Joylynn Lee
Executive Arts Editor
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art opens its new exhibit, “Another World: The Transcendental Painting Group,” presenting viewers with beautiful pastel shades that show an original representation of sceneries and nature. The exhibit is compiled of works from Transcendental artists for the purpose of providing a spiritualistic, yet idealistic view of the world through works from 1929-1939.
Opened on Dec. 18, “Another World: The Transcendental Painting Group,” features brilliant artists who came together in New Mexico toward the end of the Great Depression, such as Agnes Pelton and Wassily Kadinsky, to create outstanding, abstract paintings.
These painters came together and named themselves the “Transcendental Painting Group,” also the name of the exhibit, and created remarkable pieces of artwork with one another. Each piece is inspired by nature, which the artist perceives in an abstract and original way. Each painting explores concepts of space, light, and color to deliver an unforgettable experience for all viewers.
An artwork that stood out the most to viewers was Agnes Pelton’s “Resurgence” piece. Though it is relatively small in size compared to other works in the exhibition, Pelton used oil paint to draw an illuminating red heart with a slight silhouette. Pelton then adds bells surrounding the heart, adding a simplistic, yet unique, touch to the painting. Though the story behind this painting is unknown, Pelton’s artwork draws in numerous viewers.
“Eclipse,” painted by Raymond Jonson, uses a minimalistic shape to depict a gorgeous night sky. Jonson’s work leaves viewers in complete and utter awe due to his uncanny ability to use oil paint to illustrate different shades of the night sky. Raymond clearly uses an eclipse as his inspiration for this artwork, drawing the sun blood red with several meticulous shades that allow it to stand out and compliment the piece beautifully.
“Abstract Painting,” illustrated by Lawren Harris, illustrates a beautiful painting that consists of a landscape during a sunset. The colors used are vivid and bright, using different shades of yellow, orange, and even blue to blend a coastal image. The abstract shapes truly elevate the painting due to its originality.
Emil Bisttram’s “Creative Forces” exceeded expectations of oil painting as well. The entire work is an artistic masterpiece. Bisttram flawlessly executed vivid colors throughout the entire painting. The inspiration behind this cosmic art piece is Bisttram’s belief that there is one cosmic egg that releases seven major forces.
While viewing the piece, viewers can see one circle placed on the center of a painting, while protruding seven distinct and vivid colors. The piece is extraordinary, and viewers found difficulty walking away from Bisttram’s work. Like Pelton’s work, Bisttram’s art attracted a line of people waiting to take a look at the painting.
LACMA also featured another work of Pelton’s, “Meadowlark’s Song, Winter,” that provided a sense of comfort to viewers. Pelton uses shades of orange, black, and white to create a story of a breezy morning through simplistic-looking strokes of a paintbrush. The peculiar thing about Pelton’s work throughout the exhibition is its multiple possible interpretations. Some viewers believe that it’s a bird due to the feather paintbrush strokes, while others believe it is just a simple morning day with some clouds in the sky. Either way, Pelton’s work gets viewers creating intellectual conversations about a simple abstract painting, showing her artistic succession as an artist.
Overall, LACMA put together a dazzling exhibition for the “Another World: Transcendental Painting Group.” Compared to other exhibitions, this exhibit had viewers filling up the room to see these vivid abstract paint ings. The color scheme of the room was pastel purple, which truly matched every single art piece displayed in the exhibit. The aesthetic and abstract paintings added a perfect touch to LACMA’s exhibits.
“Another World: The Transcendental Painting Group,” opened on Dec 18 and will be closed on June 19 for public viewing. For more information visit lacma.org
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