Julien Hudson (1811-1844), already known in the art historical literature, was not identified as black until 1995. He was a mystery. “His history is a combination of detection, speculation, and invention, conducted at different times by multiple people and all containing aspects of truth,” writes Rudolph. Hudson’s career spanned about a decade and only six signed and dated paintings have survived. The work, in comparison to some of his contemporaries, is not as accomplished, yet he remains significant. Hudson is respected as the second earliest biracial artist in the United States after Joshua Johnson (1763-1824).

The exhibition brings to light the importance of portraiture as a mode in the play of class, race, and identity politics in nineteenth century American history. As free people of color expanded their economic influence they became patrons of the arts. Hudson was one of several artists during this period who was hired by blacks to paint their portraits. Hudson’s Portrait of a Black Man is an example of the type of dignified and culturally mixed portrayals of free people of color. The unidentified sitter wears the clothing styles of both his white and black heritage.

Special attention should to be given to the accomplished paintings of Jacques Guillaume Lucien Amans (1801-1888) who is represented by two superb portraits including the well-known Creole in a Red Turban, circa 1840. It can be noted clearly how Hudson attempted to follow the Neoclassical tradition as exemplified by Amans in his own portrait style.

Hudson’s own mixed ancestry allowed him to function successfully within multiple worlds and was, as Rudolph explains in his essay, the “historic reality of a particular class of people in the eighteenth- and -nineteenth century.” His 1839 Self-Portrait is a curious example and underscores the reality that racial identity is not easy to determine. A white appearance allowed Creole people to participate in important professions leading significant and open lives as artists, musicians, and writers.

The rich history and accomplishment of African Americans is celebrated in February in the United States and Free Artist of Color in Pre-Civil War New Orleans is a must see exhibition.

Beginning at 5:30pm, Songs for Ceilidh, a group that performs original music with traditionally inspired Celtic melodies and high-energy, upbeat rhythms, is the perfect match to accompany the Rosenstock opening. The four-piece band includes Scott Price, Bryan Christensen, Chuck Hallett, and Jon Jasinski. Incredible vocals aside, this band has a large instrument repertoire including everything from the fiddle to tin whistles to bongos.

Free for members of the Worcester Art Museum! “Creative” babysitting is available from 6-8pm at $10 per child for members and $15 per child for nonmembers.

Welcoming visitors to the exhibition “Viewpoint” at the Iris and B. Cantor Art Gallery is a selection of mixed-media books created by Susan Schmidt, a member of the Visual Arts Faculty at the College of the Holy Cross.

As an exhibition, “Viewpoint” is a beautifully presented and fascinating show offering an excellent sample of contemporary art – everything from a theatre-like installation to photography to wood sculpture. The exhibition ends on December 8. Schmidt is one of nine distinguished faculty members invited to showcase the diversity within the visual art department.

Her enchanting books come in accordion style, layered with etchings, collaged, and assembled from repurposed materials, and employ text fragments and sentences, labels, sayings and other literary devices relating ideas and narrative descriptions. The subject of her work is a retelling of old folk tales, a genre that has long fascinated the artist. In the book “Once There Was & Once There Was Not,” text fragments reading “she was so terribly alarmed that the egg which she held in her hand fell into the bloody basin,” pull the viewer into the story; and by physically turning the pages the viewer/ reader experiences a real tactile encounter with art.

Leslie Schomp's Portraits

Visitors will also find conceptual video work by Rachelle Beaudoin who offers ironic and comical scenes of herself performing ordinary physical tasks such as struggling through deep drifts of snow and exercising while eating a cake and a donut. The scenes are equal parts hilarity and anxiety. Beaudoin explained that the performances are “introspective” exploring the pressures and contradictions she faces while “inhabiting the spaces of popular culture.”

An example of immersion installation is presented by Marguerite White. In “The Last Picture Show,” White created what she calls a “transitional space” or a “stage within a stage” an installation mimicking a child’s theatre where cutout shapes of birds, figures, and landscape details are illuminated by a flashlight as they spin slowly on an old record player turntable creating a rotating shadow-play. In this work White is experimenting with the concept of memory. By using the most simple and old fashioned of puppet and shadow theatre techniques to create illusions she is returning to the points of her own childhood bridging the past and the present. Her elements appear innocent but are indeed quite sophisticated in concept.

Taking again the subject of “self” is fiber artist Leslie Schomp who uses fibers as her drawing medium. Schomp gathered together, in another corner of the gallery, examples of her better known contemporary fabric and embroidery work. The most compelling of which includes miniature self-portraits painstakingly embroidered from hair and mounted in tiny dollhouse frames. In a past interview Schomp explained that she works with hair because it is both “beautiful and creepy” and is fascinated by historic examples of “hair objects” such as nineteenth century hair wreaths.

The Cantor Gallery organizes faculty exhibitions every three years providing an opportunity for students to see the creative scholarship that the faculty members pursue. The other nationally recognized exhibiting artists include Michael Beatty, Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, Cristi Rinklin, and David Gyscek. Examples of their current work and exhibitions can be found on their websites.

Acton will host a discussion “Engraving a Line Over the Alps” on Sunday, November 20, about the expansion of the printmaking industry in the Netherlands highlighting how the Italian styles were adopted to suit specific economic, cultural, and political circumstances.

Hieronymus Wierix, Flemish, 1553 - 1619, Allegorical Figure of Prudence, about 1575, engraving on cream laid paper, 26.3 x 19.8 cm (plate), Sarah C. Garver Fund, 1991.29

This was a time of important changes in the Netherlands as the regions became great trading nations with large merchant and shipping fleets distributing goods throughout the known world. It is estimated that the Dutch as this time had more ships than England, France, Germany and Portugal, Spain combined. The printed image became critical in the distribution of information both commercially and socially. A busy printing and publishing industry with workshops in Liege, Antwerp, Haarlem, and Amsterdam developed rapidly because of the flow of financial support from the prosperous merchant class.

Because of its dramatic stylized figures and theatrical presentations dominated by literary and symbolic themes and stories Mannerism was a very popular visual mode. Appreciated not only by the growing powerful and wealthy merchant class, during a transitional political time, it was easily accessible to all economic classes who understood the visual language.

Powerful figurative forms, bucolic and ancient landscapes, and well understood classicized Biblical themes of both Catholic and Protestant viewpoints had a broad appeal which served to unify the population for the purpose of greater economic and political stability. In the exhibition statement, Acton points out “to capture the broadest market possible print publishers issued works of varied quality.”

The exhibition presents a fascinating view of a little known yet extremely important time in the history of art. Provocative images such as the Flemish engravings, Allegorical Figure of Prudence, by Hieronymus Wierix provides us with a understanding of the social ideals and cultural dynamics of the time. Prudence is often associated with the traits of wisdom, insight, and knowledge; the virtue to be able to judge between virtuous and dangerous actions. The Wierix brothers, for example, were skilled and popular printmakers with dramatic personal lives. They were known for their unruliness and their employers had to forcefully remove them from taverns and pay their debts.

More from the Worcester Art Museum >