Unleashing a torrent of the conventional norms in any painting, Surrealism is a response to trauma and disillusionment that brings creativity with the thoughts of the conscious mind. Embarking on the journey to discover these hidden parts of our mind through excellent craftsmanship, Meadows Museum holds an exhibition of one of the surrealist artists from the 1950s, Barnaby Fitzgerald, whose artworks contemplated the themes from literature, mythology, and art history. The event began on May 5 and will end on September 22 of this year.
The monographic exhibition aims to portray the significant paintings of Dallas-based artist Fitzgerald from the prominent local collections to honor the prolific career of the artist, alongside celebrating his election to professor of the art emeritus at SMU. The initiative to demonstrate surrealism through the works of Fitzgerald in the museum is a rare opportunity and it must be not neglected.
Fitzgerald’s career spanned around five decades on three continents where he built a reputation for his otherworldly landscapes and interior scenes that contemplate the themes from literature, mythology, and art history. With Surrealist art, Fitzgerald offers an imaginative reinterpretation of classical allegories in his own unique, contemporary language. He adds a captivating cast of characters as his subject on the canvas, aiming to bring connectivity between art history and landscapes with a profuse illusion. The subject ranges from grisaille sculptural studies, and skeletons, to the individuals from his own life. Favouring the technique of egg tempera, he brings a luminosity to his paintings which the late medieval artists used in their artworks. Fitzgerald traveled widely throughout his career, making sure that his effect had a strong grip over other countries too. Having a studio in Dallas at present in the Italian region of Umbria, he retired from the title of Professor Emeritus of Art in 2023. Having represented in the Dallas by Valley House Gallery, Barnaby Fitzgerald: An Eye for Ballast scopes to give a final tribute to the professor and artist, Fitzgerald for his meticulous renderings and offerings to his students. This exhibition is organized with the support of the Office of the Dean of the Meadows School of the Arts.
Having such an artist professor in a country is pride itself and he definitely needs a purposeful farewell, which the Museum and his department had made sure of.
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Featured Image: Caesura by Barnaby; Meadows Museum Dallas.
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