| About the Exhibitions
Opening reception: Friday, June 11, 6 - 8 pm
Remembering a Modern Master
Paul F. Keene Jr. (1920-2009) was a
master painter who exemplifies the success, tenacity, dedication
and humanity of his generation. His artistic success and achievements
in Philadelphia and beyond, opened doors for African American
artists by demonstrating what was possible. Keene’s
major solo and group exhibition record extends across four
continents, including shared exhibition space with Picasso
and Leger in Paris. His works are included in numerous public
and private collections including The Hirshorn Museum-Smithsonian
Institution, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The
Philadelphia Museum of Art and The John Hay Whitney Collection.
Keene lived and worked as an artist in Philadelphia for seven
decades. His passionate and soulful paintings were inspired
from his life experiences and sophisticated international
education. Keene absorbed the colors, diversity and rhythms
of urban life while growing up in North Philadelphia. He received
his MFA from Tyler School of Art in 1948. In the face of post
war discrimination, Keene used the GI bill to go to Paris
with his wife Laura to study at the Academie Julian. After
France, Keene spent two years teaching at the Centre D’Art
in Port Au Prince, Haiti, on a Whitney Fellowship. These powerful
experiences provided inspiration for Keene, enriching both
his life and art.
Keene’s paintings are documents of a very personal
confrontation with the canvas. Images of jazz, urban walls,
geometric forms and bold color combinations define the subject
of much of his work. As a master of the plastic qualities
of paint, drawing, composition and color, Keene had all the
necessary tools to communicate and express his inner world.
Keene’s legacy is not only found in his astounding paintings
but also in his teaching and mentoring career. He was dedicated
to helping others find their creative voice and inspired all
who knew him.
Horizon Line
The horizon line in perspective drawing is a horizontal line
across the picture. It is the line formed where the earth
and the sky appear to meet and is always at eye level. Its
placement determines where we seem to be looking from - a
high place or from close to the ground. The horizon line is
used as a compositional element that defines the structure
of the painting. The choice of where to place the horizon
line in an image has a powerful effect on how compositions
are interpreted. Horizon Line is a group show of landscape
paintings that illustrates diverse approaches as to how this
basic perspective element can be used to alter the overall
atmosphere of a painting. Artists include James Brantley,
Barkley Hendricks. Lee Lippman, Gabe Tiberino, Mark Wallison
and R.L. Washington.
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