Seward Johnson Retrospective – Revisited
Our first two visits to this exhibit in 2014 left us wanting more. And we were lucky enough to get it.
By popular demand, this record-breaking Seward Johnson Retrospective at Grounds for Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton, NJ was extended through the first half of 2015 (the last day is July 1st).
Jay and I went for the third time since I first blogged about it in 2014, and we still discovered new things in nooks and crannies. GFS is a dynamic place, packed full of sculpture that is constantly evolving and changing.
This trip we got to GFS early enough to take a tour, which we highly recommend. When you get to the ticket counter, ask about the free tours and sign up since space is limited (first-come first-serve basis).
Our tour guide covered a lot of territory in an hour, and led us through several popular permanent installations including this Seward Johnson 3-D take of Henri Rousseau’s popular painting at MOMA called The Dream, which was buried deep in the bamboo forest. At the end of the path, we were greeted by the mesmerizing stare of this beast.
We learned that the weather takes its toll on these outdoor bronze-cast sculptures, which are repaired on an ongoing basis, sometimes 3-4 times a year. Johnson’s Atelier (aka workshop where you can see the casting process) is open to the public once a month, alas, not during our visit. Instead, we settled for a peek through the fence at this collection of work currently being restored.
At this point, you might be asking yourself: Why did Jay and I go back 3 times? What exactly is the attraction?
The answer is fun and accessible art – and a lot of it with over 270 sculptures, 150 of which were Johnson’s in 2014 (some have moved on due to previous commitments. Not to worry – there’s so much to see!). You can touch the sculptures, walk around them (no climbing!), and interact with them
There is a lightness about these sculptures that comes from Johnson’s own internal compass and innate sense of humor.
Here is an artist who is comfortable in his own skin, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. This is most evident when you read the newspaper articles and book titles that are thoughtfully incorporated into his works, with powerful messages. In this article, But Is It Art?, Johnson pokes fun at himself and his entire body of work – which hasn’t always received critical acclaim.
When you’re visiting GFS, you don’t take yourself too seriously either. That’s my husband “inspecting” Marilyn Monroe’s backside… and asking for directions from the “guard” by the Mona Lisa – one of many classic icons, photos and Impressionist paintings reinterpreted by Johnson. Being an artist and art historian, I was particularly delighted to sit in full scale version of Van Gogh’s bedroom.
Johnson plays with scale on a monumental level, and gives us a chance to experience Impressionist icons in different settings, so that our relationship with the original art changes.
You can get a good idea of Seward Johnson’s approach by looking at his treatment of this well-known painting, Olympia by Manet.
Edouard Manet, “Olympia”,
1863, Oil on canvas,
H. 130; W. 190 cm, Courtesy of the Musée d’Orsay, Paris
When you park your car, this huge nude sculpture confronts you from a big hill, entirely out of context and blown up to a gigantic scale.
Inside, we find this same life-size, humanized nude sculpture set in a formal Parisian room, chandeliers and all. We’re free to walk around the installations, view them from every angle, and participate in them. I’ll never look at Manet’s Olympia the same again! (I wrote about this transformative experience in Monet Through A Different Lens)
By playing with sculpture on such a huge scale, Johnson also plays with our minds.
Monumental sculptures, like two ladies on a bench in The Meadows, a solder kissing a nurse (remember the famous photo?), and Johnson’s giant version of Matisse’s Dance for Joy reflecting in a pond, are juxtaposed with works of life-size everyday people scattered all over the park. Around each corner, we might find a window washer, policeman, mailman, or this girl reading on a park bench.
In one of the videos, Johnson says his space is the area beyond the frame (in fact, the name of one of his series). I can’t but help think it’s also in front of the frame, behind it and through the frame. He allows us to literally play with the frame in his version of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and the Mona Lisa.
Take some time to watch the video of Seward Johnson in the main building to get a sense of the man. Johnson has a strong sense of self (and even joked about being fired from the family business, Johnson and Johnson!), and creates the art he is compelled to make. He is quite an authentic character who is true to himself, willing to take risks, and has made a long-standing commitment to bring art to more people – as evidenced by evolution of this 42-acre park offering a a calendar full of events and activities for all ages.
In Johnson’s world, art imitates art, which imitates life, which can in turn imitate art…. Here we see how Seward Johnson inserted himself (wearing a hat) into Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party, having drinks with his friend Red Grooms and other cronies. On this particular day, Jay and I were delighted to find Johnson – in person – exuberantly leading a Sing-A-Long and thoroughly enjoying himself (like in the installation) while belting out a variety of Broadway tunes (which takes courage since he doesn’t have the greatest voice…).
We had dinner at Rats Restaurant at GFS, receiving generous portions that were wrapped up to go in a light-hearted way, in keeping with the day.
Then, OMG, it was time to leave! I realized I can’t come back again before the show closes on July 1st…
But you can! There’s 10 days left for the Seward Johnson Retrospective. Check the website for the latest information, and get there early to get a parking space (which is the constraining factor at the GFS).
It’s worth the trip. Experience art like you never have before!