Jump to content

Ron Linden: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
 
(20 intermediate revisions by 14 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|American painter}}

{{Infobox artist
{{Infobox artist
| name = Ron Linden
| name = Ron Linden
| image = Ron Linden, photography by Ronald Dunlap.jpg
| image = Artist Ron Linden.jpg
⚫
| birth_name =
| caption = Ron Linden in studio
⚫
| birth_date = {{Birth date |1940|12|8|mf=y}}
⚫
| birth_name =
| birth_place = [[Chicago, IL]]
⚫
| birth_date = {{Birth date |1940|12|8|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Chicago, IL]]
| nationality = [[United States|American]]
| nationality = [[United States|American]]
| field = [[Painting]]
⚫
| training =
| field = [[Painting]]
⚫
| movement = [[Abstract expressionism]]
⚫
| training =
⚫
| works =
⚫
| movement = [[abstract expressionism]]
⚫
| patrons = <!-- | influenced by = [[Richard Diebenkorn]], [Willem de Kooning]], [[Jasper Johns]], [[Phillip Guston]], [[Walter Abish]], [[John Cage]][[Clyfford Still]], [[Arshile Gorky]], [[Henri Matisse]] <no such template parameter> -->
⚫
| works =
⚫
| awards = 1978 National Endowment for the Arts, individual artist's grant in painting
| patrons =
⚫
| website = {{official website|http://ronlinden.com/}}
⚫
<!-- | influenced by = [[Richard Diebenkorn]], [Willem de Kooning]], [[Jasper Johns]], [[Phillip Guston]], [[Walter Abish]], [[John Cage]][[Clyfford Still]], [[Arshile Gorky]], [[Henri Matisse]] <no such template parameter> -->
⚫
| awards = 1978 National Endowment for the Arts, individual artist's grant in painting
⚫
|website = {{official website|http://ronlinden.com/}}
}}
}}


'''Ron Linden''' (born 1940, Chicago, Illinois) is a California abstract painter, independent curator, and an Associate Professor of art at Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington. He lives and works in the [[List_of_San_Pedro_artists|San Pedro]] area of Los Angeles.
'''Ron Linden''' (born 1940, Chicago, Illinois) is a California abstract painter, independent curator, and associate professor of art at Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington. He lives and works in the [[San Pedro, Los Angeles|San Pedro]] area of Los Angeles.


==Background==
==Background==
Linden received his Bachelor of Fine Art and Masters in Fine Art at the University of Illinois. His classmates included artists [[William Wegman (photographer)|William Wegman]], Guy Goodwin. [[Louise Fishman]], William Mahan, Al Loving, [[Robert H. Cumming]], [[Gerald Hayes (artist)|Gerald Hayes]], and more. Linden also attended the [[School of the Art Institute of Chicago]]. In 1972, Linden relocated to California. He worked as a scenic artist in the Hollywood film industry for 25 years. During this time he helped establish artist communities in Pasadena, downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro, California. In 1978, Linden received the individual artist's grant in painting from National Endowment for the Arts.
Linden received his Bachelor of Fine Art and Masters in Fine Art at the University of Illinois. His classmates included artists [[William Wegman (photographer)|William Wegman]], Guy Goodwin. [[Louise Fishman]], William Mahan, Al Loving, [[Robert H. Cumming]], and [[Gerald Hayes (artist)|Gerald Hayes]]. Linden also attended the [[School of the Art Institute of Chicago]].
In 1972, Linden relocated to California. He worked as a scenic artist in the Hollywood film industry for 25 years. He helped establish artist communities in Pasadena, downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro, California.
In 1978, Linden received the individual artist's grant in painting from National Endowment for the Arts.


