 |
||||||||||
In this extraordinary suite of fresh, beautifully painted, allegorical works, Xavier de Callataÿ celebrates the life of Christine Pleasonton, an idealistic young woman who died a suicide in 1985. But the series is much more than the memory of one life. It is the Belgian born artist's romantic affirmation of woman as a source of love. life, and continuity. "Symphony for Christine" is a cycle of 11 canvases arranged in four movements: fantasized scenes symbolizing desire, caring, death, and love. In Caring Christine comforts a mother and child in the ambience of an Everglades swamp, as pink and crimson flamingos soar upward across the sweep of the 7-foot-high and 17-foot-wide triptych. What makes the piece work is the sense of light - combining sunrise and sunset - that the artist is able to convey, the naturalness of the figures, and his masterly application of paint, from thin scraped-down surfaces to rich impastoes to unselfconscious bravura squiggles. In “Death“ there are multiple scenes of Christine's body being lowered down by loving friends. On the left a jeep surrounded by apes and monkeys may represent the encroachments of modem life and evil forces, while elephants, on the right, stand for strength and continuity. Somber browns and violets are enriched by the glow of a rosy sunset and the rich prints of women's dresses. The final panels - a lush underwater scene of Christine beckoning to nude lovers - is a vision that only an artist as talented as de Callataÿ could carry off without being maudlin or corny. It is rare to find a contemporary artist who can develop his own symbols and present them with such technical skill and strength of conviction that they transcend their source in his private memories and beliefs to assume a universal meaning. Ruth Bass
Press Art Reviews - TV - Interviews - Documentary Films - Catalogues ARTnews Magazine, Article by Ruth Bass, New York, NY, September 1993 Catalogue “Symphony for Christine”, Michael Walls Gallery, New York, February 1993, Four New York TV interviews of Xavier de Callataÿ and Gabriele Pallin, June 1991 Le Soir, Article by Nathalie Mattheiem, “ Deux Peintres Belge”, Belgium, August 1991 New York Times, Article by James Hirsch, June 20th, 1988 Documentary Film “New York” by Maurice Vermeesch, 1984, National Television Belgium ARTWORLD Magazine, Review of Exhibition by Judd Tully, November 1982 Review of the “Human Figure” by Roger Green, The Times Picayune, March 21, 1982 New Orleans, LA Catalogue Introduction by David Lawall, Joanna Dean Galleries, November 1982, New York, NY ARTS Magazine,Xavier de Callataÿ, Article by Margaret Wolfson, November 1982 New York, NY Review of Exhibition by Stephane Rey, L’Echo de la Bourse, Belgium, February 20th, 1982 Review of “The Figure” by Roger Rapp, The Woodstock Times, NY, July 31, 1980 Review of Exhibition by S. Joslyn Fosberg, The Courier, New Orleans, LA, July 1977 Documentary Film about Xavier de Callatay by Jean Antoine, Paris 1976 - put bold Article “ Reflections of New Orleans” by Jennifer Quale, January 1972 Catalogue Introduction by Charles Kerbs, Bienville Gallery, New Orleans, LA, 1971 Review of Exhibition by Alberta Collier, The Times Picayune, March 10, 1968, New Orleans, LA Review of Exhibition by George S. Dibble, The salt Lake City Tribune, March 2, 1957,
|
||||||||||
