More Carroll Cloar to explore and adore

EL DORADO -- It has been a banner year for those who love the paintings of Arkansas-born artist Carroll Cloar.

First, the touring exhibition of the acclaimed painter's work, "The Crossroads of Memory: Carroll Cloar and the American South," opened Feb. 28 at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock. Celebrating the centennial of the artist's birth, the show was spectacular. The exhibit was organized by the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and the Arkansas Arts Center and contained 80 painting and five drawings.

The Arts Center created a superlative catalog for the exhibition. Most books on Cloar, including one titled Hostile Butterflies, are out of print.

A companion exhibit, "Carroll Cloar: A Road Less Traveled," opened that same month at Greg Thompson Fine Art in North Little Rock. It featured 23 paintings and some fine drawings, including one of Cloar's masterpiece, Children Pursued by Hostile Butterflies.

Now comes another exhibit of Cloar paintings, drawings and lithographs: "Carroll Cloar's Arkansas" opened Nov. 7 at the South Arkansas Arts Center here. Smaller in scope than "The Crossroads of Memory," this intimate show is still quite impressive, with some 22 paintings, 10 drawings and two lithographs, many of which were not seen at "Crossroads" -- in fact, many have never been shown.

Gay Bechtelheimer and Thompson curated "Carroll Cloar's Arkansas," a show of works mostly from private collections. Thompson's goal was to create an exhibit that spotlights "the Arkansas we know and love. The Delta and small towns like Marked Tree, Sweet Home and more."

Cloar's distinctively Arkansan, mostly autobiographical or experiential work tapped his childhood memories of farm life, his family's stories, photographs of his ancestors and more. His work might seem simple at first, but look closer. There usually is more than meets the first glance; often there is a dark edge. He also drew upon Delta folkloric tales and images.

Cloar explored realism and surrealism, adding elements of impressionism and post-impressionism, particularly in his skillful use of pointillism (small dots of color that form an image). He captured a part of Arkansas life that was disappearing as his canvases dried.

Seeing Children Pursued by Hostile Butterflies is always a thrill, and its presence enriches this exhibit greatly. What this showing adds is a reproduction of notes about his favorite paintings written by Cloar and his wife, Pat. Hostile Butterflies topped both of their "favorites" lists.

That work began as a drip painting ala Jackson Pollock. Then came a drawing that was placed over it. Thompson said some see the work as a metaphor for Cloar's leaving New York at the height of his career there, as abstract expressionism was gaining a hold in American art.

Spring in Mabelvale, a 1974 work, is one of Cloar's best. Trees burst with white and pink blossoms as a girl in a white dress, standing on the lawn covered with white petals, gazes up. It's a pointillist lover's dream.

Also thrilling to see was Billie Mace and Inella at the Steel Bridge, a 1965 work of a couple, her arm in his, standing on the bridge and seemingly embraced by the steel structure. A fascinating work.

Two Strays, which was a part of Thompson's February exhibit, makes a welcome return here. Two children have strayed from the congregation and stand at a crossroads. Near them, a church billboard carries messages: "Are You Ready," "Coming Soon" and "Watch for Signs." In the original drawing for this piece, Cloar had a sketch of Jesus on the billboard.

Rail Sitters, inspired by a Cloar family reunion in Sweet Home, is stunningly beautiful. The scene of young women sitting on a rail with trees and water behind them radiates the loveliness of French impressionism.

Cartoon for the Lightning That Struck Rufo Barcliff is a pencil drawing for the painting that is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was part of the "Crossroads of Memory" show. Study for Brother Hisley Wrestling With the Angel, also pencil on paper, is a powerful image.

"Carroll Cloar's Arkansas" underscores an indisputable fact: Cloar's return to the sources of his inspiration cemented his place as a masterful and important American artist. Thompson estimates some 85 percent of the more than 800 paintings Cloar completed were set in the state.

Cloar's paintings have preserved a part of Arkansas that continues to disappear. This window to our past, this retelling of our stories, enriches our present and brings insight to our collective history.

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Style on 11/23/2014