==Criticism and commentary==
==Criticism and commentary==
In 1975, Jeff Perone wrote in Artforum magazine about Linden's work in "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art in L.A.":
In 1975, Jeff Perone wrote in ''Artforum'' magazine about Linden's work in "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art in L.A.":
"... Precious objects are precious objects and my personal preferences from Diebenkorn 1945, to Linden 1975 means the same thing; the works resemble each other closely, only Linden's a little more loose in technique and tighter in concept. It does not matter how far the distance traveled, chronologically or psychologically. The new looks like the old, and the good things, new or old, are tradition, as in the new tradition, a tradition that looks good. Linden is expressing himself, goddamnit."<ref>Jeff Perrone, "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art from Los Angeles", Artforum, Summer, 1975</ref>
"... Precious objects are precious objects and my personal preferences from Diebenkorn 1945, to Linden 1975 means the same thing; the works resemble each other closely, only Linden's a little more loose in technique and tighter in concept. It does not matter how far the distance traveled, chronologically or psychologically. The new looks like the old, and the good things, new or old, are tradition, as in the new tradition, a tradition that looks good. Linden is expressing himself, goddamnit."<ref>Jeff Perrone, "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art from Los Angeles", ''Artforum'', Summer, 1975</ref>


Also writing on the "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art in L.A." in Artweek, Judith Dunham observes:. "Linden works with acrylic and graphite, combining both to make a sooty, crusty, intentionally rough and ugly surface. He limits color to graphite blacks and grays, warm acrylic neutrals so that the motions of painting are paramount in the final products. "
Also writing on the "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art in L.A." in ''Artweek'', Judith Dunham observes: "Linden works with acrylic and graphite, combining both to make a sooty, crusty, intentionally rough and ugly surface. He limits color to graphite blacks and grays, warm acrylic neutrals so that the motions of painting are paramount in the final products."


In the Los Angeles Times, Suzanne Muchnic writes:
In the ''Los Angeles Times'', Suzanne Muchnic writes:
"We read them but can not be sure we grasp all their meaning. (The artist draws on literary sources but does not reveal them.) Instead of putting us off, Linden pulls us in to wonder. If all else fails, the paintings work as abstract compositions. They are built of various combinations of acrylic, wood, and fabric in gray, black and ochre." <ref>Suzanne Muchnic, L.A. Times, March 27, 1981</ref>
"We read them but can not be sure we grasp all their meaning. (The artist draws on literary sources but does not reveal them.) Instead of putting us off, Linden pulls us in to wonder. If all else fails, the paintings work as abstract compositions. They are built of various combinations of acrylic, wood, and fabric in gray, black and ochre."<ref>Suzanne Muchnic, ''L.A. Times'', March 27, 1981</ref>


"Ron Linden is a significant painter because he resists convenience and, sometimes, even himself. But integrity will out. In the end, Linden makes the difficulty of making the difficult look easy," Writes Peter Plagens, In the catalog essay for the Cue Foundation.<ref>Plagens, Peter: Curator'S Catalogue Essay, Ron Linden Solo Exhibition Curated By Peter Plagens , CUE Art Foundation, New York, NY December, 2007</ref><ref>http://cueartfoundation.org/ron-linden/</ref>
"Ron Linden is a significant painter because he resists convenience and, sometimes, even himself. But integrity will out. In the end, Linden makes the difficulty of making the difficult look easy," writes Peter Plagens in the catalog essay for the Cue Foundation.<ref>Plagens, Peter: Curator's Catalogue Essay, Ron Linden Solo Exhibition curated by Peter Plagens, CUE Art Foundation, New York, NY, December, 2007</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cueartfoundation.org/ron-linden|title=Ron Linden|website=CUE Art Foundation}}</ref>


