George Woodman
Encyclopedia
George Woodman is an American
ceramicist, painter
, and photographer.
and married Betty Woodman
(the former Elizabeth Abrahams) in 1953. After earning a master's degree in painting at the University of New Mexico
, he taught painting and art criticism at the University of Colorado at Boulder
until 1996. The Woodmans moved to New York in 1980 and have a second home in Italy where they have spent their summers.
The Woodmans' son Charles was born in 1955 and became Associate Professor of Electronic Art at the University of Cincinnati
. Their daughter was the photographer Francesca Woodman
; she was born in 1958 and committed suicide in 1981. George Woodman selected some of his daughter's journal entries for publication in the book Francesca Woodman edited by Chris Townsend (Phaidon, 2006).
artists' cooperative, Woodman was associated with the Pattern and Decoration
movement. His paintings have been exhibited in at least two solo shows: "Sensuality in a World of Reason" in 1998 and "George Woodman: Paintings 1960-2000” in 2007.
in Florence, Italy, displayed 78 of Woodman's "highly constructed" photographs that were "based on its own collection." The 1998 exhibition "Sensuality in a World of Reason" included multiple-exposure photographs with overlapping human figures, buildings, and sculptures. A 2002 exhibition in Chennai
, India, which was entitled "Truths and Fictions," included Woodman's photographs of photographs. His large-format, black-and-white, still life camera obscura
photographs were exhibited in 2004; they involved techniques such as collage-like arrangements, long exposures with movement of objects, and combinations of positive and negative images. However, the photographs in the 2004 exhibition were criticized as "a sexist, objectified gaze unwisely and nostalgically paired with images and artifacts from the Western canon."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ceramicist, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, and photographer.
Biography
Woodman was born in 1932. He went to Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and married Betty Woodman
Betty Woodman
Betty Woodman is an American artist.- Work and Influences :Internationally recognized as one of today’s most important sculptors using ceramics, Betty Woodman's career began in the 1950s as a production potter with the aim of creating beautiful objects to enhance everyday life...
(the former Elizabeth Abrahams) in 1953. After earning a master's degree in painting at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
, he taught painting and art criticism at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
until 1996. The Woodmans moved to New York in 1980 and have a second home in Italy where they have spent their summers.
The Woodmans' son Charles was born in 1955 and became Associate Professor of Electronic Art at the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
. Their daughter was the photographer Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring herself and female models. Many of her photographs show young women who are nude, who are blurred , who are merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured...
; she was born in 1958 and committed suicide in 1981. George Woodman selected some of his daughter's journal entries for publication in the book Francesca Woodman edited by Chris Townsend (Phaidon, 2006).
Ceramics
Until the early 1970s, George Woodman painted the ceramic work of Betty Woodman. His own ceramic art includes a 1991 tile mural Ode to the West Wind in the Temple Buell Theater in Denver, Colorado and a 2004 tile mural Path Games at the Detroit People Mover's Renaissance Center Station.Painting
From the 1950s to the 1980s, Woodman's artistic output consisted largely of colorful oil paintings on canvas. His earliest paintings in the 1950s to the early 1960s were landscapes. In the early 1960s, he painted abstract works "with heavy, painterly brush strokes," but by the mid-1960s "the paint was applied thinly and evenly" in his abstracts. In the 1970s, as a mentor of the Colorado Criss-CrossCriss-Cross
Criss-Cross was an artist's cooperative that formed in Colorado in the early 1970s. Having evolved out of Drop City, the 1960s artists' community, C-C focused on issues surrounding "pattern and structure" and became associated with the 70's art movement "P&D" .In 1974, the five founders, Gene...
artists' cooperative, Woodman was associated with the Pattern and Decoration
Pattern and Decoration
Pattern and Decoration was an art movement situated in the United States from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s. The movement has sometimes been referred to as "P&D" or as The New Decorativeness.The movement was championed by the gallery owner Holly Solomon....
movement. His paintings have been exhibited in at least two solo shows: "Sensuality in a World of Reason" in 1998 and "George Woodman: Paintings 1960-2000” in 2007.
Photography
Since the early 1980s, Woodman has concentrated on black-and-white photography. The photographs in a 1991 New York exhibition were described as having an "antique, romantic air," with a "reliance on images from art history." In 1998, the Palazzo PittiPalazzo Pitti
The Palazzo Pitti , in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast mainly Renaissance palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio...
in Florence, Italy, displayed 78 of Woodman's "highly constructed" photographs that were "based on its own collection." The 1998 exhibition "Sensuality in a World of Reason" included multiple-exposure photographs with overlapping human figures, buildings, and sculptures. A 2002 exhibition in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India, which was entitled "Truths and Fictions," included Woodman's photographs of photographs. His large-format, black-and-white, still life camera obscura
Camera obscura
The camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
photographs were exhibited in 2004; they involved techniques such as collage-like arrangements, long exposures with movement of objects, and combinations of positive and negative images. However, the photographs in the 2004 exhibition were criticized as "a sexist, objectified gaze unwisely and nostalgically paired with images and artifacts from the Western canon."