The vibrant Houston art scene didn't spring full-blown from the contemporary professional galleries, individual studios or garages of aspiring Bayou City artists, but instead built on the artists, some brilliant, who preceded them in the 20th century. Now Houstonians have a chance to savor some of these pioneers, in an extensive exhibition that primarily covers the time frame of 1920s through the late 1970s.
"Houston Founders at City Hall" is no ordinary exhibition, since it is hung at City Hall itself and is sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs, in conjunction with William Reaves Fine Art. The exhibit addresses four distinct schools of painting: Impressionism, Modernism, African-American Realism and Abstract Expressionism. The art hangs in conference rooms and hallways throughout City Hall.
Houston Expressionism art is displayed in the Mayor's Large Conference Room, in the basement of City Hall. I especially liked a beach scene by Otis Huband, Celebrating Irrational Behavior, with intriguing juxtaposition of greens and blues, as well as Leila McConnell's The Poles of the Mountain.
Houston Modernism is showcased in the large conference room located on the fourth floor of City Hall. There are two paintings with the same title, Two Musicians, one by David Adickes, 1965, witty and amusing, with puppets, and another, by Herb Mears, 1956, with a female musician playing the flute while a male violinist waits for his cue to enter. Both are colorful and wonderful, and echo the unheard music.
The African-American exhibition has many striking sepia photographs, with two standouts. Barbara, 1964, by John Biggers, captures the face, and perhaps the soul as well, of a woman with haunting eyes that have seen the world, and seen it clearly, undefeated, but with a reserved sadness. Earlie Hudnall's photo titled The Wood Chopper, 1986, captures the essence of blue-collar existence, no matter the race: a straw hat, overalls, glasses and eyes expectant but with an experienced wariness. It is compelling.
And we have some paintings of the same scene but dramatically different: Bridge on Buffalo Bayou by William McKenna, 1936, uses watercolors to feature reflections in water, subtle browns and greens, all seen from the point of view of the water. E.M. "Buck" Schiwetz has a painting, Main Street Viaduct, 1932, that also records the same early architecture of Houston. Another bridge painting, Untitled (Bayou Bridge), an oil on canvas by Henri Gadbois, is soothing, quiet and peaceful.
Still-Life with Water Lilies by Ruth Uhler, oil on canvas, has classic grace and beauty, and a panel behind the potted lilies adds texture and interest.
Perhaps the most evocative of all is Twilight, by Paul Maxwell, a skyscape, cityscape and seascape set on the waterfront, with a sailing vessel in the right foreground. It is rich in detail, powerful in its scope, and captures quietly the invigorating energy and strength that have made Houston so successful -- and this was painted in 1957.
Bill Condon's Main Street, 1969, oil on canvas, 60"x50", is dominated by yellow, reflecting the nighttime glare of neon. It captures nostalgia for a boulevard changed forever, and demonstrates the bustling downtown commercial energy of a metropolis. It stands out as a portrait of the mood of a city.
