October 30 2020 #188
Outsider Art Fair Paris: Final Day
The Outsider Art Fair Paris ends tonight at midnight (EST).
Explore the fair through their online viewing rooms, where you can browse artworks, browse exhibitors and learn more about their in-person exhibition Sexual Personae.
Obituary: Richard Burnside
Although a native of Baltimore, Maryland, Richard Burnside (1944–2020) spent most of his life in South Carolina, moving there with his family of seven at the age of five. The 75-year-old Army veteran had spent the last few years in a nursing home in Georgia. He died on October 13, 2020.
Richard Burnside, via Facebook
He began to paint in 1976 whilst working as a chef, following a stint in the army. Although he never saw active service, military life continued to inspire Burnside long after the end of his service.
African Queen, Riichard Burnside (n.d.). Enamel paint on masonite with artist painted frame, 46 x 61 cm (18 x 24 in.)
His work is characterised by vividly painted images which are balanced on the page in order to create simple, yet strong compositions. Burnside’s subjects most often depicted the human face, although an animal like a snake or tiger occasionally took centre stage.
Richard Burnside, via Facebook
He used bright reds, greens and yellows, painted a coloured border around the main picture, which more painted animals and large-scale insects inhabit. While the blocks of colour are flat and his subjects are one-dimensional, the effect that such a combination produces is enormously powerful.
Five Gourd Fish, Richard Burnside (n.d.). Paint on gourds, tallest is 84 x 15 cm (33 x 6 in.)
Burnside painted on many found objects and salvaged materials. Large plywood panels made up the majority of his base canvases, although paper bags and even furniture also made an appearance. Living in a trailer park, Burnside painted his unpretentious yet warmly evocative pictures copiously and effortlessly.
Richard Burnside, via Facebook
Burnside was featured in Raw Vision #9, as well as the Outsider Art Sourcebook and the Artists eBook version, available as a PDF.
He was also profiled by the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, which is dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting the contributions of African American artists from the South.
Check out this wonderful Facebook page showing many of his artworks.
NIAD Art Center: New Online Exhibition
The NIAD (Nurturing Independence Through Artistic Development) Art Centre in California is a nonprofit arts organisation that provides studios, supplies, and gallery space to artists with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities. Each piece of NIAD art is an original work of contemporary art that tells an individual story from the perspective of an artist with disabilities.
NIAD has a new digital exhibition on display until November 4, 2020: We Are The Creatures.
Untitled, Ann Meade (2019). Mixed media on paper, 28 x 35.5 cm (11 x 14 in.)
We Are The Creatures is a collection of work that explores the wide range of living organisms existing on and beyond this planet. The work ranges from bright and bold sculptural work to drawings with very minimal color and repetitive line work.
Each unique piece embodies a different energy, and as we continue to look closely, these creatures may even begin to reflect the various creatures within all of us.
Untitled, Maria Radilla (2016). mixed media on canvas 76 x 76 cm (30 x 30 in.)
Artworks are selected by Yana Sternberger-Moyé (@yana.hsm_art), a queer, Afro-German artist born and raised in California.
Using painting, photography, sculpture, and video, their work depicts the beauty and resiliency of queer people of color. By doing so, they aim to dissolve social stigmas around trauma and placelessness to create a safe space for people who feel unseen or unheard.
Wallhanging, Ray Brown (n.d.). Silk painting, 86 x 89 cm (34 x 35 in.)
View the exhibition online here.
NIAD sell unique items created by their amazing artists, including functional items (mugs, plates, vases), wearable items (shoes, jewelry, bags), artists books and zines.
Le Palais Idéal: Short Documentary
As seen in The Outsider Art Sourcebook, the Palais Idéal in Hauterives, France, is one of the most celebrated Outsider Art environments. Ferdinand Cheval (1836–1924), a postman (facteur) in his local town, started to collect unusual and interesting stones during his rounds.
"The 'Ideal Palace' in southeastern France" by FRANCE 24 English (2016)
Cheval taught himself masonry skills and began to shape concrete forms, ornamented with the objects he found during his daily collections. He spent 33 years on the monumental structure, creating winding stairs, turrets and ornamental columns.
The grotto-like crypt has a shrine to the postman’s trusty wheelbarrow, taken on his many trips for materials. The Facteur Cheval’s poems appear on concrete slabs placed on the exterior walls, encrusted with stones and abstract rock shapes.
Three enormous statues of historical figures dominate: Caesar, Vercingétorix and Archimedes, their scale contrasting with the intricate architectural details. Cheval also built a tomb in similar style for himself in the local cemetery.
Learn more in the The Outsider Art Sourcebook or in the Visionary Environments eBook version.
Raw Vision 106: Out now
Raw Vision #106 features: Gwyneth Rowlands, Joe Coleman, Patrick Hackleman, Jean-Marc Renault, Nellie Mae Rowe, Monique Mercerat, Albert and La Fabuloserie.
For orders of 10+ issues please email info@rawvision.com for a reduced postage cost.
