Penelope Gottlieb - Heather James Fine Art
Penelope Gottlieb - Heather James Fine Art
Penelope Gottlieb - Heather James Fine Art
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<strong>Penelope</strong> <strong>Gottlieb</strong><br />
GONE
Published on the occasion of the exhibition <strong>Penelope</strong> <strong>Gottlieb</strong>: GONE<br />
at Ganna Walska Lotusland, Santa Barbara, CA<br />
February 26 - April 23, 2011<br />
<strong>Heather</strong> <strong>James</strong> <strong>Fine</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
45188 Portola Avenue<br />
Palm Desert, California 92260<br />
www.heatherjames.com
<strong>Penelope</strong> <strong>Gottlieb</strong><br />
GONE<br />
45188 Portola Avenue Palm Desert, CA 92260 760-346-8926<br />
PO Box 3580 172 Center Street Suite 101 Jackson, WY 83001 307-200-6090<br />
www.heatherjames.com
Ganna Walska Lotusland is pleased to present GONE, an exhibition of paintings by Santa Barbara artist, <strong>Penelope</strong> <strong>Gottlieb</strong>,<br />
illustrating plants that are extinct and forever lost from planet Earth. <strong>Penelope</strong>’s bold color and dramatic imagery elicits awe and<br />
appreciation for the great beauty of flowers and plants, at the same time unnerving the viewer with the powerful depiction of<br />
violence against nature.<br />
Lotusland is a world-renowned repository for globally rare plants, including some species that are now extinct in the wild. We<br />
use our collections to help conserve plant species that are rare in their habitats. We hope GONE will prompt an awareness of<br />
the current crisis of species extinction and instigate open discussions about the impact of species loss to human wellness and the<br />
need for plant conservation.<br />
Gwen Stauffer<br />
Executive Director<br />
Ganna Walska Lotusland<br />
4
The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished<br />
harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living beings breathes no more, another<br />
heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again. -- William Beebe, The Bird, 1906<br />
<strong>Penelope</strong> <strong>Gottlieb</strong>’s recent series, Gone considers vanishing plant life and its ecological and biological ramifications. Exploding<br />
bouquets of flowers and plants, now expired, burst out vigorously from a cloudy center, depicting a violent reflection of the<br />
process of extinction. Using fluid black lines and a brilliant palette of reds, blues, purples, greens, and yellows, these paintings<br />
take on a dynamic, Pop sensibility that echoes the animated force of the subject matter.<br />
<strong>Gottlieb</strong> begins by studying vintage botanical renderings popularized by natural scientists who attempted to catalog the flora and<br />
fauna of specific regions, such as Alexander Von Humboldt and Charles Darwin. The artist also follows the steadily growing<br />
list of plants on The International Union for the Conservation of Nature & Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened<br />
Species, many of whose descriptions are only depicted by text with little or no visual reference. Taking botanists’ written<br />
descriptions, <strong>Gottlieb</strong> creates an imaginary menagerie, all titled in their Latin names, of extinct floral paintings under attack by<br />
external, contemporaneous conditions. Unlike the placid, romantic depictions of extinct botanicals traditionally painted, these<br />
renderings suggest a paradigmatic shift to the accelerated harshness of today’s ecological conditions. According to the artist,<br />
“This art addresses the dire state of the planet, offering visual “eulogies” for lost plant life, and larger patterns of ecological<br />
destruction.”<br />
Although radically immediate and innovative, these paintings are also stylistically steeped in art historical traditions. Kandinsky’s<br />
abstractions, filling the entire canvas, created a vivacious effect that can be found in <strong>Gottlieb</strong>’s dazzling paintings. The fervent<br />
compositions of the Italian Futurists, who celebrated progress and modernism, ironically bear a resemblance to <strong>Gottlieb</strong>’s<br />
botanical paintings, alternatively employing motion to lament the impacts of industrialization. Recently, <strong>Gottlieb</strong>’s paintings<br />
share affinities to a group of artists like Alexis Rockman, Rachel Berwick, and Mark Dion, whose artistic practices explore the<br />
