For my first blog entry, I have chosen to explore a bit about Charles Deas, a painter that can be categorized as being “forgotten” in today’s artistic world. I, myself, had never heard of Deas before I came across an article in the Times with the captivating title, “Artist’s Work, Out of Attics, Goes to Walls of a Museum.” As it turns out, Deas was quite the up-and-coming artist for about a decade in the 1800’s, known in New York for his works portraying the Native Americans and Europeans living together on the Western frontier. However, when he was institutionalized at 29 for insanity, both he and his paintings were pushed aside and no longer frequently recognized.
However, the story doesn’t end there. Recently, an Art History Professor from Amherst has made it her job to seek out his paintings and has already begun showing the 39 she’s found in an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. What I found equally as interesting as finding the paintings was the unlikely nature of the places these rare valuables were found: in a cabin in Nova Scotia, in a crate under someone’s bed and in a quiet library in St. Louis. This very much proves the fact that the most beautiful and precious of things can be found in the most remote and even surprising places, as long as we are willing to look for them.
Take a look below at Deas’ vivid depiction of a Native American and how lucky we are to have re-discovered his paintings.
Interesting to view the relationship of this artist with the time of his work. Not surprising that in the context of a Civil War, issues related to Native Indians (to say nothing of the art work of someone confined to an insane asylum) would take a back seat. The works look like they have a high level of technique. But the subject matter, the time in history and the socially unacceptable nature of the insane asylum would all seem to combine to assure the artist’s obscurity. In today’s art world, a trip to re-hap or the nut house would likely burnish an artist’s career and reputation.