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A new exhibit of
inspirational paintings and drawings of churches is now on
display at the Rosenberg Library.
This unique
show features twenty-five works by six different artists, all
but one of which resided in Galveston.
These artists utilized a variety of
media—including oil, watercolor, pen-and-ink, and sepia—to
create the
 church
depictions.
An array of styles is also present,
ranging from detailed architectural sketches to abstract cubism.
While five of
the images are of churches in Galveston, many of the
works are of churches the artists visited all around the world.
Ten paintings in the
show were done by one of Galveston’s most famous artists, Boyer
Gonzales, Sr. (1864-1934).
Three of these are of Trinity
Episcopal Church, where Gonzales was a lifelong parishioner.
The other seven works by Gonzales
show views of St. Mark Cathedral and Santa Maria della Salute in
Venice, Italy.
These watercolors were done while
Gonzales was on his honeymoon in 1908.
Emil Bunjes (1902-1974) produced countless sketches and
paintings of Galveston
scenes during his life.
His pen-and-ink drawings capture
some of the city’s most well known sites and structures with
great detail.
Bunjes’s
St. Patrick Church
will be easily recognizable to native Galvestonians, and his
Chapel at Ursuline
Convent depicts a once-beautiful building that was
demolished in the late 1960s.
Clyde Harold Wortham
(1909-1974) was born in Oklahoma but moved to Galveston during
his youth.
A graduate of
Ball
High School, Wortham went on to study
at the Yard School of Art in Washington, D.C. and the Art Students League in
Woodstock, New York.
Much of Wortham’s adult life was
spent abroad, where he was well known as both a painter and an
authority on art restoration.
In his
miniature painting, The
Certosa, Wortham’s talent in capturing the dimensions of
light and shadow is evident.
Joseph Alexander Cain
(1920-1980) is the only artist featured in this exhibit that was
not a resident of the Island.
Cain was born in Tennesee and
served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II.
After
receiving his MFA from the University of California
at Berkeley, he began his
teaching career in Corpus
Christi, Texas.
Cain served as chairman of the
Art
Department
at Del Mar College.
His cubist
watercolor, Mission with
Four Figures, is one of the most striking works in the
exhibit.
 Dr.
Merlin McGivney (1905-1985) was a long time dentist on the
island who had a passion for painting.
McGivney was an active member of
the Galveston Art League and established an endowment through
the Rosenberg Library to fund an annual purchase prize for the
league’s juried show.
Dozens of
original works by McGivney are preserved at the Rosenberg
Library, and two of his watercolors—New
England Church and
Village in Martinique—are among the most vibrant and
eye-catching works in the exhibition.
Dr. Charles Marc Pomerat (1905-1964) was a native of
Massachusetts who came to
Galveston
in 1943.
Pomerat
studied at Harvard and Cambridge before accepting a teaching position at the
University of Texas Medical Branch.
He was a world-renowned anatomist
and cytologist who became interested in art and architecture
later in life.
His range of artistic talent is
evident in his six works that are included in the exhibit.
Pomerat was not only a master
of detailed architectural illustration, but he was also able to
capture a sense of peaceful ambience in his fluid watercolor and
ink sketches.
There is a new addition to the Sacred Spaces
Exhibit! The Island Quilt Guild, founded in 1991, created this
quilt in 2003 which includes the various houses of warship
located in Galveston. It is stunning!
Sacred Spaces:
An Exhibit of Churches in Art
will appeal not only to those
interested in historic churches and architecture, but also to
art enthusiasts of all kinds.
The exhibition is located in the
Harris Gallery.
The
gallery is located on
the
library’s third floor, and it is open Monday through Saturday
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Painting Captions:
1.
New England
Church
by Dr. Merlin McGivney, 20th century
2.
Mission with Four Figures
by Joseph A. Cain, ca. 1955
3.
Santa Maria della
Salute (Venice)
by Boyer Gonzales, Sr., 1908
4.
Quilt made by the Island Quilt Guild of Galveston Island, ca.
2003
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