February 8, 1999

Media Contact: Murvyn R. Callo (619) 295-4500

 

Outsider Art Headlines SDSU Art Council's 1999 Spring Exhibition

SAN DIEGO -- "To boldly go where few men (and women) have gone before" aptly describes the pioneering exhibit "Inside the World of the Outsider: The Charmaine and Maurice Collection of Self-Taught Art" which is scheduled to go on view at the San Diego State University (SDSU) Art Gallery from April 10 to May 12, 1999.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. The Gallery is located on the SDSU campus and Gallery hours are Monday to Thursday 12 - 4:00 p.m. Saturday 12 - 4:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on Fridays and Sundays.

Sponsored by the SDSU Art Council, the Kaplan Collection of Self-Taught Art features 45 paintings and sculptures of 25 outsider artists from Europe and the United States. Many of these artists have since attained national reputations and their works are on the permanent collection of major museums and prominent private collectors.

Outsider art represents the personal, spiritual and often spontaneous expressions of artists who have received no formal training in art. The artist usually use humble -- and easily available -- materials such as house paints, galvanized iron, glass and paper bags to create their "masterpieces." And their subjects range from the mundane to the sublime

"For the most part, the artists work outside the conventional art community," University Art Gallery Director Tina M. Yapelli explained. "As such, their works are considered outside the mainstream hence the term 'Outsider Art.'"

Prominently featured in the show will be the works of nationally ranked outsider artists such as Howard Finster, Jon Serl (who is from Lake Elsinore), Jon Bok, Purvis Young, Sybil Gibson and Raymond Coins.

"What interests me about 'Outsider Art' is its spontaneity," Charmaine Kaplan said. "Here are people who don't understand or appreciate conventional art forms yet are creating art for their own happiness and because it makes them feel good."

"To me that is what art is all about .... coming straight from the soul onto the canvas," Charmaine added.

Outsider art had its origins during the last decades of the 19th century when many artists left orthodox models and found their inspiration in the marginalized arts such as folk sculpture, tribal arts, religious imagery and naïve art. It gained momentum when the artist Jean Dubuffet began collecting works by what he called "intuitive artists" (artists who worked completely free of traditional artistic norms and normal cultural influences) and coined the term l'Art Brut (Raw Art) to describe this emerging art form.

The artists Max Ernst and Paul Klee found self-taught art profound and liberating. Picasso was entranced.

In the U.S., Outsider Art has its roots primarily in the rural deep South. Many of the artists lead traumatic lives punctuated by poverty, broken homes, illiteracy, mental disability and unrelieved bad luck. Several of them such as Jimmy Lee "the Mud Man" Sudduth have been in jail. But through their art, they were able to find joy in their life. And they were able to transform that "spontaneous overflow" on to the canvas.

"The beauty of Outsider Art is that there is no form, no logic, no formal discipline," Maurice Kaplan said. "They just turn out what's in their imagination, crafting their art with whatever they have."

"What is so attractive about Outsider Art is that it elicits a gut response from the viewer," Vice President for Programs Atty. Armin R. Callo concurred. "The viewer is free to make his or her own interpretation because the art itself requires no high-brow explanation from critics."

Surprisingly, the Kaplan's significant collection of Outsider Art was formed only within the last four years. It was a radical departure for the Kaplans as they were initially attracted to the precision and functionality of arts and craft.

"This was a wild period where we were exploring and expressing feelings contrary to what initially drew us to arts and crafts," Maurice Kaplan said. "Suddenly, we became indifferent to the meticulous attention that our crafts people did and started focusing on the works of the undisciplined and the untaught."

"It was an exciting and revealing time in our life," Charmaine Kaplan added. "Because we had the discipline and rigor of arts and crafts in our background, the works of the self-taught took us completely by surprise."

"We went from one extreme to the other," Maurice Kaplan rejoined.

For more information about the exhibition, the artists or to arrange a group tour of the collection, call University Art Gallery Director Tina Yapelli at 619.594.5171 or visit the SDSU School of Art, Design and Art History's website at http://pfsa.sdsu.edu/art.

The SDSU Art Council is a vital support group for the University's School of Art, Design and Art History. The Art Council endeavors to promote increased appreciation, greater understanding and heightened enjoyment of the visual arts in San Diego.

 

 

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