The Prints of John L. Winters, 1967-1997
January 8 - February 16, 2008
Brown Bag talk Thursday Jan. 24 noon
Reception, Sunday, January 27, 1:30-3 p.m.

 

John L. Winters is a painter and graphic artist of Latvian descent who lives in Oxford, Mississippi. This exhibition is a retrospective of his graphic works during the period 1967–1997. Winters’ compositions reveal a mastery of the traditions of Expressionism and Surrealism. The works are dominated by a rich, inexhaustible world of images with mystical subjects. A prominent role in these works is given over to philosophical subtexts for whose decoding it is important for the compositions to have poignantly formulated and thus thought provoking titles. Of special note is the artist’s series of graphic works featuring many provocative interpretations of the female image. He reveals their deepest essence with ambiguous female headgear or “head mechanisms.” Winters even has his own theory about hats that provide evidence about their wearers. Hats can reveal the wearer’s profession and nationality and they protect and adorn. They send a message and express the wearer’s habits and reveal their character traits. The artist likes to fantasize about hats that express humor. Exhibition visitors will have a unique opportunity to view a few of these unique head adornments.

John L. Winters’ graphic works display a high level of technical mastery. The artist hasn’t specialized in one single technique but has subjected his individual style to various solutions. He has chosen to use not only the traditional classical methods but has also gone with the times and mastered new techniques such as photo etching. The choice of specific technique is determined by the content of the composition and the formal idea. Graphics produced under the influence of Expressionism and based on the traditions of this movement are usually in the form of wood or linocuts. On the other hand, the etching is more suitable for surreal works with their hint of mysticism. In his compositions Winters also places importance on the textures of the fields of colour, which have been executed in many different ways. As the artist says, “This makes the eyes work and gives life.” Especially surprising in the decorative treatment of the fields are the infinitely intertwining Art Nouveau type lines.

John L. Winters was born in 1935 in the Bauska district, Latvia. In 1944 he and his family went into exile, first to Germany and then emigrating to the USA in 1950. He received his Bachelor’s degree in 1963 from the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1965 he was awarded a Master of Fine Arts in painting by Tulane University, New Orleans. He supplemented teaching work with further studies at the Instituto Allende, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1969, the Art Students League of New York (1978), and at Fairview College, Peace River, Alberta, Canada (1993). Winters was a professor at The University of Mississippi from 1973–1998. He is an honorary professor of the Latvian Academy of Art and a philanthropist. With the reestablishment of Latvia’s independence, Winters founded an annual scholarship for the best creative achievement in the graphic arts by students of the Academy’s graphics department. Most of this exhibition was recently exhibited in his first exhibition in his native Latvia.

Exhibition curator Marita Berzina, M.A.
National Latvian Art Museum