DOMA PRESENTS MORGAN EVERHART: FLESH AND BLOOM

Informed by her study of nature and the history of art, Morgan Everhart’s vibrant floral compositions refute the “still” in “still-life”. Everhart uses varying degrees of abstraction and daring colors ranging from fleshy pink to deep burgundy to make images in which motion and emotion are inextricably linked. The artist often begins by creating a figural scene and then conceals it beneath floral elements so that symbolically, the painting’s human content becomes the fodder from which nature springs. Flesh and Bloom explores the themes of longing and the passage of time in 17 of Everhart’s paintings, including this year’s Art in Bloom theme image, Closer, clearer, no sir, nearer, in which a whirlwind of jewel-colored petals culminates in blue daisy “eyes.” The painting is currently on view in DOMA’s Ball Brothers Gallery, while the full exhibition is presented in online form here.

In works such as No Peace ‘til I know you and Down on all occasions, Everhart presents us with lush bouquets in quiet, nebulous settings that carry the memory of a presence now gone. Elsewhere, the artist subjects floral elements to invisible forces that send them gliding and swirling, their flow mirroring Everhart’s dynamism both as a painter and as an individual. Compositions like She took my eyes somehow I believe, I’ll take my chances: 9 of 13 and Move On carry that energy not only in their formal arrangements and palettes, but also in the way the artist modulates her application of paint. From nearly sheer passages to weighty pools of pigment, Everhart’s gestures deliver a range of effects, and through them, a visual poetry of sensations such as intense elation and the sting of loss. In Unfinished Now #5, Everhart distills a floral arrangement to its barest essence, drawing on a real bouquet and ones painted by French botanical artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840), thereby conflating the present and the past, the incarnate and the inanimate. The result is like whispers on a canvas—a celebration of the vulnerability of flesh and a reminder to make memories of its velvet touch.

As a special added feature to the online component of this exhibition, we have invited four guests working in other creative disciplines to respond to select works by Everhart in their chosen media. New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction Lauren Willig found herself transported to 1920s England when engaging with Everhart’s Down on all occasions, resulting in an enthralling literary response that compliments the painting’s mystery. Founder of Cruda Studio, Daniela Espinosa-Casillas entered into an illuminating dialogue with Everhart’s Spring (Dream of Dreams) through weaving, producing a multi-functional piece made from cotton fibers naturally dyed in San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala. Without consulting each other, internationally renowned musicians Paul Dominic DeVincenzo and Dave Scalia have composed musical responses to Everhart’s Like Distance, both of which tap into the painting’s visual rhythm distinctly yet harmoniously.

One of the great things about online exhibitions is that they allow viewers to take their time with the artwork and to return whenever they’d like. We invite you to take advantage of this, and to discover that whether grand or intimate in scale, painted on plastex or plexiglass, Everhart’s floral compositions reward extended contemplation.

Yassana Croizat-Glazer, curator of the exhibition