intersections between art and science. Like these artists, <strong>Gottlieb</strong> presents us with apocryphal representations of the precarious<br />
relationship between humans and nature. Extinct Botanicals is thus an exploration of the construction, interpretation, and<br />
presentation of the natural world, historical methodologies, and current events. Ultimately, this series of works can be seen as<br />
elegiac resuscitations of plants no more, acknowledging the brutality of loss, yet championing the power of the imagination and<br />
perhaps desiring a spirit of renewal.<br />
-Miki Garcia, Executive Director, Santa Barbara Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s Forum<br />
7
PAINTINGS
Phacelia cineria, Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas, 84 x 66 inches<br />
12
14<br />
Campomanesia lundiana<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
50 x 40 inches
Encephalartos woodii<br />
Acrylic on canvas<br />
78 x 66 inches<br />
15
16<br />
Betula szaferi<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
50 x 40 inches
Otophora unilocularis<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
50 x 40 inches<br />
17
Lycium verrucosum, Acrylic and ink on paper, 60 x 40 inches<br />
19
20<br />
Melicope obovata<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
50 x 40 inches
Monardella pringlei<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
40 x 34 inches<br />
21
22<br />
Lipochaeta degeneri<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
40 x 30 inches
Tetramolopium tenerrimum<br />
Acrylic and ink on canvas panel<br />
40 x 30 inches<br />
23
Amperea xiphoclada var. pedicellata, Acrylic and oil on panel, 36 in. diameter<br />
24
Delairea oclorata, Acrylic and ink over Audubon print, 14 x 12 inches<br />
28
30<br />
Wisteria sinensis<br />
Acrylic and ink over Audubon print<br />
14 x 12 inches
Pueraria Montana<br />
Acrylic and ink over Audubon print<br />
14 x 12 inches<br />
31
32<br />
Antignon leptopus<br />
Acrylic and ink over Audubon print<br />
14 x 12 inches
Erigeron karvinskianus<br />
Acrylic and ink over Audubon print<br />
14 x 12 inches<br />
33
Heliotropium pannifolium, Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel, 40 x 34 inches<br />
34
36<br />
Valerianella affinis<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
50 x 40 inches
Kokia lanceolata<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
40 x 34 inches<br />
37
38<br />
Mimulus whipplei<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
40 x 34 inches
Sporobolus durus<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
40 x 34 inches<br />
39
40<br />
Hibiscadelphus wilderianus<br />
Pencil on paper<br />
60 x 40 inches
Castilleja cruenta<br />
Acrylic, oil and ink on canvas panel<br />
50 x 40 inches<br />
41
Potentilla multijuga, Watercolor and ink on paper, 51 x 65 inches<br />
43
Gone installation at Ganna Walska Lotusland, Santa Barbara, CA, 2011
<strong>Penelope</strong> <strong>Gottlieb</strong><br />
Education:<br />
BFA <strong>Art</strong> Center Collage of Design, Pasadena, CA.<br />
MFA University Of California Santa Barbara, CA.<br />
Solo exhibitions:<br />
2011 Gone, Lotusland, Santa Barbara CA<br />
2010 No $ Down, Nevada Museum of <strong>Art</strong>, Reno, NV<br />
2009 Mid Century Wow, <strong>Heather</strong> <strong>James</strong> <strong>Fine</strong> <strong>Art</strong>, Palm Desert, CA<br />
No $ Down, Lightbox Gallery, Culver City, CA<br />
2006 Trans – Ethnic, Nathan Larramendy Gallery, Ojai, CA<br />
2004 Reading Faces, Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA<br />
Reading Faces, Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s Forum, Santa Barbara, CA<br />
2003 The Portrait Under Surveillance, Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s Forum,<br />
Santa Barbara, CA<br />
2000 Home, Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s Forum, Santa Barbara, CA<br />
Juried by Ann Philbin, UCLA Armand Hammer Museum<br />
1999 Deconstructing the Gaze, University of Calif. Santa Barbara, CA<br />
Group exhibitions:<br />
2011 Apples in Paradise, Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s Forum,<br />
Santa Barbara, CA<br />
2010 Forest For The Trees, <strong>Heather</strong> <strong>James</strong> <strong>Fine</strong> <strong>Art</strong>, Jackson, WY<br />
<strong>Art</strong>s Fund Award Exhibition, <strong>Art</strong>s Fund, Santa Barbara CA<br />
