Orthogonal: Relating to, consisting of, or involving right angles; perpendicular. Having perpendicular slopes or tangents at the point of intersection.
Opening in the New Britain Museum of American Art’s Davis Gallery, Friday, Sept. 30 is Arthur Carter: Orthogonals, a sleek and modern take on the classic bar relief with nods to Modern masters Piet Mondrian and Josef Albers. The artist also was inspired by the numerical genius of 12th century mathematician Fibonacci. What we get is Carter’s own realm of aesthetically and mathematically sound intervals, angles, proportions and rhythms, surface texture and dynamic color, lovingly constructed, parts precisely locked together.
The exhibition, consisting of seven examples in the Orthogonal series and nine other related reliefs and works on paper created between 2008 and 2010, will be on view through November 13, 2011. An opening reception is planned for Sunday, October 9, 2-3:30 p.m., with remarks by the artist at 2:30 p.m.
Carter’s artistic career has taken him from drawing, sculpture, painting including murals, and then to reliefs. A starting point for the Orthogonals was a series of monochrome reliefs in brushed steel and bronze with raised rectangular surfaces, examples of which are in the exhibition. According to Charles A. Riley, essayist in the accompanying catalogue: “This is the starting point of the Orthogonals, which are also built so precisely, so tightly, with edges trued to absolute linear clarity and forms locked so firmly together that a great deal of their appeal, as with Carter’s freestanding sculpture, rests in admiration for the technical achievement (welding, cutting, joining, finishing raised to a level of virtuosity).”
Carter has explored many different fields throughout his expansive careers, and now he has become an integrated part of the fine art world as an artist. Carter’s diverse background has a heavy impact upon his works, many of which relate to the layout of newspapers, from his time as the founder and publisher of the Litchfield County Times and The New York Observer, the inclusion of metals such as stainless steel, as he owned a steel plant for a time, and other factors arising from the multiple other franchises Carter has been involved in. His sculptures are especially unique with the distinctive approach he takes to first creating them, then researching the roots which inspired his creation back through the centuries. This seemingly-backwards mode of creation seems to conflict with the logical process of researching then creating art, but it suits Carter and generates exceptional works.
Born in New York City in 1931, Arthur Carter grew up on Long Island. He felt he had the ability to succeed in many different fields and his degrees and careers are both a testament to this. Carter trained as a classical pianist, earned a degree in French literature from Brown University, served in the U.S. Coast Guard, earned his MBA in Finance, followed a 25-year career in investment-banking, founded and published two newspapers, taught as a professor at Iona College and New York University, serves as a Trustee, as well as Chairman of the Board of Overseers of the Faculty of Arts and Science of New York University, and has been and continues to be a business owner in multiple companies. His artwork holds true to his learning and experiences with its mesh of flow and the balance of strict lines, especially in his orthogonal sculptures. Between his production facility in Roxbury, CT, and a gallery and design studio in New York City, Carter continues to create stunning works, some of which have been featured at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, TN, and New York University’s Grey Art Gallery. A comprehensive collection of his works, Arthur Carter: Sculptures, Paintings, and Drawings, was also published in 2009. Carter’s Intersecting Ellipses with Parallel Chords, 2003, Stainless steel, is featured in the NBMAA’s outdoor sculpture garden to the right of the front doors.
Opening Reception:
Sunday, October 9, 2-3:30 p.m., with remarks by the artist at 2:30 p.m.