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'Songs' and sculpture an enlightening combination
By BRANDY STARK
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 21, 2000
Maybelle Stamper, Head, 1958-1955, lithograph, hand-colored
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LARGO -- The works of two nationally recognized artists are showing at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art. "The Songs of Maybelle Stamper" and "Robert Huff: Form in Steel and Bronze" both invite the viewer to explore new ways of seeing and thinking.
Maybelle Stamper was an enigma during her lifetime. She was born in 1907 and taught at Cincinnati Art Academy for seven years before quitting in 1947 to pursue her own art. She moved to Captiva Island and lived virtually as a hermit, selling her works only when she needed the money. Stamper often referred to her works as "songs" and would not allow any public exhibitions during her lifetime. She died in 1995 at the age of 88.
The Gulf Coast Museum of Art is displaying approximately 80 framed chromo-lithographs, hand-colored lithographs, watercolors and drawings from Stamper's estate. The works, many of them abstract, offer powerful insight into the artist's thoughts. Some contain diary-like annotations or a cryptic hieroglyphic language reminiscent of images found in cave paintings.
Feminine energy, celestial imagery and nature are strong forces within her works. Her "Head" series of six hand-colored lithographs depicts a woman's face crowned with leaves, her lips slightly upturned. Next to the face are two abstract forms of a sun and a moon. Five of the prints are the same, differing only in Stamper's emphasis of color.
The sixth print is different. Stamper placed a third eye on the woman's forehead, perhaps as an indicator of enlightenment. The lips are drawn back into a wide smile. While the sun and moon blaze with color, the face has taken tones that are more lifelike than the other prints.
Robert Huff
Huff offers seven new steel and bronze sculptures for exhibit in the museum's outside garden. Huff, who received a master of fine arts degree from the University of South Florida in 1968, lives in Miami. He was awarded the Florida Visual Art Fellowship Award in 1978, 1980 and 1998.
Form in Steel and Bronze highlights Huff's exploration of the relationship between environmental and architectural form, particularly the Florida environment.
In the garden, Huff's works create an impression of miniature city skylines, with each statue reflecting the form of clustered buildings. SIDH Structure #3 combines tall obelisks with flowing curves, with window-like indentations scattered throughout.
"My approach to space is one that considers the architectural place, scale and the user," Huff explains in his artist's statement. "My personal aesthetic is one that requires activity on the part of the viewer."
ART REVIEW
"The Songs of Maybelle Stamper," through Jan. 28, and "Robert Huff: Form in Steel and Bronze," through Feb. 25, at Gulf Coast Museum of Art, 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo. $3 adults; $2 seniors and students; children under 12 and members free. Admission free to all on Thursdays. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat.; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thurs.; noon to 4 p.m. Sun. Call (727) 518-6833
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