George Tooker | |
|---|---|
 George Tooker (left) receiving theNational Medal of Arts fromGeorge W. Bush in 2007 | |
| Born | (1920-08-05)August 5, 1920 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 2011(2011-03-27) (aged 90) Hartland, Vermont, U.S. |
| Education | Phillips Academy |
| Alma mater | Harvard University Art Students League of New York |
| Movement | Figurative art,Social realism,SurrealismMagic realism |
| Awards | National Medal of Arts |
| Elected | National Academy of Design |
George Clair Tooker, Jr. (August 5, 1920 – March 27, 2011) was an Americanfigurative painter. His works are associated withMagic realism,Social realism,Photorealism, andSurrealism.[1][2] His subjects are depicted naturally as in a photograph, but the images use flat tones, an ambiguous perspective, and alarming juxtapositions to suggest an imagined or dreamed reality. He did not agree with the association of his work with Magic realism or Surrealism, as he said, "I am after painting reality impressed on the mind so hard that it returns as a dream, but I am not after painting dreams as such, or fantasy."[2] In 1968, he was elected to theNational Academy of Design and was a member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters. Tooker was one of nine recipients of theNational Medal of Arts in 2007.[3]
George Tooker was born on August 5, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York where he spent the first six years of his life.[4] He was raised by his mother, Angela Montejo Roura, who was of English, German and Spanish-Cuban descent and his father George Clair Tooker who was of English and French descent. His religious upbringing was in theEpiscopal Church. During theGreat Depression, the family resided inBellport, New York. He had one sister, Mary Tooker Graham.
He took art lessons as a child and spent much of his young adult life at theFogg Art Museum.[3] He attendedPhillips Academy inAndover, Massachusetts and graduated fromHarvard University with an English degree in 1942, after which he enlisted in theOfficer Candidates School (United States Marine Corps), but was discharged for medical reasons.[5]
Tooker spent the late 1940s and early 1950s in Brooklyn. He studied at theArt Students League of New York underReginald Marsh from 1943 to 1945.Kenneth Hayes Miller influenced Tooker's work by encouraging the emphasis on form rather than expressive emotion to convey a painting's meaning. Tooker regardedHarry Sternberg a good teacher at the League due to his pointed, challenging questions. Upon readingDaniel V. Thompson'sThe Practice of Tempera Painting, Tooker began to paint in the traditionalRenaissance painting method. Tooker appreciated its slow manner of application in particular.
Tooker acknowledged the need for other art to support his development process. He spent much of his free time reading painting and sculpture books, studying the works of antiquity up to20th-century art in an effort to augment his artistic vision. He was particularly interested inClassical sculpture,Flemish painting and sculpture,Italian Renaissance painting and sculpture,Dutch Golden Age painting,17th-century French art,Neue Sachlichkeit art, andMexican art of the 1920s and 1930s. Some individuals that influenced Tooker include Italian artistsPaolo Uccello andPiero della Francesca; American artistsJared French,Edward Hopper,Paul Cadmus,Honoré Desmond Sharrer, andHenry Koerner.[2]
Early in his career, Tooker's work was often compared with painters such asAndrew Wyeth,Edward Hopper, and his close friendsJared French andPaul Cadmus.[6]
His most well-known paintings carry strong social commentary, and are often characterized as his "public" or "political" pieces. Some of these include:The Subway (1950),[7]Government Bureau (1955-1956),The Waiting Room (1956-1957),[8]Lunch (1964),Teller (1967),Waiting Room II (1982),Corporate Decision (1983), andTerminal (1986).[2][9] These works are particularly influential, because they draw from universal experiences of modern, urban life. Many portray visually literal depictions of social withdrawal and isolation. Modernity's anonymity, mass-production, and fast pace are cast under an unforgiving, bleak, shadow-less light that conveys a sense of foreboding and isolation. The use of many strong straight lines culminates in oppressively ordered, rectilinear architecture. This precise geometric architecture, constructed to serve the subjects, physically dominates them. Tooker saw modern society as behaving in this same way. Modern life becomes a prison of soulless ritual devoid of individuality inLandscape with Figures (1966). Space is often compressed, as inWard (1970-1971), with patients' beds lined head-to-foot with very little walking space, such that humanity is confined to strictly organized grids. These images convey a sense of overwhelming silence in the lack of control each individual portrayed has over their depicted situation. The people Tooker depicts are rarely overcome by emotion, never strut, and seldom convey individuality. Rather, they shuffle along in heavy, uniform clothing and seem to act not based on individual will, but based on social conditioning. InSupermarket (1973),[10] nondescript shoppers are surrounded by brightly packaged consumables as easily replicated as the people themselves.
