 |
The Art Collection's holdings of work depicting
Washington-area sites, by Washington-area artists, were enriched
by last year's purchase of Moonlight Tidal Basin by John
Morrell, Assistant Professor of Painting in the Department of
Art, Music, and Theatre.
Moonlight Tidal Basin, which was painted
on site, joins four other Morrell paintings in the Art Collection:
View of Georgetown University from the Virginia Shore,
View of the C&O Canal in Georgetown, and Georgetown
University Hospital, 1923, which are currently on view in
the lobby of the Georgetown University Hospital Main Building;
and Georgetown Shore, a gouache (opaque watercolor) painting
on paper usually kept in storage, to ensure that it will not fade
prematurely. Moonlight Tidal Basin shows the view north
towards the Mall, with the Jefferson Memorial at the right and
a low, clouded moonrise providing the only illumination. Morrell's
style reflects traditions of impressionism and luminism, as well
as plein-air realism, from the French phase en plein air,
"in the open air."
Prof. Morrell, who received his B.S. degree from
Georgetown University in 1973, has had eleven solo exhibits, and
is highly regarded for his many paintings of Georgetown and other
local views. He joined the University faculty in 1977, and served
as director of the University Art Gallery in the Walsh Building
for several years. Many readers have undoubtedly seen Morrell's
work numerous times--his depiction of Healy Hall was chosen for
the U.S. Postal Service's historic preservation postcard series
in 1989.
The purchase of Moonlight Tidal Basin was
made through the painting acquisition fund. Support from the fund
also enabled our successful bid in 2001 for Stoop Sitting,
Old Georgetown by Gladys Nelson Smith (see Library Associates
Newsletter No. 62, Winter 2002).
|
|
