Historical April 1980 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Currents, an ongoing series of works by contemporary American artists presented by the St. Louis Art Museum. will feature paintings and water colors by Bill Kohn. Bill and his family have lived in Skinker-DeBaliviere since 1969. He is an associate professor of fine art at Washington University. The exhibition :will open at the museum on April 24 with a reception from 8:00 10:00 p.m. Also on April 24. the Timothy. Burns Gallery. 393 N. Euclid. will open an exhibit titled Bill Kohn: Two Decades 1960 1980. A reception will be held at the Burns Gallery from 6:00 8:00 p.m.
These exhibits should attract critical acclaim and could well be a milestone in Bill’s career. He has. I believe. accomplished the difficult transition from talented painter to gifted artist. Artistic sensibility is not particularly uncommon among the general population. Many people produce art of some merit. But very few combine mastery of technique with a fresh vision to create work admired by professional critics. serious collectors. and people who simply. enjoy art. In whichever group you include yourself I think you will find looking at Bill’s paintings to be rewarding.
When I first saw Bill’s work he was doing silk screens. These are strong geometric compositions whose subjects are simple forms securely yet inventively placed on the canvas. Prior to his silk screens. he did a series of oil paintings inspired by a stay in India. These paintings reveal his bold and complex use of color.
I remember a conversation with Bill during which he indicated he was tiring of silk-screening and was planning to resume oil painting. Sometime later I stopped by his studio to see how his reinitiation into using a brush was progressing. I was thunderstruck. Here was all of the brilliance of his palate coupled with his superior sense of composition. Moreover. his technique had taken a great leap forward. These paintings were of solid, straightforward forms made vibrant with an attention to detail not seen in Bill’s earlier work.
Now we have the paintings and watercolors done last summer in Mexico. The transition is clear. Again there is the imaginative use of color and design. the subject matter is now. not suggestive of architecture as in the previous series: it is in fact. the buildings of Guadalajara. The city is both simplified and enriched by Bill’s eye.
Where the Indian and silk screen series were generally a display of strong individual elements. Bill’s subsequent paintings are more complex totalities. His seemingly intuitive sense of Composition and color is synthesized with the painterly qualities of shading, light and shadow. texture, and atmosphere. These paintings are beautiful at first sight and visually satisfying upon repeated viewings.
Bill Kohn’s art today reflects a confident. mature artist who has mastered so much of the technique of painting that he can consistently produce work of a very high quality. As important, he is not content to be repetitive. He continues to find new forms of expression: his creative capacity seems to be expanding. While the future should be an exciting one for Bill Kohn. he is today an important contemporary artist. I am looking forward to April 24 with great anticipation. •
Original photograph caption
“Morelos, 1979” acrylic on canvas by Bill Kohn. One of the many paintings from his productive year in Mexico to be shown at the St. Louis Art Museum. The Paper, April 1980, page 1. Reproduction photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Paper, April 1980.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1980_04.pdf, printed page(s) 1; PDF page(s) 1.