While Tooker's "public" imagery is hostile and solemn, his "private" images are often more intimate and positive. Some of these include the ten images of theWindows series (1955-1987),[11]Doors (1953),Guitar (1957),Toilette (1962), and theMirror series (1962-1971).[12] Many of these images juxtapose beauty and ugliness, youth and age, in the analysis of the female body. The space is often compressed by a curtain or close-up wall, so that the viewer is confronted by the symbolic identity of the protagonist. Paper lanterns are also a common motif in Tooker's "private" works, often being shared amongst individuals, beacons of soft, warm light that present a pleasant mood to the entire scene. SeeGarden Party (1952),[13]In the Summer House (1958), andLanterns (1986). Tooker's style of person is notably recognizable. Often they resemble skeletons and seem frozen in time and space, though certainly not flat. SeeDivers (1952)[14] orAcrobats (1950-1952). Even as the people depicted in these images are more individualized than those of the "public" pieces, people in a single image are often depicted as variations of the same face, with similar hair colors and physical features that unify and highlight commonalities.
Even these "private" images held social commentary.Voices I (1963) depicts two men, physically identical, separated by a thin door yet unable to communicate. He was deeply concerned with the apparent failure to understand and communicate within American society. While Tooker's figures' facial expressions are rarely particularly emotional, these images carry heavy emotional tones, through the gestures, symbolism, and lighting. SeeDoor (1969–70),Man in the Box (1967), andNight I (1963).
He also created religious works. His elaborately painted seven-panel pieceThe Seven Sacraments is located in his local church inWindsor, Vermont.Supper (1963)[15] depicts a black man praying over a loaf of bread in front of two white men, easily recognizable as a modern update on the Last Supper.Girl Praying (1977), Orant (1977),Lovers (1982),[16] andEmbrace II (1984) are uplifting in their portrayal of genuine spiritual connection. The juxtaposition of emotions in these four images suggest the gravity of spirituality and love for Tooker.
Tooker's first exhibition was "Fourteen Americans" at theMuseum of Modern Art in 1946. In 1974, theFine Arts Museums of San Francisco organized a retrospective called "George Tooker: Paintings, 1947-1973." In 1989, the Marsh Gallery at theUniversity of Richmond held an exhibition dedicated to Tooker. TheAddison Gallery of American Art, theNational Academy Museum,Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, theColumbus Museum of Art, and theWhitney Museum of American Art all held exhibitions dedicated to George Tooker. The DC Moore Gallery represents his estate.
Thomas H. Garver, who wrote amonograph on the works of George Tooker wrote, "These are powerful pictures that will stay in the public consciousness. Everyone can say, 'Yes, I've been in that faceless situation,' even if it's just standing in line waiting to apply for a driver's license."[5] His works are particularly impactful because they are so simple and relate to everyday experiences in such a way that the viewer is forced to become more critically aware of their existence.
In the late 1940s and 1950s, Tooker's work was widely appreciated, but fell out of the spotlight whenAbstract expressionism gained popularity. For several decades, Tooker painted with little recognition, completing one to three paintings each year.[2] In the 1980s, he was rediscovered and celebrated as one of the most unique and mysterious American painters of the 20th century.
His artistic theory is evident in the quote: "I don't really think I'm a creator. I feel that I'm a passive vessel, a receptor or translator...The fascinating thing about painting is the discovery."[5] He methodically mixed his colors by hand, using water, egg yolk, and powdered pigment. Each painting was not only painstakingly executed, but deeply intellectually considered.Tempera is a quick-drying, tedious method of painting that is hard to change after being applied, and this deliberate method suited Tooker's disposition and artistic theory. Tooker spent four to six intensely focused hours each day, six days a week, for roughly four months fine-tuning each piece, slowly and deliberately building up color and dimension.[2]
While the themes of his works are simple, the overall impact of each is ambiguous and enigmatic. His works often reveal eerie situations in a mechanical, distancing, and hostile society. These scenes are overlaid with mythical undertones, poetically capturing sensations of dread and unease. The individuals represented are generalized and stripped of detail, with mask-like faces. They often blend sexual and racial features, so they appear more symbols of human beings than actual, unique human individuals. They appear overwhelmed by their environment and clothing, unable to take control of their existence.
Themes his works focus on include love, death, sex, grief, aging, alienation, and religious faith.[17] He devoted numerous paintings to a single theme, investigating many possible variations to fully express the complex ideas conveyed.[2] Tooker grew up in an affluent family, and his work reflects both his privilege and his empathy for those with less.[3]
Tooker was in a relationship with the artistPaul Cadmus from 1944-1949 and was a part of thePaJaMa artists collective during that time. He is featured, often nude, in many of their images from that period.[18] In the mid-1950s Tooker met his long time partner, painterWilliam R. Christopher, and they lived together inNew York City. They moved into a house they had built inHartland, Vermont in 1960. The couple were involved in theCivil Rights Movement and participated in one of theSelma to Montgomery marches in 1965.[1] He taught at theArt Students League of New York from 1965 to 1968.[3] He spent his winters inMálaga, Spain. A few years after Christopher's 1973 death, Tooker converted toCatholicism. His faith was very important to him, as he was very much involved with his local church. Tooker died at the age of 90 in his Hartland, Vermont, home due to kidney failure.[5]
