Gallery to open Natkin art exhibit

Wednesday, 01 September 2010 14:34

The White Gallery in Lakeville will host the first exhibition of Robert Natkin’s work since his passing last spring. “A Life of Art: Robert Natkin 1930-2010” opens Friday, Sept. 3, and runs through Oct. 3. “Lakeville Gallery Night” and an opening reception are scheduled for Sept. 4 from 5 to 7.

In a profile in The New York Times in 1979, Mr. Natkin, a 40-year Redding resident, reflected on his life spent in the studio. “It’s full of the voices of my paintings,” he said, “of all the victories and defeats I’ve known there.”

Mr. Natkin, a painter who rose to prominence in the late 1960s and 1970s with work that blended intensely colorful abstraction with post-Impressionist colors, was inspired by the artists Henri Matisse, Cezanne, and Paul Gray. During his 50 plus years painting, Mr. Natkin’s work has evolved, changing from delicate nuance to much bolder and richer colors and forms. His love of color evolved from his early days growing up in a Chicago neighborhood that was bleak — for the most part devoid of color as Natkin remembers it — to a world flourishing in color. “Today our whole environment is beautiful,” said Mr. Natkin. “Our surroundings are full of color and life.”

“Robert’s paintings were transformational.” said Tino Galluzzo, director of The White Gallery. “Painting was Robert’s way of changing his life. Not only do Susan and I appreciate and enjoy his work, but we grew to love the artist and his wife, Judith Dolnick (Mr. Natkin’s wife of 50 plus years), as well.”

From canvas, to experimenting with different textured cloth wraps around sponges (intimate lighting), to paintings on paper (Bern) that allow him to “recapture the expressionism of his youth,” Natkin is always exploring new ways to convey his work. He used cloths and netting as stencils to achieve textures described by John Russell of The New York Times in 1978 as having a “worked-over look that suggests that the painting has been traversed over and over by a very small truck that has just had its tires retreaded.”

Asked to reflect on her husband’s work and the upcoming exhibition, Ms. Dolnick said, “I’m excited about the show, and to know that Robert’s work will continue to be appreciated.”

A lecture with artist David Dunlop, “Robert Natkin; The Mysteries of Light, Color, Form and Space” is scheduled for Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. at The White Gallery. Mr. Dunlop, a Wilton artist, will be joined by Ms. Dolnick.

For more information on the exhibition, visit thewhitegalleryart.com or call 860-435-1029. The White Gallery, 342 Main Street in Lakeville, is open Thursday through Sunday, 11 to 4, or by appointment.

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