Todd Williamson

Todd Williamson (born January 24, 1964, in Cullman, Alabama) is an American artist specializing in contemporary abstract expressionism.

Life

Development and artistic influence

Searching the Void (2016)

Todd Williamson was born and raised in Cullman, Alabama. In 1984 he began his artistic career with art and music study at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Come 1986, Williamson was recruited to the University of Alabama at Birmingham to work with their theatre for one year. He then returned to the Belmont University and concluded his study program with a BA in 1988. In the following year, Williamson moved to California and studied at California State University, and UCLA, working towards his MA. Since 2004, Williamson works as a professional artist in Los Angeles.^[1]

Besides being stimulated by the works of Mark Rothko, Ellsworth Kelly, Barnett Newman and Helen Frankenthaler, his works include elements of classical modern art, with references to the Chiaroscuro technique, and to the California Light and Space movement of the 1960s and 70's. Williamson has been deeply influenced by his early musical studies. His works attempt to show the connection between art and the expression of music,^[2] the objective being to give the viewer an all-embracing artwork ("Gesamtkunstwerk") of "musical art" or "visual music".^[3]

Style and techniques

Chasing Butterflies (2015)

Williamson's paintings are structured color compositions, effected by the abstract expressionism, and an enhancement of the Color field painting. While the color field painting is marked by large-scale, homogeneously filled fields, Williamson interprets this style in a new manner: His works are mostly composed of multilayered color grids which differentiate themselves symmetrically of each other or go over into each other.^[4] He does this by using a variety in thickness of paint as well as a series of lines and grids which create a framework to control the chaos and emotion of the painted color-fields, creating an ethereal and multi-layered surface. The borders which are typical for the color field painting become blurred; to its place steps the impression of the complete works which connects the structure of the underground with the play of the colors.

Williamson dealt first with figurative art, and has developed mono-chromatic works since about 1990. His mono-chromatic works are not necessarily limited to the dominance of only one color. However, many of his latest works are characterized by parallel lines which move in both horizontal, and vertical direction.^[5] He often uses contrasts in the form of bright and dark dividing lines which split his work by adding and leaving out light. For example, at the prelude and the end of a partiture. Williamson tries in this manner to create a bridge from expressionist painting to musical expressionism.^[6]

Exhibitions

Todd Williamson's works have been shown in over 60 exhibitions worldwide. His work is in numerous collections around the world and was included in the permanent collection of the Pio Monte della Misericordia in 2015 where it hung next to Caravaggio's Seven Works of Mercy for a period of time. Besides single exhibitions e.g. in Milan, Montreal, Paris, Rome and Venice, joined exhibitions were put in Abu Dhabi, Berlin, Shanghai and Peking together with artists like Ed Ruscha, Jenny Holzer, Chuck Close and Robert Ryman. Williamson has also done a number of public art works including the Sun America Building in Century City, the California Bar Association Los Angeles, the Nashville International Airport as well as the Aria Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.^[7]

2020: Georges Bergès Gallery, New York
2020: art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe
2020: BEGE Galerien, Ulm
2019 Biennale di Venezia, Venice
2019: MAC Museum Art & Cars, Singen (Hohentwiel)
2019: Art Gallery Wiesbaden
2018: NUMU New Museum Los Gatos, Los Gatos
2017: Ex Fabbrica Lucchesi, Prato
2016 Palm Springs Art Museum – Saguaro Artist Council Exhibition, Palm Springs
2015 Pio Monte della Misericordia – "Contemporary Response to Caravaggio" (Curator: Cynthia Penna, Art 1307), Naples
2015 Gallery Premium Modern Art, Heilbronn
2014 Nicole Longnecker Gallery – "Inside the Lines", Houston
2014 Kevin Barry Fine Art – "Laddie John Dill & Todd Williamson", Santa Monica
2013 Fellini Gallery, Berlin
2013 Wade Wilson Art – "Illusion of the Precise" (with Robert Ryman), Houston
2012 P.A.N. Museum – "Todd Williamson a PAN!" (Curator: Cynthia Penna, Art 1307), Naples
2011 George Billis Gallery – "Thoughts from a Mind Like Mine", Los Angeles
2010 Ippodo Gotenyama Gallery, Tokyo

Another Reason (2014)
Tiny Buddha (2016)
Fallout (2015)
People Throw Rocks (2016)
Creating Mischief (2016)
Counting on Forever (2016)

Works in public collections (selection)

Museo Pio Monte della Misericordia, Napels
MAUI Museum, Teano
Contemporary Art Museum (CAM), Naples
The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles
SunAmerica Center, Century City, Los Angeles

Honors and awards

2019 Pollock-Krasner Foundation - Pollock Prize for Creativity, New York
2015 Bluduemila Associazione Sport & Arte – Best Foreign Artist, Naples, Italy
2010 Pollock-Krasner Foundation – Award Grant, New York
2010 ART 1307 Istituzione Culturale – Artistic Merit Award, Naples, Italy
2010 Artslant International – Abstract Showcase Award Winner
2007 Curators Choice Award "Spectrum" – micromuseum, New York

Bibliography

2015 Roberta Andolfo: How far can music and painting touch each other? In: ilpickwick dated December 1, 2015
2015 Nicolas Marlin and Sara Lee Burd: Todd Williamson Creates Zone of Tranquility at the Rymer, in: The Huffington Post dated April 20th, 2015
2015 Il Mattino: Napoli: To See the Music, To Listen to Color, November 26, 2015
2015 Todd Williamson, Polifonia di un Paesaggio: a Villa di Donato la pittura si ascolta, in: RACNA-Magazine dated November 21st, 2015
2014 Nicolas Marlin and Cynthia Penna: Pas de Deux, in: The Huffington Post dated November 10th. 2014
2012 Emanuele Leone Emblema: Williamson: Napoli è la luce, in: Il Denaro dated April 21st, 2012

External links

References

^ La Repubblica dated November 26, 2015
^ Arte de Camera by Peter Frank, Los Angeles, October 2015
^ Polyphony of a Landscape by Cynthia Penna. ART 1307 Istituzione Culturale, Neapel and Los Angeles, October 2015
^ Mario Franco: Todd Williamson tra musica e pittura, in: La Repubblica dated November 26, 2015
^ The Perfect Line, in: West Hollywood Magazine dated November 11, 2014, p. 94-95
^ Emanuele Leone Emblema: Williamson: Napoli è la luce, in: Il Denaro dated April 21, 2012
^ The Perfect Line, in: West Hollywood Magazine dated November 11, 2014, p. 94-95

[1] La Repubblica dated November 26, 2015

[2] Arte de Camera by Peter Frank, Los Angeles, October 2015

[3] Polyphony of a Landscape by Cynthia Penna. ART 1307 Istituzione Culturale, Neapel and Los Angeles, October 2015

[4] Mario Franco: Todd Williamson tra musica e pittura, in: La Repubblica dated November 26, 2015

[5] The Perfect Line, in: West Hollywood Magazine dated November 11, 2014, p. 94-95

[6] Emanuele Leone Emblema: Williamson: Napoli è la luce, in: Il Denaro dated April 21, 2012

[7] The Perfect Line, in: West Hollywood Magazine dated November 11, 2014, p. 94-95

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