Mario Naves writes "Picasso's Ghost," about paintings by Ron Linden exhibited at the CUE Foundation, in the New York Observer, January, 2008:
From Mario Naves' article "Picasso's Ghost," about paintings by Ron Linden exhibited at the CUE Foundation, in the ''New York Observer'', January, 2008:
"Riddled by the ghosts of Cubism and Pop's cool ironies, painter Ron Linden's milky investigation of surface, space and denuded biomorphism are only nominally sensual paint-as-stuff chases after painting as intellectual pursuit. Mr. Linden's gift is that brainy impatience doesn’t quell a fractured and elusive poetry - if anything it engenders it."<ref>Mario Naves, New York Observer, "Picasso's Ghost", Ron Linden @ the CUE Foundation, 2007</ref>
"Riddled by the ghosts of Cubism and Pop's cool ironies, painter Ron Linden's milky investigation of surface, space and denuded biomorphism are only nominally sensual paint-as-stuff chases after painting as intellectual pursuit. Mr. Linden's gift is that brainy impatience doesn’t quell a fractured and elusive poetry - if anything it engenders it."<ref>Mario Naves, ''New York Observer'', "Picasso's Ghost", Ron Linden @ the CUE Foundation, 2007</ref>


In 2016, Los Angeles art critic Mat Gleason wrote "One Southern California art veteran, Ron Linden, is also curating in the South Bay. His TransVagrant / Warschaw Gallery in San Pedro has hosted exhibitions for almost a decade now, specializing in rigorous, almost scholarly shows, primarily of painting. Be they solo or group shows, Linden’s space has a severe eye for the reductive, the historical and the dedicated. Fearlessly championing Modernist forms and playing the long game with art history, TransVagrant and Warschaw exists in a context free from art world tropes that chase what was on the cover of last month’s ArtForum. It is one of the crowning achievements of the South Bay, inspiring and informing the whole scene.<ref>http://diversionsla.com/?p=2754</ref>
In 2016, Los Angeles art critic [[Mat Gleason]] wrote, "One Southern California art veteran, Ron Linden, is also curating in the South Bay. His TransVagrant / Warschaw Gallery in San Pedro has hosted exhibitions for almost a decade now, specializing in rigorous, almost scholarly shows, primarily of painting. Be they solo or group shows, Linden’s space has a severe eye for the reductive, the historical and the dedicated. Fearlessly championing Modernist forms and playing the long game with art history, TransVagrant and Warschaw exists in a context free from art world tropes that chase what was on the cover of last month's ArtForum. It is one of the crowning achievements of the South Bay, inspiring and informing the whole scene."<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://diversionsla.com/?p=2754|title=South Bay Art Scene: LA Art Lovers Look South|website=Diversionsla.com|access-date=8 November 2021}}</ref>


==Influences==
==Influences==
Early in his career Linden was highly influenced by other contemporary artists in his sphere. The abstract expressionism of [[Willem de Kooning]], [[Philip Guston]], the neo-dadaist [[Jasper Johns]], and in particular [[Richard Diebenkorn]], permeates the minimalist style that Linden is known for. Artweek Magazine<ref>December 12, 1987</ref> wrote that Linden's work has been compared to Diebenkorn to the extent that the work of both artists is both intellectual and emotional.
Early in his career Linden was highly influenced by other contemporary artists in his sphere. The abstract expressionism of [[Willem de Kooning]], [[Philip Guston]], the neo-dadaist [[Jasper Johns]], and in particular [[Richard Diebenkorn]], permeates the minimalist style that Linden is known for. ''Artweek Magazine'' wrote that Linden's work has been compared to Diebenkorn to the extent that the work of both artists is both intellectual and emotional.<ref>''Artweek Magazine'', December 12, 1987</ref>


In literature, Minds Meet by the [[meta-fiction]] writer [[Walter Abish]] has been cited as influencing Linden's experimental style, as well as novelist, playwright Samuel Beckett, and the poet [[Charles Olson]].
In literature, ''Minds Meet'' by the [[meta-fiction]] writer [[Walter Abish]] has been cited as influencing Linden's experimental style, as well as the work of novelist/playwright Samuel Beckett, and that of the poet [[Charles Olson]].


