These pictures from the permanent collection of the Tocovava, formerly known as the Stockton Art Museum, are on exhibit through June 19 at the C’est Pour Moi coffeehouse, 30 N. Whittaker in New Buffalo, Michigan. The shop is open daily 8 AM to 7 PM unless business is slow. Curator Joe Puleo, who wrote the commentary here, holds regular hours as manager, though he’d prefer visits before 5. Catalogs with tipped-in color plates of these and other works from the collection are available by special order for $15. Call 269-612-2120 or e-mail cestpourmo1@yahoo.com for more.
Brazilian
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This dramatic and monumental portrait conveys not so much the personality of Boffa’s subject as the high ideals of his office. Paulo Friere was the director of the Department of Education and Culture in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, where he democratized the Brazilian electorate by setting up adult literacy courses. For that act the militaristic government jailed him. After his release he came to America, where he was surprised to find similar repression and exclusion in the educational system. In Portrait of Paulo Friere Boffa reveals his skill in handling textures, with the representation of bright thoughts (colors) through the forehead and the captivating brushstrokes of the beard.
Smiling Horse
Part of Horton’s “Countryside” series, Smiling Horse has many elements of Horton’s mature style. The way the horse seems to regard the spectator–an effect engineered by the high viewpoint and lack of balancing elements in the background (breaking with Horton’s earlier techniques borrowed from Caravaggio)–is spectacular, and fits neatly within the tradition of equestrian portraits. Other devices that enhance the piece are the eccentric coloring, the flat lighting, and the rather disquieting lack of energy in the countenance of the horse.
Acrylic on canvas
Anonymous Busch
