After attending this lecture I have become convinced that Santa Fe is where people in the art world come to die. I was the youngest person in the audience by a long shot. It is actually quite interesting because the art community there is very tight and well-respected. In fact, the reason I attended the lecture is because a long time New Mexico resident, Lucy Lippard, was one of the speakers. Sadly, the lecture went long and I missed her colorful commentary and anecdotes about Baranik. However, Mae Stevens, Baranik’s widow, spoke first and showed slides of her late husband’s work. She was a treat to listen to.

Baranik, Untitled

Born in Lithuania in 1920, Baranik grew used to dark and cold winters for 18 years before being sent to Chicago at the beginning of the German occupation. He found the winters beautiful and peaceful and that was reflected in his art. Also a deep part of Baranik’s art was the melancholy felt when all but one brother who had stayed behind were killed by local fascists. As Mae explained, Baranik refused to choose between making work that was political or beautiful and perhaps it is for this reason that he is missing from the art historical canon.

Baranik, Untitled

The slides certainly do not seem to do Baranik’s work justice–they are full of texture and depth. Certain works remind me of Rothko’s in the fact that certain blocks of color recede and jump out at the viewer which is surprising as his color palette was often limited to grey, black, and white. His work is both expressionist and minimalistic. With heavy subject matter as the starting point for the creation of some paintings (the Vietnam War and his son’s suicide), the works are dark but at the same time hopeful. One sees his optimism and the beauty he creates on the canvas.

Baranik, Naplam Elegy 2, 1982

An upcoming show at Dwight Hackett Projects in Santa Fe is worth the visit if you happen to be in town then. I am sorry to miss it as I am now anxious to view his intriguing and large-scale paintings in person.