Why Maynard Dixon? Why Now?
by Paul O.Bingham
Many have speculated regarding the Dixon phenomemon that has occurred
in the last twenty years, in which the market for his works has accelerated
beyond many other painters in the west.The uninformed, the pretty picture
buyers, the buy only what you like crowd were largelyresponsible for sustaining
his market during the fifties, sixties and seventies. Now that same crowd
has determined that social realism by Dixon is suddenly "en vogue"
and are all out to get it at any cost and are therefore puffing in the
marketplace and fighting over pictures with themes of that nature. Dixon
would probably have thought it all pretty ridiculous. It is. Here,in my
humble opinion, are the reasons for Dixon's rise.
1) He always has been the most innovative painter in the West. Mostly
self taught but influenced by important west coast painters like Xavier
Martinez, he learned early about the power of simple compositions in his
interpretations of nature. Because he practiced drawing daily, his compositions
began to embody simple abstraction which in the beginning was his edge.
2) In general terms, Dixon was isolated from other painters. His "Modernism"
began in 1921 when he spent the summer at "Refuge", observing
the movements of clouds and relationships between earth and sky. These
linear compositions became his trademark. He continued using paint as before
with heavy impasto and a slight impressionistic approach, however by 1925
the compositions and designs were more important than the paint.
3) In 1925, Dixon made "Cubist Realist Screen" 79x93 inches,
which he used as a piece of furniture in his studio. He was experimenting
with something monumental for his own use, but in reality had laid the
foundation for the rest of his career as a studio artist dealing with abstraction.
His studio paintings "Cloud World" 34x62 inches and "Wild
Horses of Nevada", 44x50 gave notice to the art world of that reality.
California Modernism in the fifties and sixties derive much of the information
from Dixon.
4) Dixon didn't have a good permanent New York dealer from 1925-1946.
A few things were exhibited at Macbeth Galleries and a few sales were made,
however, all that was known of Dixon in the East were his early western
illustrations, executed in the manner of all illustrators of the period.
5) Dixon probably didn't think of himself as a modernist painter, but
as an interpreter of a western feeling that he derived from his own vision.
He was very aware of the derivitive art of the period being done by all
his friends in California, however resisted the temptation to make pretty,flowery
pictures.
6) Dixon was categorized into the "Western Painter" instead
of "Painter in the West". As a result his art has been shown
by dealers and museums trying to compare him to Remington and Russell.
Hence, he has been offerred to buyers who are not versed in or knowlegeable
about the sophistication and uniqueness of the oeuvre.
7) We have been saying that Dixon is "Americas' Painter" for
the last thirty years. Some people are finally starting to listen. Copyright,
Paul Bingham
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