Roger Edward Kuntz
Encyclopedia
Roger Edward Kuntz was an American
landscape
painter
and a member of the Claremont Group of painters - professors and graduates of Pomona College
, Scripps College
, and the Claremont Graduate School.
in 1926. He attended Pomona College, Claremont, California
, where he obtained his BA
degree in 1948. Kuntz lived in Laguna Beach, California
from 1964.
By about 1950 Kuntz believed that post-war
abstract expressionism
had run its course and that the time was ripe for the reappearance of structure in art that communicated to the viewer. Kuntz embarked on several painting series, culminating in the nationally acclaimed Freeway series.
These bare geometric paintings, dated from 1959 to 1962, centered on urban structures such as concrete canyons, underpasses, ramps, pedestrian spirals, tunnels, and signs carved in deep shadow and light; they embodied Kuntz’s search for the union of formal abstraction and mundane reality. This stylistic shift away from gestural abstraction was in sync with the times and Kuntz was included in the first national survey of Pop Art
organized by John Coplans
, editor of Artforum
magazine, in 1963.
In 1962 Life
magazine did a special issue on the state of California; it focused on five artists: Stanton Macdonald-Wright, John McLaughlin
, Robert Irwin
, Billy Al Bengston
, and Roger Kuntz.
Laguna Art Museum
in Laguna Beach, California, organized a major retrospective on the work of Roger Kuntz, which ran from March 8 to May 24, 2009. The exhibition, titled "The Shadow Between Representation and Abstraction," was the first major showing of the artist’s work since his death. It focused on Kuntz’s search for what he called the "middle ground" between figurative and non-figurative painting, and explored his role in the Southern California art scene of the 1950s and 1960s. The museum also published an exhibit catalog of the same name.
Roger Kuntz died in 1975 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, after a three-year battle with cancer; he was 49.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
landscape
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
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 a member of the Claremont Group of painters - professors and graduates of Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, Scripps College
Scripps College
Scripps College is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges. Scripps ranks 3rd for the nation's best women's college, ahead of Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr College at 23rd on the list for...
, and the Claremont Graduate School.
Life and work
Roger Kuntz was born in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
in 1926. He attended Pomona College, Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
, where he obtained his BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1948. Kuntz lived in Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southwest of the county seat of Santa Ana...
from 1964.
By about 1950 Kuntz believed that post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
had run its course and that the time was ripe for the reappearance of structure in art that communicated to the viewer. Kuntz embarked on several painting series, culminating in the nationally acclaimed Freeway series.
These bare geometric paintings, dated from 1959 to 1962, centered on urban structures such as concrete canyons, underpasses, ramps, pedestrian spirals, tunnels, and signs carved in deep shadow and light; they embodied Kuntz’s search for the union of formal abstraction and mundane reality. This stylistic shift away from gestural abstraction was in sync with the times and Kuntz was included in the first national survey of Pop Art
Pop art
Pop art is an art movement that emerged in the mid 1950s in Britain and in the late 1950s in the United States. Pop art challenged tradition by asserting that an artist's use of the mass-produced visual commodities of popular culture is contiguous with the perspective of fine art...
organized by John Coplans
John Coplans
John Coplans was a British artist. A veteran of World War II and a photographer, he emigrated to the United States in 1960 and had many exhibitions in Europe and North America...
, editor of Artforum
Artforum
Artforum is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art.-Publication:The magazine is published ten times a year, September through May, along with an annual summer issue...
magazine, in 1963.
In 1962 Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine did a special issue on the state of California; it focused on five artists: Stanton Macdonald-Wright, John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin (artist)
John Dwyer McLaughlin was an American abstract painter. Based primarily in California, he was a pioneer in minimalist and hard-edge painting.-Life:...
, Robert Irwin
Robert Irwin (artist)
Robert Irwin is an American Installation artist. He lives and works in San Diego, California.-Beginnings:Robert Irwin was born in 1928 in Long Beach, California to Robert Irwin and Goldie Anderberg Irwin...
, Billy Al Bengston
Billy Al Bengston
Billy Al Bengston is an American artist and sculptor who lives and works in Venice, California. He was educated at Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA , California College of Arts & Crafts Oakland, CA , and the Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, CA .After seeing the work of Jasper Johns at the...
, and Roger Kuntz.
Laguna Art Museum
Laguna Art Museum
The Laguna Art Museum is a museum located in Laguna Beach, California on Pacific Coast Highway.An exhibition titled ...
in Laguna Beach, California, organized a major retrospective on the work of Roger Kuntz, which ran from March 8 to May 24, 2009. The exhibition, titled "The Shadow Between Representation and Abstraction," was the first major showing of the artist’s work since his death. It focused on Kuntz’s search for what he called the "middle ground" between figurative and non-figurative painting, and explored his role in the Southern California art scene of the 1950s and 1960s. The museum also published an exhibit catalog of the same name.
Roger Kuntz died in 1975 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, after a three-year battle with cancer; he was 49.