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F. Scott Hess: The Hours of the Day
Hess finds, and presents in his paintings, universal meanings in common activities and in the exchanges that occur between people in the most ordinary of situations. His characters hurt, help, ignore, and desire on another, and we recognize their longing, anxiety, awkwardness, and grace because it is true to our own life experience. Featuring an essay by Richard Vine and commentary by the artist. Published in 2001 by The Orange County Museum of Art.
Comes in a hardcover slipcase.
Comes in a hardcover slipcase.
84 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
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April 24, 2010
A Very Important California Artist, A Very Fine Presentation of His Work
F Scott Hess continues to be one of California's most important artists painting today. Though his works are part of many museum collections as well as being included in touring exhibitions particularly on the West Coast but all across the USA, it is rare that a museum will honor an artist with an exhibition of a particular portion of the artist's output - a series if you will. And while Hess has created a number of successful series of paintings adhering to a theme, surely this presentation by the Orange County Museum of Art of Hess' brilliant THE HOURS OF THE DAY is the artist's finest.
Painted in his Los Angeles home, the series is as the title suggests - 24 paintings each representing an hour of one day - and what a day this represents! Hess is not satisfied with being a masterful painter of representational art: he is even more concerned about content, that is, creating images that engage the mind on many levels - the obvious bizarre coupling of characters on the surface, but then also the literary, mythological, ethnic, sexual implications that each image stimulates as food for thought. The paintings are beautiful but they are also menacing at times and imply deeper meanings than the lush surfaces at first suggest. Hess worked from 1995 to 2001 creating this group of paintings, each of which measures 48 by 64 inches. The exhibition this catalogue represents was offered just as the series was completed and it is the only representation of the entire series available.
Offering some helpful history and background as well as referencing the 14th and 15th century illuminated manuscripts 'Book of Hours' to which these paintings have been compared, Richard Vine provides a fine commentary to accompany the collection. This is one of those art books that should go beyond the museum catalogue stage and be published by a large publishing house bold enough to appreciate the magic this series of paintings by F Scott Hess possesses. Highly recommended.
Grady Harp
F Scott Hess continues to be one of California's most important artists painting today. Though his works are part of many museum collections as well as being included in touring exhibitions particularly on the West Coast but all across the USA, it is rare that a museum will honor an artist with an exhibition of a particular portion of the artist's output - a series if you will. And while Hess has created a number of successful series of paintings adhering to a theme, surely this presentation by the Orange County Museum of Art of Hess' brilliant THE HOURS OF THE DAY is the artist's finest.
Painted in his Los Angeles home, the series is as the title suggests - 24 paintings each representing an hour of one day - and what a day this represents! Hess is not satisfied with being a masterful painter of representational art: he is even more concerned about content, that is, creating images that engage the mind on many levels - the obvious bizarre coupling of characters on the surface, but then also the literary, mythological, ethnic, sexual implications that each image stimulates as food for thought. The paintings are beautiful but they are also menacing at times and imply deeper meanings than the lush surfaces at first suggest. Hess worked from 1995 to 2001 creating this group of paintings, each of which measures 48 by 64 inches. The exhibition this catalogue represents was offered just as the series was completed and it is the only representation of the entire series available.
Offering some helpful history and background as well as referencing the 14th and 15th century illuminated manuscripts 'Book of Hours' to which these paintings have been compared, Richard Vine provides a fine commentary to accompany the collection. This is one of those art books that should go beyond the museum catalogue stage and be published by a large publishing house bold enough to appreciate the magic this series of paintings by F Scott Hess possesses. Highly recommended.
Grady Harp
Displaying 1 of 1 review