In the field of music, the experimental composer [[John Cage]] was influential with his 'chance related' form of music, challenging assumptions of musicianship and musical experience.Linden also cites [[Phillip Glass]], [[Brian Eno]], [[John Cale]], [[Frank Zappa]], and [[Don Van Vliet]].
In the field of music, the experimental composer [[John Cage]] was influential with his 'chance related' form of music, challenging assumptions of musicianship and musical experience. Linden also cites [[Philip Glass]], [[Brian Eno]], [[John Cale]], [[Frank Zappa]], and [[Don Van Vliet]] as influences.


==Exhibitions==
==Exhibitions==

===Solo===
===Solo===
*2016 Warschaw Gallery, in the MEANtime, San Pedro, Ca
*2016: Warschaw Gallery, in the MEANtime, San Pedro, California
*2014 Stone Rose Gallery, Long Beach, CA
*2014: Stone Rose Gallery, Long Beach, California
*2013 California State University, Dominguez Hills, Ron Linden with Craig Antrim
*2013: California State University, Dominguez Hills, Ron Linden with Craig Antrim
*2010 Gallery 478, San Pedro, California
*2010: Gallery 478, San Pedro, California
*2008 Cue Project,Cue Art Foundation, New York, NY<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c88k7fhm/entire_text/ | title=Ron Linden catalogues. 2007. | accessdate=25 July 2016}}</ref>
*2008: Cue Project,Cue Art Foundation, New York City, New York<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c88k7fhm/entire_text/ | title=Ron Linden catalogues. 2007|website=Oac.cdlib.org | access-date=25 July 2016}}</ref>
*2007 Jancar Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*2007: Jancar Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*2002 Storage, Santa Monica, California
*2002: Storage, Santa Monica, California
*2001 Storage, Santa Monica, California
*2001: Storage, Santa Monica, California
*2000 Gallery 478, San Pedro, California
*2000: Gallery 478, San Pedro, California
*1989 Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1989: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1987 Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1987: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1986 Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1986: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1985 Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1985: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1983 Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1983: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1982 Downtown Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1982: Downtown Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1981 Downtown Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1981: Downtown Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1979 LAICA (Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art) Los Angeles
*1979: LAICA (Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art), Los Angeles


