Works

Richard Barnes - - 0
40/40 24/24 Archival pigment photograph

Exhibition Details

A new season commences at Clark Gallery on September 1st with an exhibition of photographs from
Richard Barne's Murmur series and David Moore's recent paintings and works on paper.  The
companion shows will be installed through September 29, 2010.  All are invited to join the artists for a
reception on Saturday, September 11th from 4-6pm.  On Saturday, September 25th at 5pm, David
Moore and friends will present a concert in the gallery.
 
At first glance, the photographs in Richard Barnes’ Murmur series appear as abstract compositions
of sweeping arcs and undulating forms in smudged ink or charcoal.  The subject of Barnes’
photographs, however, are the vast flocks of European starlings foraging in the countryside
surrounding Rome.  The recipient of the prestigious Rome Award, Barnes lived in a suburb of Rome
known as EUR from 2005-06 and photographed the seemingly choreographed flight patterns of the
flocks as they avoided predators and found insects or olives to feast upon.  The fluid clouds of birds
stretching up and down across the sky create compositions at once elegant and sinister, as the sheer
number of birds in the sky is realized.  The darkness of the gathering mass is emphasized by the
landscape below, which is populated by buildings of facist architecture heralded by Mussolini.
 
Richard Barnes is represented in numerous public and private collections, including the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Hirshhorn
Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and New York Public Library.  In addition to the Rome
Prize, Barnes has received the Alfred Eisenstadt Award in Photography for his photographs of the
cabin of Ted Kaczynski as well as numerous grants and fellowships to support his photographic
projects over the last decade.  Animal Logic, a monograph featuring images from Barnes’ various
series, was published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2009.
 
David Moore paints personal interpretations of natural surroundings through deliberate mark making
in pointed tones. Abstract spatial loops and meticulous lines in horizontal sequences illustrate Moore’s
exploration of place and the daily rituals one completes in varied landscapes.  Line, color, and gesture
remain at the forefront of Jokulsarlon.  This most recent body of gouache on paper drawings and oil
on linen paintings reflect Moore’s time in Iceland last year.  Ice blue, gray, and velvety black tones
articulate the glaciers, volcanoes, and coastline with sand the color of ash found near Jokulsarlon.  
Described as one of Iceland’s most spectacular sights, Jokulsarlon is a glacier lagoon on the south
coast of the country.  Moore enables his line to articulate the beauty and significance of the
captivating region at the forefront of many environmental discussions.
 
David Moore has been awarded fellowships and grants from the Pollock/Krasner Foundation, Blanche
E. Coleman Trust, and Massachusetts Cultural Council in Painting.  Moore’s works on paper and
paintings have been represented in exhibitions at Bard College, where he earned his MFA, Trustman
Gallery at Simmons College, Rose Art Museum, Boston Public Library, and Huntsville Museum of Art.
His decades-long commitment to music as a Musical Saw player has influenced his visual art
expressions and led to performances in Boston Symphony Hall and on National Public Radio and
“The Today Show.”  On Saturday, September 25th at 5pm, Moore and musical guests will present a
concert in the gallery.