“Modernisms: Iranian, Turkish & Indian Art, 1960s-1970s” at the RMA

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

The Rollins Museum of Art in Winter Park, FL is hosting a massive art exhibition that acts as an introductory course in non-Western art of the late 20th century. Modernisms: Iranian, Turkish & Indian Art, 1960s – 1970’s is an enormous show with so much educational information provided that it may require repeat visits. What an awesome “problem” to have here in the Central Florida area, no?

The collection is so large that the museum devotes all three of it’s main galleries to this exhibition with each gallery space dedicated to a different country’s works. This helps the viewer get a general feeling of the political and social climate in each country as processed by that country’s artists. When viewing this exhibition, I think it is good to remember that artists don’t create the zeitgeist, they react to it and with this in mind, we see how the artists in three different countries expressed their feelings creatively regarding the challenging spirit of their times.

I believe that it is extremely important to see art in person whenever possible. That said, when I write about a gallery’s exhibition or a museum’s collection, I don’t want to unduly influence your interactions with or interpretations of the artwork. I don’t consider posts like this one to be a “review,” per se, but a “teaser” or even a written/verbal “trailer” for the artwork on view. I want to give you interesting bits and pieces to encourage you to visit, but I also don’t want to ruin any surprises that may come in the form of unexpected reactions to the artwork.

I say all that because this is an important exhibition and when I visited I found myself having some really surprising feelings about the artwork.

Here are a few things that stood out to me…

The first gallery houses the art of India and I was completely fascinated by the wall of etchings and prints. The abstract images are somewhat dark and mysterious, almost like illustrations for a collection of science-fiction short stories. I was also taken in by a wall of abstractions executed with thick, heavy brushstrokes. There is something wildly enticing about those impasto gestures, so full of emotion and feeling.

The gallery of Turkish art is not only varied and eccentric, but a challenge to classify as the artists featured seem to be unburdened by organized movements and labels. I felt a sense of creative freedom emanate from these works, not just regarding the style, but also the art-making process. A pair of woodcuts and a wall of mixed media pieces that included silkscreen on paper, gouache, a lithograph, crayon, pencil and watercolor were quite tantalizing.

The final gallery is dedicated to the art of Iran and I was swept away by two things: the sculptural work and the use of calligraphy. The sculptures carry a heaviness and a weight to them that extends beyond any physical characteristics. These art objects feel emotionally heavy and are brilliantly juxtaposed with paintings in which each brushstroke is a calligraphic letter. It feels like the artists were rewriting (pun!) the idea of language as an artform and the results are dizzying and mind-boggling. The calligraphic paintings were truly mesmerizing.

Modernisms: Iranian, Turkish & Indian Art, 1960s – 1970s is on view at the Rollins Museum of Art now through December 31, 2022. For more information on this exceptional exhibition, please visit…

https://www.rollins.edu/rma/exhibitions/2022/modernisms-iranian-turkish-and-indian-art.html

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.