===Group===
===Group===
*2015 Warschaw / Winter, San Pedro, CA
*2015: Warschaw / Winter, San Pedro, California
*2014 Warschaw / Winter, San Pedro, CA
*2014: Warschaw / Winter, San Pedro, California
*2014 Kamikaze @ POST, Los Angeles, w. Elizabeth Medina
*2014: Kamikaze @ POST, Los Angeles, with Elizabeth Medina
*2014 ex-cerpt, Craig Antrim & Ron Linden, Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, CA
*2014: ex-cerpt, Craig Antrim & Ron Linden, Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, California
*2013 14:…Featuring, Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, CA
*2013: 14:...Featuring, Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, California
* (Southern) California Drawing, Orange Coast College Arts Pavilion Gallery, Costa Mesa. CA
* (Southern) California Drawing, Orange Coast College Arts Pavilion Gallery, Costa Mesa, California
*2012 PSST: Art in San Pedro, 2000 – 2012, Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, CA
*2012: PSST: Art in San Pedro, 2000 – 2012, Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, California
*2009 Mt. St. Mary's College, Brentwood, CA, "Insight/Inside LA"
*2009: Mt. St. Mary's College, Brentwood, California, "Insight/Inside LA"
*2007 Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, California
*2007: Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, California
*2006 Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA, Driven to Abstraction: Southern California and the Non-Objective World, 1950-1980
*2006: Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, California, Driven to Abstraction: Southern California and the Non-Objective World, 1950-1980
*2006 The Brewery Project, "praxis", Los Angeles
*2006: The Brewery Project, "praxis", Los Angeles
*2004 Santa Monica Museum of Art, "Incognito"
*2004: Santa Monica Museum of Art, "Incognito"
*2002 Arts Manhattan, "Close Proximity", Manhattan Beach, California
*2002: Arts Manhattan, "Close Proximity", Manhattan Beach, California
*1999 Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts, Radical Past: Contemporary Art & Music in Pasadena, 1960 - 1974
*1999: Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts, Radical Past: Contemporary Art & Music in Pasadena, 1960 - 1974
*1998 Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California
*1998: Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California
*1992 Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California
*1992: Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California
*1991 Fine Arts Gallery, University of California, Irvine
*1991: Fine Arts Gallery, University of California, Irvine
*1990 Angles Gallery, "Squaresville", Santa Monica, California
*1990: Angles Gallery, "Squaresville", Santa Monica, California
*1989 Riverside Art Museum, "The Metaphoric Chair’, Riverside, California
*1989: Riverside Art Museum, "The Metaphoric Chair’, Riverside, California
*1988 Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1988: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1987 Fine Arts Gallery, University of California, Santa Barbara
*1987: Fine Arts Gallery, University of California, Santa Barbara
*1986 Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1986: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1985 Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1985: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1985 Design Center of Los Angeles, "To the Astonishing Horizon", L.A. Visual Art ‘85
*1985: Design Center of Los Angeles, "To the Astonishing Horizon", L.A. Visual Art '85
*1984 Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1984: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
*1982 Laguna Art Museum, "Changing Trends: Content/Style", Laguna Beach, California
*1982: Laguna Art Museum, "Changing Trends: Content/Style", Laguna Beach, California
*1982 Mt. St. Mary's College, "3 Painters", Los Angeles, California
*1982: Mt. St. Mary's College, "3 Painters", Los Angeles, California
*1982 Orange Coast College, "Painting", Orange, California
*1982: Orange Coast College, "Painting", Orange, California
*1982 [[MoMA PS1]], "Critical Perspectives", Long Island, New York <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.moma.org/learn/resources/archives/ps1_exhibitions/exhibitions_1982#Exh404 | title=Critical Perspectives: Curators and Artists (January 17–March 14, 1982) | accessdate=25 July 2016}}</ref>
*1982: [[MoMA PS1]], "Critical Perspectives", Long Island, New York<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.moma.org/learn/resources/archives/ps1_exhibitions/exhibitions_1982#Exh404 | title=Critical Perspectives: Curators and Artists (January 17–March 14, 1982)|website=Moma.org | access-date=25 July 2016}}</ref>
*1981 Art Center College of Design, "Decade: L.A. Painting in the Seventies", Pasadena, CA
*1981: Art Center College of Design, "Decade: L.A. Painting in the Seventies", Pasadena, California
*1978 Baum-Silverman Gallery, "The Subject is Object", Los Angeles, California
*1978: Baum-Silverman Gallery, "The Subject is Object", Los Angeles, California
*1975 University Art Museum, "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art from Los Angeles", Berkeley, CA
*1975: University Art Museum, "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art from Los Angeles", Berkeley, California
*1973 Fine Art Gallery, California State University, Northridge
*1973: Fine Art Gallery, California State University, Northridge


==Gallery positions==
==Gallery positions==
* Curator / Director, TransVagrant Projects, Los Angeles (2009–present)<ref>http://www.randomlengthsnews.com/winter-reflects-the-season-of-cool-at-warshaw/</ref>
* Curator / Director, TransVagrant Projects, Los Angeles (2009–present)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.randomlengthsnews.com/winter-reflects-the-season-of-cool-at-warshaw/|title=You are being redirected...|website=Randomlengthsnews.com}}</ref>
* Curator / Director, Warschaw Gallery, a project partly funded by the California Redevelopment Agency, San Pedro, CA (2005–2016)<ref>http://diversionsla.com/?p=2754</ref>
* Curator / Director, Warschaw Gallery, a project partly funded by the California Redevelopment Agency, San Pedro, CA (2005–2016)<ref name="auto"/>
* Gallery Director, Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington, CA (2000–present)<ref>http://www.randomlengthsnews.com/hyung-mo-lee-a-witness-to-change/</ref><ref>https://thephotoexchange.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/los-angeles-harbor-college-fine-arts-gallery/</ref>
* Gallery Director, Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington, CA (2000–present)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.randomlengthsnews.com/hyung-mo-lee-a-witness-to-change/|title=You are being redirected...|website=Randomlengthsnews.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thephoto.exchange/2016/01/02/los-angeles-harbor-college-fine-arts-gallery/|title=Los Angeles Harbor College Fine Arts Gallery|website=Thephoto.exchange|date=January 2, 2016}}</ref>


