Don Weygandt, the first of the Fall term Artists in Residence to visit the College, takes a contemplative approach to art. His attitude is clearly conveyed through his recent series of monotypes, which is currently on display in the Jaffe-Friede and Strauss Galleries in the Hopkins Center.
Having arrived in Hanover two weeks prior to the start of classes, Weygandt is "easing into" the environment and his work. As Artist in Residence, he is presently working in his Hopkins Center studio space and interacting with students. Last night in Loew Auditorium he delivered a lecture on his work.
According to Weygandt, who lives in Santa Cruz, Calif., the New England landscape and its vegetation at the turn of seasons has profoundly impressed him. He describes the change as "stepping into a different world," but due to the nature of his art and the philosophy to which he adheres when working, Weygandt spends much of his time in the studio.
Subtlety, shape, texture and dimension are the predominant themes Weygandt weaves together in his monotypes. His purpose is to infuse a sense life into inanimate objects, such as pottery, with a concentration on interpreting the impression it leaves on him after a careful observation.
"I take those images and bring an identity or an existence to the various guises and portraits of objects," he said.
Weygandt prints his monotypes manually in his studio, using a glass surface on which the image is sketched. Printers' ink, etching supplements and oil pigments are the essential materials for the process. By pressing the paper over the image on the glass, the artist creates a monotype.
"Simplicity is the way to go about it," Weygandt said.
The studio is a crucial element of Weygandt's creative process; the stillness which permeates his art work is also present in his studio. Sparse furniture carefully arranged about the room, monotypes horizontally aligned along two walls, variegated brushes and painting material beside the printing glass, the space , the light are expressive of the contemplative impetus behind his work.
According to Weygandt, the studio is very much a haven for thought as it is a work place be it at the University of California in Los Angeles, where he taught in the sixties; or in the lower east side in New York City, where he spent a year after graduate school in 1954.
Weygandt revels in the art of foreign cultures and praises the collections available throughout the United States. His influences range from French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art to Oriental Calligraphy and painting, as well as, African Tribal Art and Native American pottery.
Among the artists who have most influenced his career are Cezanne, Bonnard, Morandi and Wang Dong Ling, a Chinese calligrapher. Richard Diebenkorn, a leading figure in American Abstract Expressionism, was both friend and mentor to Weygandt and played an active role in his professional and personal life.
The exhibit shows through Oct. 31 and also features the work of Ben L. Summerford, a still-life painter. Weygandt will be on campus for the next few weeks.