2009 Because We All Like Flowers, Peggy Phelps Gallery,<br />
Claremont Graduate University<br />
Draw The Line, Laura Schlesinger Gallery, Santa Monica, CA<br />
2008 Blown Away, Krannert <strong>Art</strong> Museum, University of Ill.<br />
Nature Morte/Dead Nature, Rohrer Gallery, CA<br />
Looky See, Ben Maltz Gallery, Otis <strong>Art</strong> Institute, CA<br />
Small Images, Atkinson Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA<br />
2007 Pulse, London with Nathan Larramendy Gallery, Ojai, CA<br />
Pulse, NY with Nathan Larramendy Gallery, Ojai, CA<br />
Pulse, Miami with Nathan Larramendy Gallery, Ojai, CA<br />
2006 Affair @ The Jupiter, Portland, OR. with Nathan Larramendy<br />
Gallery, Ojai, CA<br />
Armory Show NY with Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA<br />
draw, scissors, paper, Domestic Setting, Los Angeles, CA<br />
Conceptual Stunt Double, Off Axis, Santa Barbara, CA<br />
Explorations, Edward Cella <strong>Art</strong> + Architecture,<br />
Santa Barbara, CA<br />
2005 The Armory Show NY with Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA<br />
North by Northwest, Hunsaker/Schlesinger Gallery,<br />
Bergamont Station, Santa Monica, CA<br />
2004 The Armory Show NY with Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA<br />
2003 The Great Drawing Show, Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA<br />
Women Without Borders, University of Calif. Santa Barbara, CA<br />
Dialogue, University of Calif. Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA<br />
2002 FORMulations, Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s Forum, Santa Barbara, CA<br />
2001 The Home Plate Project, Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s Forum, Santa<br />
Barbara, CA<br />
2000 Combo Platter, Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s Collective, Las Vegas, NV<br />
1999 Women Without Borders, Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s Forum, Santa<br />
Barbara, CA<br />
1999 Site Work 1; The University Museum Without Walls, University<br />
of Calif. Santa Barbara Museum, Santa Barbara, CA<br />
Bibliography:<br />
2009 Allison Gibson, art ltd. Magazine, No $ Down at Kim Light/<br />
Lightbox<br />
Tuckerneel, <strong>Art</strong>illery Magazine, <strong>Penelope</strong> <strong>Gottlieb</strong> at Kim Light<br />
Sasha Bergstrom-Katz, <strong>Art</strong>slant, Prime Real Estate<br />
2008 Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, Around the Galleries<br />
Madeline Harmon, Los Angeles Loyolan, Take a look-see at<br />
Looky See<br />
Cynthia Valdez, THE Magazine, Looky See: A Summer Show<br />
2006 Josef Woodard, <strong>Art</strong> Week, Trans-Ethnic<br />
Peter Frank, <strong>Art</strong> On Paper, Draw, Paper, Scissors<br />
Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, What this Group Can Do<br />
with Paper<br />
Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara News Press, Trans-Ethnic<br />
2005 Laurence Rickels, artUS Magazine, The Portrait Under<br />
Surveillance<br />
47
2004 Leah Ollman, Los Angeles Times, In the Thick of Things<br />
Josef Woodard, Santa Barbara News Press, Facing the<br />
Facial Music<br />
2003 Joan Crowder, Santa Barbara News Press, What Makes a<br />
House a Home?<br />
D.J. Palladino, The Independent, Pride of Ownership<br />
2002 Erika Brandvik, City Life, Las Vegas, <strong>Art</strong> For <strong>Art</strong>s Sake<br />
Awards:<br />
2004 Abrams Prize<br />
2003 UCSB Humanities Center Visual, Performing and Media Award<br />
Abrams Prize<br />
1998 William Dole Memorial Grant<br />
1993 Emmy: Motion Picture Title Design “Generations”, NBC<br />
Public collections:<br />
21c Museum, Louisville, KY<br />
Los Angeles County Museum of <strong>Art</strong><br />
The Drawing Center, New York<br />
Fanny May Corporation<br />
Chicago <strong>Art</strong> Institute<br />
Palm Springs Museum of <strong>Art</strong>, Palm Springs, CA<br />
Nevada Museum of <strong>Art</strong>, Reno, NV<br />
48
Sincere thanks to the collectors who loaned art to the exhibition:<br />
Jill and John Bishop<br />
Eileen and Alex Rasmussen<br />
Doug Nejaime and Shaun Paisley<br />
49
<strong>Penelope</strong> <strong>Gottlieb</strong><br />
GONE
45188 Portola Avenue Palm Desert, CA 92260 760-346-8926<br />
PO Box 3580 172 Center Street Suite 101 Jackson, WY 83001 307-200-6090<br />
www.heatherjames.com
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