==Awards and citations==
==Awards and citations==
*1978 National Endowment for the Arts, individual artist's grant in painting
*1978: National Endowment for the Arts, individual artist's grant in painting


==Academic positions==
==Academic positions==
* Los Angeles Harbor College, Gallery Director and Adjunct Faculty (2000–present)
* Los Angeles Harbor College, Gallery Director and adjunct faculty (2000–present)
* Long Beach City College, Adjunct Faculty (2002–present)
* Long Beach City College, adjunct faculty (2002–present)
* University of California at Irvine, Graduate Faculty (1989-1993)
* University of California at Irvine, graduate faculty (1989-1993)
* San Francisco Art Institute, Visiting Artist (1978-1979)
* San Francisco Art Institute, visiting artist (1978-1979)
* Vancouver College of Art, Visiting Artist (1977)
* Vancouver College of Art, visiting artist (1977)
* Art Center College of Design, Faculty, Pasadena, CA (1974-1976)
* Art Center College of Design, faculty, Pasadena, CA (1974-1976)
* California State University, Northridge, Adjunct Faculty (1972-1973)
* California State University, Northridge, adjunct faculty (1972-1973)
* Bradley University, Assistant Professor of Art, Peoria, IL (1968-1972)
* Bradley University, Assistant Professor of Art, Peoria, IL (1966 - 1972)


==References==
==References==
Line 130: Line 133:
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American painters]]
[[Category:20th-century American painters]]
[[Category:Abstract painters]]
[[Category:American abstract painters]]
[[Category:American educators]]
[[Category:American educators]]
[[Category:American curators]]
[[Category:American curators]]
[[Category:People from San Pedro, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:21st-century American painters]]

Latest revision as of 00:40, 8 April 2024

Ron Linden
Born(1940-12-08)December 8, 1940
Chicago, IL
NationalityAmerican
Known forPainting
MovementAbstract expressionism
Awards1978 National Endowment for the Arts, individual artist's grant in painting
WebsiteOfficial website

Ron Linden (born 1940, Chicago, Illinois) is a California abstract painter, independent curator, and associate professor of art at Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington. He lives and works in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles.

Background

[edit]

Linden received his Bachelor of Fine Art and Masters in Fine Art at the University of Illinois. His classmates included artists William Wegman, Guy Goodwin. Louise Fishman, William Mahan, Al Loving, Robert H. Cumming, and Gerald Hayes. Linden also attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

In 1972, Linden relocated to California. He worked as a scenic artist in the Hollywood film industry for 25 years. He helped establish artist communities in Pasadena, downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro, California.

In 1978, Linden received the individual artist's grant in painting from National Endowment for the Arts.

Criticism and commentary

[edit]

In 1975, Jeff Perone wrote in Artforum magazine about Linden's work in "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art in L.A.": "... Precious objects are precious objects and my personal preferences from Diebenkorn 1945, to Linden 1975 means the same thing; the works resemble each other closely, only Linden's a little more loose in technique and tighter in concept. It does not matter how far the distance traveled, chronologically or psychologically. The new looks like the old, and the good things, new or old, are tradition, as in the new tradition, a tradition that looks good. Linden is expressing himself, goddamnit."[1]

Also writing on the "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art in L.A." in Artweek, Judith Dunham observes: "Linden works with acrylic and graphite, combining both to make a sooty, crusty, intentionally rough and ugly surface. He limits color to graphite blacks and grays, warm acrylic neutrals so that the motions of painting are paramount in the final products."

