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aking his New York solo clebut in an exhibition at the lr{ilch

Times reviewer Aiine B. {-ouchheim, who wrote that in Robinson's first malor l{ew

\brk exhibition he presented "a fac:i.trity which atrtrows hin'r to nlove frorn a si.mplified

realisn'r in landscaped views tr: an imaginative semi-abstraction for his interpretation

of iazz themes." Refereneing a Frenctrr post-Impressionist, Louchheim continued, "the

simplification gives the best of the landscapes a serenity and solidity, as if done by an

Americanized lMaurice] Utrillo." k{ost probab}y noting painiings like Billie tToliday

Singing the Blues (no. 11) a*d.{tunp Bsnd (Pete Brazttn on Alta SaxJ (no. 12; s*e cover

and facing page), Louchheim had high praise for Robinson's art: "In the lazz thernes,

Robinson irnposes a taut. excited line on splashin$ areas of bright color. He suggests

the clanking noise of cymbals, the penetrating whine of the wind instruments and

the beat of the drums with extraordinary vividness."l

Bcrn in Detroit in 1915, a resident of Kentucky Cuning his youth, andcurrenttry living in Virginia, ]ay Robinson earnectr a B.A. frolx Yale lJniver-sity in 7937 and attended Cranbrook Academy of Art, urhere he studiedunder the guidaRee of Zoltan Sepeshy, Charles Eames, and Harry Bertoia.During Wortrd War IX, Idobinson r,r,orked in the Office of Strategic Services

in Washir"lgton, D"C., as a [J.S. f{avy Yraining Aids Officer. tr{e reeeiveri a tr-eruis

Comfort Tiffany Foundation FelXawship to travel to Africa in 195CI, and the Arneri-can Academy of Arts and Letters and the hJationai {nstitrate of Arts and Letterspurchased seven of tr"ris paintings thrcugh the Childe Hassam Fund for presentationto institutions. This exhibition includes his images of the 1940s iazz scene, his non-objective paintings and constructions, and his urork about Africa ancl ather localeshe has visited.2 j*y Rabtrrcon {eatures thirty-one works by the artist-sculpture, eggtempera paintings, drawings, oil paintings, and rxixed rnedia works-from the1940s to the 1980s. Ali the works inf*y Rahinsan are CIn extendLed loan tc the Georgiah,{useum of Art frcm the co}lection of }ason Scheiell, h.4iarni, Florida.

Robinson's art dccuments a period of transition in Ainerican culture, a momentthat reflects the critical impact of the dispXacement cf European artists by'l//orldWar IT anel the pcpular emergence o{ American abstnact painting. F{is workannounces itself in its diversity af styles and subjects, drawing on l:oth Europear:land American influences" Abstraction dominated the art world in the mid- ta late7948s, brought to America thr*ugh the work of European avant-garde artists suehas Piet h{etredrian and Francis lricabia. The Eurcpean styles merged wittrr native

I[sOVE: detail of Ckeeklist no. l4o *louse in f&e !{/oods, }g4E

of transition in Arnerican crrltrrrGr a lrromtentthat rellects the critical irnpact of tlre displacerrrent of ErrroPean artists by

World War II and the poprrlar enrergence of Ifrrrerican abstract paintirlg't'

American abstraction from ]ohn Marin, Marsden F{artley, and }chn S}oan and

influenced artists including ]ackson Fo].}ock ancl Stuart llavis'

Trained at CranbrookAcademy o{Art in the years prior to Worid War {I, }ay

Robinsor"l }earned at one o{ the {ew institutions in the l"Jnited States dedicated to

clesign. The Cranl:roclk ethcs, as taught by Sepeshy, Earres, ISertoia, and others,

demonstrated an approach to art that valued tradition while utilizing avant*garde

concepts of proCuction, form, and technique. These professors at Cranbrock had

a strong influence on Robinsoll's rnethods. Eames's interest in organic design and

in materials haei an impact on Robinson's paintings and clther eariy works of art,

and Bertoia's concentration Gn nlnn-rerous methods of working metai found its

way into Robinson's cornpositions and color choices"

During the thirty-six years ttr"rat Sepeshy spent at Cranbrook, he devetroped a

distinctive use of egg terxpera. trn his 1946 treatise Ten'tyer* Painting, Sepeshy

promoted the uni.que qualities of the medium: "In tempera, however, tr have

found the possibitity of cornbining the quatrities of . . . other media' It may be used

witl:l the transparence and translucence of watercoior. It r:ray be used with

a fine cr6ss-hatching of lines so that the eye inixes ar"ld btrends the eolcrs two-

dimensionatrly on the surface. trt has the 'body' for applicatior"l in Layers; yet, when

applied in a certain way as prire coi.ors, no layer hides the layers rlnderneath""3

Egg tempera became a favorite rnedium for Roi:inson, too, in lhe early 1940s, forexarnple tn Art Schoal Mgdel (1941; no" 1), executed while Xre attended Cranbrook"a

