JACOB SEMIATIN WORKS ON PAPER 1959-1960

JACOB SEMIATIN WORKS ON PAPER 1959-1960 J. K E N N E T H F I N E A R T & E S T A T E C O L L E C T I ON



JACOB SEMIATIN WORKS ON PAPER R1 9 5 9 - 1 9 6 0 The publisher would like to thank Rick and Sue Miller for their continued generous support, Ellen Zeman and Paul Hale for their gracious contributions, John Olson for his patronage, and Jason Howard for his unwavering support. A special thanks to Arby Rolband and Ilene Semiatin for their stewardship of Jacob Semiatin's legacy. on the cover: Untitled watercolor on paper, 1959 28 x 42 inchess copyright 2022 J. Kenneth Fine Art LLC All Rights Reserved www.jkennethfineart.com

Jacob Semiatin is a natural watercolorist. Freshness, spontaneity, and an intuitive sense of composition mark his most characteristic pictures -- both large and small. In fact, in his larger compositions Semiatin seems to achieve an even greater release than in his smaller watercolors, without any loosening of basic organization; the broad rhythmic sweep of his linear elements play back and forth with an even fuller confidence in the illuminated picture space. And the rectangle he sets himself to compose is enriched to every corner by the freedom of his handwriting and the glow of suffusing and concentrated color. This is the watercolorist's achievement. But Jacob Semiatin's paintings at their most successful have a sensuousness and broad compositional integrity that carries them to a plane of authority far above the lyric spontaneity and freshness one is customarily content to enjoy in a watercolor. This is Semiatin's achievement.1 James Johnson Sweeney, Director of the Guggenheim (1955-1960)

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 28 x 42 inches

The year 1958 marks a major turning point in Jacob Semiatin's paiting career. Abstract Expressionism had already been the dominant art movement for almost two decades. After years of painting watercolor landscapes and figures, Semiatin made the leap to nonrepresentational abstract painting. In the the words of Jacob Semiatin, once he had 'crossed the Rubicon', there was no turning back. The watercolors from 1959 to the early 1960s represent Semiatin's creativity at it's most exuberant and spontaneous. His mastery of watercolor, and the freedom found within these works of art are evidence of an artist who had found his voice. John Kenneth Alexander Jacob Semiatin (1915-2003) Jacob Moses Semiatin was born in 1915 to Polish Jewish parents Herman (Semiatitzki) Semiatin and Sarah Miadovnik in the Portobello region of Dublin, Ireland. Semiatin's family lived in Little Jerusalem, as it was colloquially known -- the heart of the Jewish community in Dublin. He emigrated with his parents and siblings in 1920 aboard the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, landing on Ellis Island. Semiatin eventually settled in Brooklyn, New York. Both Jacob and his brother Lionel were artistic; Jacob being a visual artist and Lionel a musician and composer. Their father, Herman, was a renowned cantor. Lionel would go on to win awards for his compositions. After college, Jacob began a deeper exploration of watercolor painting. Many of his watercolors painted in the 1930s and 1940s depict scenes of industrial and urban life, as well as bucolic landscapes. John I. H. Baur, Curator of Painting at the Brooklyn Museum, encouraged Semiatin to exhibit his paintings in group shows at the museum, which he did on several occasions. At the outset of my career, the subject matter, fortunately, was just a few blocks away from my residence near Gravesend Bay in Brooklyn. At that time the area had an abundance of subject matter for the artist: old fishing boats, run-down buildings and huge coal storing silos were some of the attractions, ideal for contemplation. My painting territory gradually extended along the shores of Gravesend Bay toward Coney Island, and jumped over to the end of Flatbush Avenue, where a fishing village on stilts exuded a pungent odor at low tide. One had to walk on wooden planks to get around. I next explored the area around the Gowanus Canal, attracted by a wealth of old industrial buildings.2 During World War II, Semaitin served his country at various Army Air Force camps in Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas and Florida. While stationed in Arkansas, he painted many rural landscape watercolors in the Blytheville and Amorel areas. Some of these paintings would eventually be acquired by local museums, such as the Historic Arkansas Museum. Upon his return to New York after the war, Semiatin's painting style changed into what could be called his semi-abstract period. Angular and geometric lines would be used to create the shapes in his landscapes and portraits. In 1958, Semiatin had a solo exhibition of his paintings at Contemporary Arts Gallery; a gallery that would also introduce artists Mark Rothko and Mark Tobey. This exhibit would mark the end of landscape painting for Semiatin and the beginning of his exploration of abstract art.