In the Los Angeles Times, Suzanne Muchnic writes: "We read them but can not be sure we grasp all their meaning. (The artist draws on literary sources but does not reveal them.) Instead of putting us off, Linden pulls us in to wonder. If all else fails, the paintings work as abstract compositions. They are built of various combinations of acrylic, wood, and fabric in gray, black and ochre."[2]

"Ron Linden is a significant painter because he resists convenience and, sometimes, even himself. But integrity will out. In the end, Linden makes the difficulty of making the difficult look easy," writes Peter Plagens in the catalog essay for the Cue Foundation.[3][4]

From Mario Naves' article "Picasso's Ghost," about paintings by Ron Linden exhibited at the CUE Foundation, in the New York Observer, January, 2008: "Riddled by the ghosts of Cubism and Pop's cool ironies, painter Ron Linden's milky investigation of surface, space and denuded biomorphism are only nominally sensual paint-as-stuff chases after painting as intellectual pursuit. Mr. Linden's gift is that brainy impatience doesn’t quell a fractured and elusive poetry - if anything it engenders it."[5]

In 2016, Los Angeles art critic Mat Gleason wrote, "One Southern California art veteran, Ron Linden, is also curating in the South Bay. His TransVagrant / Warschaw Gallery in San Pedro has hosted exhibitions for almost a decade now, specializing in rigorous, almost scholarly shows, primarily of painting. Be they solo or group shows, Linden’s space has a severe eye for the reductive, the historical and the dedicated. Fearlessly championing Modernist forms and playing the long game with art history, TransVagrant and Warschaw exists in a context free from art world tropes that chase what was on the cover of last month's ArtForum. It is one of the crowning achievements of the South Bay, inspiring and informing the whole scene."[6]

Influences

[edit]

Early in his career Linden was highly influenced by other contemporary artists in his sphere. The abstract expressionism of Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, the neo-dadaist Jasper Johns, and in particular Richard Diebenkorn, permeates the minimalist style that Linden is known for. Artweek Magazine wrote that Linden's work has been compared to Diebenkorn to the extent that the work of both artists is both intellectual and emotional.[7]

In literature, Minds Meet by the meta-fiction writer Walter Abish has been cited as influencing Linden's experimental style, as well as the work of novelist/playwright Samuel Beckett, and that of the poet Charles Olson.

In the field of music, the experimental composer John Cage was influential with his 'chance related' form of music, challenging assumptions of musicianship and musical experience. Linden also cites Philip Glass, Brian Eno, John Cale, Frank Zappa, and Don Van Vliet as influences.

Exhibitions

[edit]

Solo

[edit]
  • 2016: Warschaw Gallery, in the MEANtime, San Pedro, California
  • 2014: Stone Rose Gallery, Long Beach, California
  • 2013: California State University, Dominguez Hills, Ron Linden with Craig Antrim
  • 2010: Gallery 478, San Pedro, California
  • 2008: Cue Project,Cue Art Foundation, New York City, New York[8]
  • 2007: Jancar Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 2002: Storage, Santa Monica, California
  • 2001: Storage, Santa Monica, California
  • 2000: Gallery 478, San Pedro, California
  • 1989: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1987: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1986: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1985: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1983: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1982: Downtown Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1981: Downtown Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1979: LAICA (Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art), Los Angeles

