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- THE SEVENTH ANGEL POURS OUT HIS VIAL UPON THE EARTH (1965), by Reverend Long
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Long often depicts saints by outlining their entire forms in thin halos of white, as in The Good Shepherd (1960-65), which actually lends a velvet painting quality to this piece, and to Wrongside Fishing under Man -- Resultless (1964, on Masonite). Fans of Thomas Kincaid will love this one.
There's a mind-boggling amount to see in each and every painting. Viewing a collection this size takes several hours. Brad Thomas and David Steel have generated an exciting exhibition, with an artist not easily categorized. Long is someone who, in Thomas' words, has "fallen through the cracks."
Anyone with even the glimmer of an interest in contemporary Southern culture and history should see this exhibit in the flesh, see the pores of the paintings to understand, and be grabbed by them. The lush catalogue is also worthy of study.
But this work goes beyond a "southern" take on life. The visionary zeal shown here is every bit as intense, and frightening, as what we perceive as Muslim fervor. It's a worrying illustration of the fanatical violence at the heart of fundamentalist religion. Yes, Reverend McKendree Robbins Long: Picture Painter of the Apocalypse is pretty extreme. But then, the concept of eternal damnation is pretty darned extreme, too.
The Revelation is the good reverend's vision of what's to come: lots of blood, a falling, blitzed city, bottomless pits of fire, and death, death and torment everywhere. The consistent iconography of Long's oeuvre is one of the compelling aspects of this idiosyncratic portrayal of Christianity's dark side. This painter who turned his back on classical technique and the modernist movement was no "outsider" artist, and I personally discard this appellation. More likely, this visionary artist will be remembered much as his catalogue raisonee presents him -- as an obsessed personality who had to get out the word, to share the intensity of his beliefs.
If you make only one art gallery visit the remainder of the winter, see this visionary painter, poet, preacher and Davidson College alumnus from Statesville.
Reverend McKendree Robbins Long: Picture Painter of the Apocalypse is currently on view through March 1 at Van Every and Smith Galleries at Davidson College. Gallery hours are 10am-5pm weekdays and 12noon-4pm on weekends. For more information, call 704-894-2519.
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Calendar
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ANNIE LEIBOVITZ / WORK @ Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts
- Tuesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Continues through Aug. 31
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Summer arts camps @ McDowell Arts Center
- Mondays-Fridays, 12:30-4 p.m. Continues through Aug. 23
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NoDa Bizarre @ Johnston YMCA
- Sat., Aug. 2, 12-8 p.m.
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Color Riot Exhibition Opening - Artists Exploring Boundaries @ Clearwater Artist Studios
- Sat., Aug. 2, 6-9 p.m.
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The Dinner Detective True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show - Charlotte, NC @ DoubleTree by Hilton South Charlotte Tyvola.
- Sat., Aug. 2, 6-8:30 p.m. and Sat., Aug. 23, 6-8:30 p.m.
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Can a Pop-Up Art Show Shake up Charlotte's Scene?
A 'Smart' Alternative
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Monster Mash in the Q.C.
Wolfman gets kicked off the kick line
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Photographic memory: Celebrating Chris Radok 1
