressionism which I didn’t really have a feeling for. From that it went to
German Expressionism which has stayed and remains the basic foundation for what
I do. Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, the foundation of my influence, same as folk music
is the foundation of my songs.”
Mellencamp maintains a studio in Bloomington. He has a mid-west
sensibility and always returns to his home state of Indiana. A testament to the
power of place and authenticity permeates his paintings. Mellencamp’s work, both
in his music and in his art expresses an awareness of social issues, and is
strongly concerned with the inequity that drives the upheaval among peoples of
our modern age. In a recent essay, Hilarie M. Sheets, a Contributing Editor to
who also writes regularly for
The New York
Times points out: “Mellencamp doesn’t
wince at grappling with issues of his heart, whether autobiographical or
political. Since 2005 he has taken on themes such as racism, war, faith and
justice, and broken with some of the formalism of his earlier work. He often
paints in a freer, more graffiti-like style, layering text and pictographic
images on canvases evocative of the frenetic street-art energy of work by
Jean-Michel Basquiat and influenced by the anonymous murals he sees out car
windows when he travels around the country”
Sheets goes on to say, “For Mellencamp, painting has always been
a refuge, a solitary antidote to the hectic life of touring and performing. He
doesn’t see it as precious or rarified activity but rather about staying
productive, keeping his mind engaged, making something out of nothing.”
Every day that I walk up to my art studio and I complete a
painting, I have something to show for my time,” says Mellencamp, who sees
himself painting through old age. “I have millions of them in me.”
A national and international tour is being planned. Mellencamp’s
first museum exhibition was held last spring at the Tennessee State Museum in
Nashville The Butler Institute (founded 1919) is the first museum of American
art. This visionary museum was the brainchild of Joseph G. Butler, Jr., one of
the first art collectors to focus solely on American works. Constructed of
Georgian marble in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, the original museum
structure is considered an architectural masterpiece, and is listed as a
landmark on the National Registry of Historic Places. Throughout its history,
the Butler has remained free and open to the public. More than 100,000 people
visit the Butler and its branch facility each year. With its distinguished
history of over nine decades dedicated to preserving our nation’s cultural
heritage, the Butler Institute is truly “America’s Museum.”
The Butler Institute is open free to the public. Hours are:
Tuesday–Saturday 11:00 I.J.–4:00 K.J.; Sunday Noon–4:00 K.J. Closed Mondays.