The translucence cf tempera, the cross-hatching of lines, and the layers of color

ail appear in Robinson's paintings of the 1940s" Three of the

ffilore significant paintings, Camposition in Red t1946; no. 3),

Forws in Grny-Creen Space {1946; no. 4), and Gold sttd Siluer Coins

{,7946; no" 5), plus a trrandfutr of other works in this exnribition

have egg tempera as tl're prirrrary rnedium" These three tempera

paintings, along with ?ttrotir:n in Dark Space (19a6; no. 6) and

twenty other wonks by Robinson, all appeared in the exhibitionlvlustutrt o/l/nru-Objectiae Paiw.ting at the Solornon R. Guggen-

heim Foundation in hlew York in eartry 1947.5

Art critic Ctreinent Creenberg, writingtn Pnrtisan Reaiew,

describes the rneaning of American non*objective art ancl its

culturai importance: "The l"listory of avant*garde painting is

that of a progressive sunrencler to the resistance of its meelium;

which resistance consists ehiefly in the ftrat picture plar"le's

denial of efforts to 'hole through' it for realistic penspectival

space. In making this surrender, painting not anly got rid nf

'ffil:::'f'

' :. .

:.j: ,:ri l

i:].;.E.ii..t#.'A

imitation-and wi.th it 'literatsvs/-Sst also cf realistic imitation's corollary con*

fusion between painting and sculpture." Of particular relevance to appreciating

Robinson's non-objective wcrks is GreenbergS's descrii:ti*n of the act of abstraction:

&s{l$tr; datail of Checklist no. 5, 6old and Siirer Coins, 194S

"Line, which is one of the rnost abstract e]"ements in painting since it is never

found in nature as the definition of contour, returns to oil painting as the tl-lird

color between two other color are&s. {Jnder the inftruence o{ the square shape of

the canvas, forms tend to be geometrical-and sirnplified, beeause simplifieation

is also a part of the i.nstinctive accomrncdation tc the rnedium. But rncst irnportant

of all, tl"le picture plane itself grows strrallolt'er and shallcwer, flattening out and

pressing together the fictive pnanes of depth until they meet as one upon the real

and material plane which is the actual surface of the canvas . . . . Where the pair"lter

stiil iries to indicate real objects their shapes flatten and spread in the dense, two-

din-lensional atmosphere. " 6

Two more egg tempera paintings on gessoed paneis from 1946, Spuyten Duyvil

(Ltpper Tip of Mnnhsttsn) (no. 9) and Sururl-onl (no. 8), emr.erge from Sepeshy's influ-

ence and Rcbinson's tirne in bJew York. \n Spuyten Dwyail, cloud,s and sky dosri-

nate rncst of the lmage. The skyline of }dew York, the F{udson River, and its banks

form the backgrour-rC of the bottom of tl:re painting. Itrobinson's prirnary subject is a

bit of grass, stretciring its arm- and handtike sten-rs into the cloudy sky. In a paint-

ing that resonates with the destruction wrought by World War II and ttrre opening

of the atomic age, Suraiucl depicts lonely clurnps of grass amid massive rock forms.

riTlre translrrcerrce of terrrpera,

all appear in Robinson's paintings of the 194Os-"

Robinson's drawings of the 194ils jazz scene and his nan-obiective cor:epositions

shnw him not as an illustrator but as a master draftsrnan. {n both graphite and ink,

these drawings articulate stronglv trtc]binsol1's absotrute ccntrol in selecting the ccrreet

ccmposition and focrrsing his i.d"eas. He exhibits an unelerstanding tltat cor:-tposition

depends on the management of object retrationships, on tire nlanipulation o{ forms,

and on a clear sense of unregulatecX space. In Qwality !,fiitsic Shop, W*shittgtorr, D.C'

(7943; nn" 2), his undated study Sidnetl Csttett f ttzz Bnnd (no" t3), arac{ his preparatory

wcrk {gr Billie ttatiday Singing the Blues t1947; nos. trO and 1l), drawir"rg operates as

a way for hin"l to capture the m.on-rent anC tc preserve the memory of the seene, the

music, and the emotions. {n a letter in which he recatrls his process, Robinsrin lt'rites,

"&{any times { made sketches-rnainly af the p}ayers, the surrounelings af t}ie plaee

where they were playing, and the instrurnents; but mainl,rr it was ail in my rnind and

meil"lol"y. Then { could compose the seene as { goi to painting anct let everYthing take

a nattirai course so aS tc be spontarteous, like the music itsel{."7

In the early 1950s, Robinson executed a series of works based cn sct:nes an<X pe{;-

p1e in i'ris native state of Kentucky" t{is grand{ather, a "w}"ree}er-dea}er" and sheriff,

drove him "all over, any ptrace, for as lang as X wanted to work driwn there."E Three

urorks frcn'r 1953, Frasperous Ftzrwer (no. tr9), made c,)f carved and inc:i.seel wood; Wtite

Mule (no" 22i, a rrixed media cornp*sition; anc- DeeT: tlolloru (no. 18), an cil anel en-

caustic on panel with metal, f*r examptre, reflect the ernoticns, memories, and expe-

riences o{ I"ife in KentuckV" Robinson notes that "'White hdule' is another namc for

moor"lshine {wii}r a kick like a mule) whiskey . . . . This compositicr:u is not it"rter"rded

