publictrustgallery

PUBLIC TRUST GALLERY

CHARLES HARPER

A Solo exhibition of original paintings and prints by Charles Harper
opens at The Public Trust, Saturday March 7, 2009 (6-9PM).
The exhibition runs through April 31, 2009.

Charles Harper (1922-2007)
Born in West Virginia in 1922, Harper's formative years were spent
on his family farm. This upbringing shaped and inspired the
direction of his visual language which began to take shape at the
Art Academy of Cincinnati. It was there he met his wife and fellow
artist Edie Harper. He would later go on to teach at the Art
Academy while they raised their son Brett.

To this day, the images of Charles Harper are tightly woven into
the fabric of our visual landscape. Harper's unique visual language
rose to prominence with his contributions to Ford Times, as well as
his work produced for the Audubon Society and the National Park
Service. However, he is most renowned for his illustrations in The
Golden Book of Biology. It is in this publication that one can see his
effortless command of illustration and design.

His geometric style, which is synonymous with mid-century
Modernism yielded some of the most compelling and timeless
images of nature and wildlife. In a career that spanned 60 years,
these depictions of nature have influenced generations of
contemporary artists and designers, including Ryan McGinness
whose work was exhibited alongside Harper's in the exhibition
series, Graphic Content, at the Contemporary Arts Center in
Cincinnati, Ohio.

In late 2007 a 400 page monograph titled, Charley Harper: An
Illustrated Life, was authored by internationally acclaimed designer
Todd Oldham and published by Ammo Books.

In an interview with Todd Oldham, Harper discussed his simplified
forms:

"I don't think there was much resistance to the way I simplified
things. I think everybody understood that. Some people liked it
and others didn't care for it. There's some who want to count all
the feathers in the wings and then others who never think about
counting the feathers, like me."

This exhibition will consist of vintage serigraphs and original
paintings. The Public Trust is honored to present the work of Charles
Harper.
The Public Trust
2919-C Commerce St.
Dallas, TX 75226
214.760.7170
www.trustthepublic.com