BAMPFA - Museum Exhibition Review

Harvey Quaytam 

Location: (BAMPFA)  Museum, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive,

 2155 Center St, Berkeley CA, 94704

BAMPFA entry way - streetview

Date of Visit: January 26^th, 2019

Outside of BAMPFA - Building sideview from street

Against the Static, wall 3 

Picture with Jakes Gray, 1969 Oil on Canvas,  Harvey Quaytam  (wall 4)

            For my exhibition review, I have selected the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, located in Berkeley CA. This is actually my first time going to this museum, so I was not sure what to expect. As I was pulling up to park near the building of the museum, I was greeted by  beautiful polished modern metal architecture on the exterior. On the side of the building projects as seen in  a screen with upcoming film and fine art events that will be featured at the museum. As I entered the museum I was encompassed by a very modern yet comfortable theme. The museum is structured by galleries surrounding the café and a common area where one can just sit and appreciate art. It almost made me not want to leave with such inviting neutral tones reminding me of home. The architecture of the BAMPFA museum tells us that that the museum is very modern and clean with traditional white walls and grey marble floors.

Although there were a variety of interesting works within the museum’s collection, I have chosen to focus on Harvey Quaytyam’s series, Against the Static.  These paintings are most famous for the exploration of shape including; drawing, texture, geometric patterns and tentative color application. Qaytman’s works often depict a variety of experimentation with formalism and materiality. This exhibition serves as a complex narrative of Quaytman’s work from the 1960s to the late 1990s.  The artist is said to be influenced by Willem de Kooning and Arshile Gorky. The artists intent on the character and shape of brushstrokes eventually led to a development of style in the 1960s  that combined minimalist abstraction with an interest in gesture – in color and movement. Within his later works as Quaytman progressed as an artist he strove to keep the eye active across the canvas by implementing distinct lines and crosses within his artwork. Such line work can be seen in his 1997 painting titled, The Illusionist. Created with synthetic polymer on canvas, this work plays with symmetry and asymmetry and the contrasting effects the heavy reds and harsh whites carry. Within this exhibition the work shares the same wall space as another work of Quaytman’s titled, Redwing. Placed together these pieces interact with each other as one through the use of color – despite being two distinctly separate pieces.

What I found most intriguing in the artist’s collection of work featured at the museum was the negative space employed in almost all of the works creating a sense of movement with lines in space. I was really drawn to how satisfying the simplicity of Quatyam’s artwork. The concept  of less is more allows the piece to really activate the space that it is in. The way each piece was carefully placed to give the work its own platform to be observed really added to the effect of the pieces. What is most interesting to me about this artist is the way they transform the canvas into almost a sculptural element and then they paint off of that. Overall this was a very fulfilling museum visit and I had a pleasant first time. I recommend anyone who has not been to BAMPFA, in Berkeley to go and enjoy this wonderful artistic environment.

The Illusionist, 1997, Synthetic Polymer on Canvas (wall 1)

Against the Static series wall 2