!i&G IIT: detail of Cheetrql{st no. }1, EiJJie SJoJjcfay.Singringr f}!e &.{ues, 1947

a-s a chart but as semi-descnipti*n, a semi*abstract scene of an aspect of }ife." Deep

LTolltntt represents the {{entueky landscape, "the iines of hitris,

r-ario:-ls elements . . . such as owls, eabins, hi-lrnan figures,

rr.orked into the paint surface . . . . {t is sirictly a mood piece,

trving to c*lrvey the sornbEr r:rooC o{ t}re hiils ancX peop}e

rvav back in."e Xn Sstwrd*ry lf4qfuf it: Albnnq, KEntucky (7952;

capture the ililtomtentand to preserve tlre lraertlory of tlre scene,

the rnrrsic, and the ertrotions.t'

no. 16), one of ttrre larger eompositicns in this exhil:ition, a

tent revivai preacher offe:::s a fire-anrtr-1:rin"rstone ::ant. Rob-

inscrn abstracts anc* ccnepresses severaL episcdes {rom the

Saiurday night events he o1:serveei-traffic, the ercwd, the

sermon-into a singne ccn"rpasition. He d,isplayed his rvorks from the "Kentucky

series" in tlt o exhibitions at the &,{ilch Galleries in }derv York in tr953 and tr954.

{n 1955, again at the &,trlLch Galtreries, R*binsan exhiirited art he had created

baseel on his travel,s to tl"re Belgian Congo (now the Demccratic Republic of the

Congc) and, other parts of Africa, funcleC lry o Tiffany Fetrlowship" nn the brocl-rure

for the exhibiti*n, Rr:binsern described the series of works as "based on a few of

the drarryings maeie last year in Frer"lch West Coast territory, the Betrgian Congo,

rcugh eclged by trees,

a chimney shape . . .

and Ruanda Urundi [sic]."10 lungle Viltage Congo (1950; no. 15), metal and enarnel on

board, resulted from the travel afforded by that prestigious fellowship"

Robinson continued the use of metal in later works, including his lapan Series #9

(n.d.; no.29), a construction that uses copper, gold, and fired enamel" Other works

from trater in Robinson's career, including Colony (ca. 1982; no. 28) and Winter Pesce

{1975-74; no. 30), use both gold and silver leaf to enliven the abstract surfaces and

content of his constructions.

Jay Robinson seeks to engage the vitatr aesthetic issues of his tirne in his art. FIis

works proclaim his fundamental concern with conveying rneaning through construc-

tive order and abstraction. Robinson's paintings, drawings, mixed media works, and

scuiptures reflect his instinctive feeling for his environment and enrich our experience

with the genuine aura of Africa, small Kentucky towns, and the New York jazz scene.

Parrl ManogtterraCurator of Americnn Art

i

l

NOTES

Aline B. Louchheim, "4 Artists Display W'orks ai Saions," Nezrt York Tizrcs, Decernber 4, 1948.

]ay Robinson's Bil.lie HoLidttt Silging the Blues rnras featured in Conin.g Homt: Atnerium Pa.intbrys,1930-1950,

frn*r the Schaen. Col.le*ion, exh. cat. (Athens, CIA: Georgia Museum o{ Atl,20A3), 270-71 .

Zoitan Sepeshy; 'l'empero Paiuting (Nerv York and l-ondon: American Studio Books, 1946), 13.

For more ern Cranbrook Academl, of Art durirrg i{obinson's time there, see Robert Judson Ciark et a1.,

Design il Atnerica: The Crnnhraak Visian 1925'1950, cxh. cai. (Nshi York: Harry NI. Abrams, 1983).

See the pamphlet for the loan erhibition Museum of Non-Objectiae Po.inting, Februarv 12,1947, Solomon

Ii.. Cuggenheirn Forrndation, lderar York.

Clement Greerrberg, "Tirwards a Ner,r,er Laercoirn," Prrytisltt llei;ieto 7 (no. 4, iuly-.August 1940): 296-310,

anci republisheci in Charles F1;irrison and Paul Wood, ecis., ,4rt iu T'heory,1900-1990 (C)xfr:rci, UK: Blackn'ell, 1992)

I-etter from ]ay Robinsorr to Jason Schoen, June 10, I987, Schoen Collection, Miami, Fiorida'

Letter lrcxn Jav Ilobinson b Jason Schoen, jgne B, 1988, Schoen Collection, Miami, Florida.

e 1br,i.

't0 P*itttitrgs and Panels by lntl Robinson of Wtst L:Lnd Centrnl Africa, The Miich Calleries, Ner.r' York, November

l 4-Decemher 3, 1955.

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Irartial support for the exhibitions and progran-rs at the Georgia Museum o{ Art is provided

by the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation, tlre Frienrls of the Museum, and the Georgia

Council for the A.rts through the appropriations of the Ceorgia Ceneratr Assembiy. The Council

is a partner agency of the ldational Endo.,r,ment for the Arts. Indivicluals, foundations, and

corporations provide additional support through their gifts to the Arch Foundation and the

University of Georgia Foundation.

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