Group

[edit]
  • 2015: Warschaw / Winter, San Pedro, California
  • 2014: Warschaw / Winter, San Pedro, California
  • 2014: Kamikaze @ POST, Los Angeles, with Elizabeth Medina
  • 2014: ex-cerpt, Craig Antrim & Ron Linden, Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, California
  • 2013: 14:...Featuring, Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, California
  • (Southern) California Drawing, Orange Coast College Arts Pavilion Gallery, Costa Mesa, California
  • 2012: PSST: Art in San Pedro, 2000 – 2012, Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, California
  • 2009: Mt. St. Mary's College, Brentwood, California, "Insight/Inside LA"
  • 2007: Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, California
  • 2006: Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, California, Driven to Abstraction: Southern California and the Non-Objective World, 1950-1980
  • 2006: The Brewery Project, "praxis", Los Angeles
  • 2004: Santa Monica Museum of Art, "Incognito"
  • 2002: Arts Manhattan, "Close Proximity", Manhattan Beach, California
  • 1999: Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts, Radical Past: Contemporary Art & Music in Pasadena, 1960 - 1974
  • 1998: Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California
  • 1992: Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California
  • 1991: Fine Arts Gallery, University of California, Irvine
  • 1990: Angles Gallery, "Squaresville", Santa Monica, California
  • 1989: Riverside Art Museum, "The Metaphoric Chair’, Riverside, California
  • 1988: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1987: Fine Arts Gallery, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • 1986: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1985: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1985: Design Center of Los Angeles, "To the Astonishing Horizon", L.A. Visual Art '85
  • 1984: Ovsey Gallery, Los Angeles, California
  • 1982: Laguna Art Museum, "Changing Trends: Content/Style", Laguna Beach, California
  • 1982: Mt. St. Mary's College, "3 Painters", Los Angeles, California
  • 1982: Orange Coast College, "Painting", Orange, California
  • 1982: MoMA PS1, "Critical Perspectives", Long Island, New York[9]
  • 1981: Art Center College of Design, "Decade: L.A. Painting in the Seventies", Pasadena, California
  • 1978: Baum-Silverman Gallery, "The Subject is Object", Los Angeles, California
  • 1975: University Art Museum, "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art from Los Angeles", Berkeley, California
  • 1973: Fine Art Gallery, California State University, Northridge
[edit]
  • Curator / Director, TransVagrant Projects, Los Angeles (2009–present)[10]
  • Curator / Director, Warschaw Gallery, a project partly funded by the California Redevelopment Agency, San Pedro, CA (2005–2016)[6]
  • Gallery Director, Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington, CA (2000–present)[11][12]

Awards and citations

[edit]
  • 1978: National Endowment for the Arts, individual artist's grant in painting

Academic positions

[edit]
  • Los Angeles Harbor College, Gallery Director and adjunct faculty (2000–present)
  • Long Beach City College, adjunct faculty (2002–present)
  • University of California at Irvine, graduate faculty (1989-1993)
  • San Francisco Art Institute, visiting artist (1978-1979)
  • Vancouver College of Art, visiting artist (1977)
  • Art Center College of Design, faculty, Pasadena, CA (1974-1976)
  • California State University, Northridge, adjunct faculty (1972-1973)
  • Bradley University, Assistant Professor of Art, Peoria, IL (1966 - 1972)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Jeff Perrone, "Both Kinds: Contemporary Art from Los Angeles", Artforum, Summer, 1975
  2. ^ Suzanne Muchnic, L.A. Times, March 27, 1981
  3. ^ Plagens, Peter: Curator's Catalogue Essay, Ron Linden Solo Exhibition curated by Peter Plagens, CUE Art Foundation, New York, NY, December, 2007
  4. ^ "Ron Linden". CUE Art Foundation.
  5. ^ Mario Naves, New York Observer, "Picasso's Ghost", Ron Linden @ the CUE Foundation, 2007
  6. ^ a b "South Bay Art Scene: LA Art Lovers Look South". Diversionsla.com. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  7. ^ Artweek Magazine, December 12, 1987
  8. ^ "Ron Linden catalogues. 2007". Oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  9. ^ "Critical Perspectives: Curators and Artists (January 17–March 14, 1982)". Moma.org. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  10. ^ "You are being redirected..." Randomlengthsnews.com.
  11. ^ "You are being redirected..." Randomlengthsnews.com.
  12. ^ "Los Angeles Harbor College Fine Arts Gallery". Thephoto.exchange. January 2, 2016.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ron_Linden&oldid=1217807747"