On Thursday, Oct. 17, Lance Esplund will give a lecture on “Abstraction” at the Darien Community Association (DCA) as part of their DCA Art Lecture Series this fall on “The Art of Looking” based on the author’s recently published book.
— an announcement from the Darien Community Association
As the author and educator tells us, “Abstraction is often considered a Modern invention—and certainly, abstraction was reborn in the early twentieth century—and yet abstract art existed alongside representational art in Paleolithic caves.”
Photo from the Darien Community Association
From left: Patricia Hedlund, DCA Art Lecture Series Committee Chair and Lance Esplund, art critic for The Wall Street Journal.
In his discussion he contrasts the two ways of making art, both of which are intuitive reflections from artists of the contemporary society that they live in — whether that be ancient Greece and the Renaissance and art that re-creates the look, and three-dimensional space of our world or, during periods of political and domestic tumult, a shift toward artworks that “suppress the outside world’s look and space: {and reflect} our inner unrest and sense of alienation.”
Esplund breaks down the gallery walls to help us understand that the New Now (!) artists at the Venice Biennale share their interpretive explorations of humans living in the year 2019 with the 15th century Italian artist Leonardo, who was the first artist to explore the interiority of a human being — in a face.
Contributed image from DAC
Broadway Boogie Woogie (1942-43). Piet Mondrian (Dutch 1872-1944). Oil on canvas. 50 x 50 in. Museum of Modern Art, New York
All lectures will be followed by a luncheon specially designed by Diane Browne Catering. The DCA’s 2019 Art Lecture Series Sponsor is DRBank, formerly Laurel Road Bank.
Single lecture with luncheon admission is $50 for DCA members, or $65 for public. Prepayment is required for all lunch reservations by noon on the Friday preceding each lecture. Lecture only (without luncheon) is $20 for DCA members, or $30 for public. Walk-ins
welcome for lecture only, however, it is recommended that reservations and payment be made 24 hours in advance to assure a seat. Register online through dariendca.org, or contact the DCA directly at info@dariendca.org or 203-655-9050 extension 10. The DCA is located at 274 Middlesex Road in Darien, CT. Please visit dariendca.org for more info about the DCA Art Lecture Series.