Manso combined two different art movements, the French world of Impressionism ushered in by Bonnard and Cezanne, and the American world that accepted a new way of seeing, abstraction. He exhibited with Pollack, and was a close friend and admired by famed artist Robert Motherwell. Manso sat at the precipice of avant-garde and cutting edge. In the second half of his life, he took on Assemblages, part collages, part paintings.
If you don't closely examine the untitled landscape below, it looks like an abstract painting. It is a fluid composition, rich with color, but take a closer look. It consists of torn packing papers in free-form shapes, acrylic paints, and splattered India ink. It is clear that some torn papers were painted with colors first and then ripped into smaller elements, then attached with glue. At other times, he reduced the paper to its most transparent qualities, making the paper look like brush strokes. Once all the elements were assembled, he then in-paints areas to add dimension, depth and tension. If you squint from across the room, his landscape assemblages take on the same look as a misty colorful Monet.
His most successful assemblages were rich with texture and color, here again, he uses the process of peeling back the layers of multi-layered commercial papers to reveal the artistic qualities of thick and thin, bold and subtle, transparent and opaque, building his abstract composition. The work runs vertically yet has elements that run horizontally, with some suggesting that the untitled work looks like an Impressionistic African Safari Landscape in the bold sun. His work was highly praised by his contemporaries, Robert Motherwell called him "one of collage's masters."
Manso was a native New Yorker, born in 1914. He studied at the National Academy of Design and lived part of the time in Provincetown, MA, where he co-founded the artist cooperative Gallery 256 and co-founded the Provincetown Workshop. His work has been exhibited in national exhibitions in the United States, Mexico and Italy. He was awarded the purchase prize by the University of Illinois in 1951, and in 1952 he was awarded the Grumbacher Prize for oil at the Audubon Artists annual exhibition in New York. Two years later his work received a purchase award from Illinois Wesleyan University.
In 1979, he landed a wonderful prize, the artist-in-residence at the American Academy in Rome and was a Guggenheim Fellow. Many major museums have also purchased his work including the MoMA, Whitney, MET, PAAM and the Lichtenstein Museum in Safad, Israel. He taught at Columbia, New York University, Cooper Union Art School and Students Artist League. A marvelous life well lived.
Reference Notes:
Lawrence Campbell, Art Students League 1982-1983 (Catalog), The Adams Group, Inc., NYC, Page 60. A description of each of the teachers.
Allen S. Weller, Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture, University of Illinois, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1957, Pages 226-227.
Marvine Howe, Leo Manso Dies; Collagist, Painter and Teacher, 78, New York Times, NY, Feb. 9th, 1993.
William C. Seitz, The Art of Assemblage, The Museum of Modern Art, Plantin Press, NY, 1961, Page 161. Exhibition - Numerous Artists including: Leo Manso, #142, Oracle, Collage of colored papers on board, lent by Grand Central Moderns, NYC.
Jaques Cattell Press, Who's Who in American Art (16th-Edition), R. R. Bowker Company, New York & London, 1984, Page 607.
If you don't closely examine the untitled landscape below, it looks like an abstract painting. It is a fluid composition, rich with color, but take a closer look. It consists of torn packing papers in free-form shapes, acrylic paints, and splattered India ink. It is clear that some torn papers were painted with colors first and then ripped into smaller elements, then attached with glue. At other times, he reduced the paper to its most transparent qualities, making the paper look like brush strokes. Once all the elements were assembled, he then in-paints areas to add dimension, depth and tension. If you squint from across the room, his landscape assemblages take on the same look as a misty colorful Monet.
Collage Assemblage - Mixed Media
22 X 30 Inches with Wood Frame
Signed LRC: Manso
Provenance: Cape Cod Collector
His most successful assemblages were rich with texture and color, here again, he uses the process of peeling back the layers of multi-layered commercial papers to reveal the artistic qualities of thick and thin, bold and subtle, transparent and opaque, building his abstract composition. The work runs vertically yet has elements that run horizontally, with some suggesting that the untitled work looks like an Impressionistic African Safari Landscape in the bold sun. His work was highly praised by his contemporaries, Robert Motherwell called him "one of collage's masters."
Manso was a native New Yorker, born in 1914. He studied at the National Academy of Design and lived part of the time in Provincetown, MA, where he co-founded the artist cooperative Gallery 256 and co-founded the Provincetown Workshop. His work has been exhibited in national exhibitions in the United States, Mexico and Italy. He was awarded the purchase prize by the University of Illinois in 1951, and in 1952 he was awarded the Grumbacher Prize for oil at the Audubon Artists annual exhibition in New York. Two years later his work received a purchase award from Illinois Wesleyan University.
In 1979, he landed a wonderful prize, the artist-in-residence at the American Academy in Rome and was a Guggenheim Fellow. Many major museums have also purchased his work including the MoMA, Whitney, MET, PAAM and the Lichtenstein Museum in Safad, Israel. He taught at Columbia, New York University, Cooper Union Art School and Students Artist League. A marvelous life well lived.
Reference Notes:
Leo Manso Poster for an Exhibit of Collages, 1960
Grand Central Moderns
Image from the Library of Congress
Allen S. Weller, Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture, University of Illinois, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, 1957, Pages 226-227.
Marvine Howe, Leo Manso Dies; Collagist, Painter and Teacher, 78, New York Times, NY, Feb. 9th, 1993.
William C. Seitz, The Art of Assemblage, The Museum of Modern Art, Plantin Press, NY, 1961, Page 161. Exhibition - Numerous Artists including: Leo Manso, #142, Oracle, Collage of colored papers on board, lent by Grand Central Moderns, NYC.
Jaques Cattell Press, Who's Who in American Art (16th-Edition), R. R. Bowker Company, New York & London, 1984, Page 607.
The above artwork bears similarities with a work by Manso called "Vista I" (Valley of Katmandu) from 1974. It was also a collage and was featured in the catalog/booklet: "A Retrospective of Four Decades, 1952-1992, Leo Manso" - the exhibit was at the Art Students League of New York, October 4 - October 23, 1992.
_________________________________________________
©2024. Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. The photos and blog was created by Mr. Waller and all written materials were obtained by the Fair Use Section 107, of The Copyright Act. #waller-yoblonskyblogspot #walleryoblonskyblogspot #leomanso #leomansoart #assemblages #collagist #collage
Comments
Post a Comment