NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Cheekwood Estate and Gardens announces Chroma: The Exploration of Color Field Painting. The exhibition of 18 works on paper from the Cheekwood collection will be on view in the mansion galleries from June 25 through September 18.
“The word “chroma” originates from the 19th century and refers to the purity or intensity of color.” says Eric Birkle, Curator at Cheekwood. “These qualities and the formulation of chromatic relationships are the focus of the exhibition, explored through a selection of works on paper from the mid-20th century – a time when flattened, highly saturated colors became a subject unto themselves for Color Field artists.”
The exhibition features works by artists known broadly as Color Field Painters, who embraced the boldness of pure, saturated hues and regularly employed basic geometric shapes in their compositions. Many of these artists contributed to a revived interest in lithography in the mid-20th century, including Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, Helen Frankenthaler, and more. The works examine the effects of scale, saturation, and juxtaposition (placing two or more colors side by side), resulting in varied compositions that contain a single or multiple colors. Some are “hard-edged” while others appear more “painterly,” but all are non-descript, which encourages viewers to concentrate on Chroma.
This exhibit emphasizing color will provide the perfect accompaniment to the major exhibition COLORSCAPES by the art collaborative Luftwerk also on display from May 7-September 4, 2022.
About Cheekwood
With its intact and picturesque vistas, Cheekwood is distinguished as one of the leading Country Place Era estates in the nation. Formerly the family home of Mabel and Leslie Cheek, the 1930s estate, with its 30,000-square-foot Mansion and 55-acres of gardens, today serves the public as a botanical garden, arboretum, and art museum with furnished period rooms and galleries devoted to American art from the 18th to mid-20th centuries. The property includes 13 distinct gardens including the Blevins Japanese Garden and the Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden, as well as a 1.5-mile woodland trail featuring outdoor monumental sculpture. Each year, Cheekwood hosts seasonal festivals including Cheekwood in Bloom, Summertime at Cheekwood, Cheekwood Harvest and Holiday LIGHTS. Cheekwood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and nationally as a Level II Arboretum. It is a three-time voted USA Today Top 10 Botanical Garden and in 2021 was recognized by Fodors as one of the 12 Most Beautiful Gardens in the American South. Cheekwood is located eight miles southwest of downtown Nashville at 1200 Forrest Park Drive. It is open Tuesday through Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with extended days and hours of operation depending on the season. Check cheekwood.org for current hours and to purchase advance tickets required for admission.
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