The exhibition American Modernist includes mural sketches, paintings, and lithographs spanning from his early WPA up until his death. Haines incorporated meticulous imagery and symbolism, disconnecting his work from that of his contemporaries.
American Modernist
Richard Haines' paintings capture "a meandering silence, a pause in time, a
captive moment, all of which tend to reveal the spiritual values of humanity
while depicting its physical form." -Dalzell Hatfield
Twenty years after the death of the artist, Sullivan Goss  An American
Gallery has uncovered an expansive inventory of Richard Haines (1906-1984)
work -- including mural sketches, paintings, and lithographs spanning from
his early WPA up until his death. Haines stands as one of the principal
figures in the West Coast Modernist school.
Born in 1906, Richard Haines pursued his training at the Minneapolis School
of Art. After a tour of Europe he was commissioned to do nine WPA mural
commissions between 1935 and 1941, primarily for U.S. Post Offices from the
Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture.
Moving to Los Angeles in the 1940s, Haines began teaching at the Chouinard
Art Institute and exhibiting in a number of exhibitions, including LACMA in
1944 and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1952. Having steadily
won a number of awards across the country, Haines become a nationally
recognized artist.
As a painter and watercolorist Haines was prolific and well regarded. In the
late 1950s Haines began experimenting with alternative concepts of
representational art and was soon represented by one of the West Coast's
most renowned galleries, Dalzell Hatfield. Here, he exhibited alongside
fellow West Coast Modernists Dan Lutz, Millard Sheets, and Francis De
Erdely. Influenced by the concepts of cubism, fragmentation and abstracted
geometric forms these artists rejected the decorum of previously held
artistic traditions.
Haines continued to explore the possibilities of representational painting
throughout his career. Haines incorporated meticulous imagery and
symbolism, disconnecting his work from that of his contemporaries.
Sullivan Goss will be staying open late to welcome artists, collectors, and
interested members of the community to view this exciting exhibition. Please
join us.
Image: The Wall, Oil on Canvasboard, 16 x 20, 1944.
Opening Reception: Saturday December 4, 5 Â 7pm
Sullivan Goss  An American Gallery (Downtown)
7 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA