Painting of the Day, November 2, 2011

By Donna Poulton

"This strong primitive appeal calls out the side of art that is not derivative; it urges the painter to get his subjects, his coloring, his tone from the real life about him, not from the wisdom of the studios." - Victor Higgins

Credit: Image courtesy of private collector

William Victor Higgins (1884-1949), Pink and Black, 1930s, oil on canvas, 40 x 40 in. Private Collection

Victor Higgins first learned of Taos while studying art in Chicago and Munich. In 1913 he moved to Taos and joined the Society of Taos Artists in 1917. Influenced by the modernists of the time, his work evolved toward reduced and flattened forms, while taking advantage of the pure color inherent in the design of native people and of the landscape.

Comments

[David Tinnon]

The group produced paintings with an intense dramatic (OK, mystical) presence, while at the same time managing to appear deceptively simple. Not unlike the desert-scape that inspired them. I'm so struck by that period of southwest art, I must have been a cactus in a previous life.

[Susan Bingham]

Victor Higgins was on the edge of modernism. I love this piece because of the randomness of the composition, everything slightly off kilter as if it was just casually arranged. The color scheme is what makes it so beautiful with the pink and black being dominant but the accents of the delphiniums and roses make it pop. The large pot in front is also slightly tilted, such an interesting arrangement. Though it looks as if he happened onto it, I wonder how many arrangements of the objects he had to go through before deciding on this one. An enchanting piece, nice to see it last week at the UMFA.