The expression of my feelings became more important as time passed. I used angles to energize and add movement. It was the first time I had taken an abstract concept -- the angle -- and imposed it on natural subject matter. I was no longer interested in depicting the object as seen, but had to change it to convey the energy and strength that I felt objects and people should have. In time, the angles became less abrupt and evolved into the basis for the landscape watercolor paintings of 1955 to 1957. These were done with great spontaneity and are the summation of all landscape painting that I had done previously. Only the essence of the landscape remains, depicted with the least amount of detail in a shorthand developed over many years.3 Leaving landscape painting behind, Semiatin immersed himself in the art movement of Abstract Expressionism. Often characterized by a large-scale format, gestural brush strokes and the impression of spontaneity, Semiatin discovered a new-found freedom within the movement. Unlike most painters of his time, he was uniquely an abstract watercolorist. Semiatin used watercolor's natural properties to his advantage. The appearance of chaos underlies a very orderly composition of swirls, waves and spirals, reinforced by the utilization of the wax resist effect in his line-work of oil crayon. The year 1958 marks the first of my completely abstract or non-objective paintings. This was not a sudden impulse. I had been considering such a progression for several years, and the recent semi-abstract paintings had brought me closer to this concept. Once I had \"Crossed the Rubicon\", however, there was no turning back. I felt that I was at the edge of a new world of discovery. I began a series of watercolor and crayon paintings in 1959, which I worked on into 1960. Movement was at the core of this series, spurred by the spontaneous exuberance of a new-found freedom. That the crayon is visible through the watercolor in these paintings creates a notable color and texture effect.4 Semiatin married Ludmila Rosanfeld in 1954. He developed a close friendship with James Johnson Sweeney, second director of the Guggenheim Museum (1952-1960). Semiatin submitted a group of his 1959 crayon and watercolor abstract paintings for Sweeney's review. One of the foremost figures in the art world, Sweeney took a great interest in Semiatin's art and would acquire many of his works throughout the years. In 1962, Semiatin had a solo exhibition at Galerie Internationale, which was reviewed by Stuart Preston of the New York Times. Semaitin would continue to exhibit his work, including another solo exhibition in 1964, also at Galerie Internationale. Another venue for Semiatin was at the very influential Leo Castelli Gallery. As the mid-'60s approached, the movement of Abstract Expressionism was coming-to-a-close, being replaced by Pop Art, and shortly there after, Op Art. Like many abstract painters of his day, Semiatin faced an uncertain future. At this time he also became dissatisfied with the art politics and quid pro quo attitude of the New York gallery scene. Semiatin would continue to explore abstraction throughout his life, learning different techniques and media, including acrylic and collage. Semiatin died in Manhattan in 2003. I remain constantly on the alert for challenging and unique ways of self-expression in painting. Curiosity is the engine of creativity, and it is the questioning spirit that continues to fuel my work and lead me in new directions.5

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 26.25 x 40.5 inches

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 22 x 34 inches

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 22 x 34 inches

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 22 x 34 inches Private collection, California

Untitled watercolor on paper, 1960 28 x 42 inches

Untitled watercolor on paper, 1960 28 x 42 inches

Untitled watercolor on paper, 1960 28 x 42 inches

Untitled watercolor on paper, 1960 28 x 42 inches

Untitled watercolor on paper, 1959 28 x 42 inches

Untitled watercolor on paper, 1959 28 x 42 inches

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 22 x 34 inches

Untitled watercolor on paper, 1959 28 x 42 inches

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 22 x 34 inches

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 22 x 34 inches

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 22 x 34 inches

Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 22 x 34 inches

Spindly forms dance a merry jig in Semiatin's watercolors, thrashing about in a high-spirited way as if taking part in mock combat. Liveliness is all, but a word must be said both for ingratiating color and a knowing way with the medium. Stuart Preston, New York Times, 1962 Untitled oil crayon and watercolor on paper, 1959 28 x 40.75 inches

MUSEUM & PRIVATE COLLECTIONS Ellen Zeman & Paul Hale Collection, Burlington, VT Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, AR Irish Jewish Museum, Dublin, Ireland John Olson Collection, Burlington, VT Rick & Sue Miller Collection, Beverly Hills, CA Ted Turner Collection William J. Clinton Collection SELECTED EXHIBITION HISTORY 1943, 1948 Brooklyn Society of Artists, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY 1945 Dallas Museum of Art, Army Arts Exhibition, Dallas, TX 1952 Village Art Center, New York, NY 1957 Contemporary Arts Gallery, New York, NY (solo exhibition) 1962, 1964 Galerie Internationale, New York, NY (solo exhibitions) 1977 Glass Gallery, New York, NY 2013 Serge Castella Gallery, New York Design Center, New York, NY 2017 Historic Arkansas Museum, Hidden Treasures: Selected Gala Fund Purchases, Little Rock, AR 2021 Rubine Red Gallery Estate Collection, Palm Springs, CA 2021 J. Kenneth Fine Art & Estate Collection, Palm Springs, CA ENDNOTES 1-5 Jacob Semiatin, My Adventures in Art, (New York, NY: John N. Jacobson & Son, Inc., 1991) www.jkennethfineart.com