Looking at Art

Manierre Dawson's 1912 painting Ariel is part of an extraordinary installation in the permanent collection at the Naples Museum of Art, one that pays homage to Frederick J. Kiesler's designs for Peggy Guggenheim's Art of This Century Gallery. Looking as fresh as the day it was painted, this subtle riot of color is literally thrust into the viewer's space as it is cantilevered off a concave wall panel. There are soft feathery brushstrokes and hard edge lines. Color against color creates forms, as do black outlines. If you allow him, Dawson will take your eyes on a wild ride through the spaces of his painting. Along with Wassily Kandinsky and Arthur Dove, Dawson (1887-1969) is considered one of the most important early abstract artists. In 1910, he traveled from Chicago to Europe, where in Paris he sold his first painting to Gertrude Stein. He was interested in transforming subjects from Old Master paintings to geometric forms and flattened planes that encouraged a variety of viewpoints and perspectives.

-Mark Ormond

Mark Ormond is a Southwest Florida writer, historian and consultant.