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P2S3 10
daily ncbrcskcn
frlday, September 28, 1979
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Dickinson, a 'precisionist' from the past
By Martha Murdock
An art historian can play the part of a detective. An
artist lost in the shuttle of the years, through diligent
sleuthing, can be rediscovered by the researcher. Such an
artist is Preston Dickinson. Such a detective is Ruth
Cloudman.
Cloudman spent two years following the trail left by
Dickinson, an artist of the first two decades of this cen
tury. The results of her work, an exhibition and a descrip
tive text, are being featured at the Sheldon Art Gallery
through Oct. 7.
Dickinson was a Precisionist. 'The Precisionists were
not a cohesive group of artists," Cloudman explained.
They had no manifesto or organization. Rather they were
grouped together because of their common style.
"For the most part, they were precise, meticulous
2L
painters influenced by French cubism. They simplified
forms, mixed realistic and abstract designs and relied on
American industrial and urban scenes for their subjects.'
Cloudman, a former Jfosyln Museum employee, became
interested in Dickinson by chance. "I saw the pastel
"Painter's Mill" which belongs to Josyln," she said. I was
taken with it and decided to look into Dickinson's work. 1
found there had never been a one-man exhibition or a
detailed study of any kind on Dickinson.'
Although the art world was aware of Dickinson's work
during his lifetime, Dickinson lost prominence for several
reasons. Two years after Dickinson died at 41 in 1930, his
dealer went out of business and no one was left to pro
mote his work, Cloudman explained.
IN ADDITION, his contemporaries got more attention.
Dickinson experimented and tried several styles. Other
ABBA fan follows group's tracks
By Susan Lammers
Brian Harrifeld, a UNL business major, is the self
proclaimed ABBA fan of the world. Anyone checking
his current schedule of 14 cities in 21 days would have
to agree. Harrifeld is serious about following and
attending the current ABBA fall tour.
Preparations started last spring with a mass-mailing
to ABBA'S record company and money orders to con
cert halls for ABBA tickets. Harrifeld said he spent
$ 1 25 on photocopies alone.
"It's taking every cent I have but it's worth it."
His life is transient, consisting of Greyhound buses,
hotel rooms, and of course ABBA concerts.
Harrifeld said he had been using the groups logo on
his communication with them but the management
asked him to stop. Harrifeld said it was love at first
sound when he first heard "Dancing Queen"iin 1977.
He sent the billboard clipping that showed "DandM
Queen ' as number one to the group ' . ;
"I just love their music.
For all his efforts Harrifeld has never met the group
members. By accident, he discovered at the Alladin
Hotel in Las Vegas that a backstage pass had been
issued for him.
He met the group's manager at the hotel when he
went into the lobby after a concert there arid took the
man's photo after hearing Swedish voices.
He met the group's sound engineer in Portland, and
that man promised to "tell them I was here."
The only casuality of the trip was the theft of his
suitcase containing almost his entire wardrobe, includ
ing three prize ABBA T-shirts. The T-shirt he was wear
ing at the time said "I've been to every ABBA Con
cert." Asked about his parents' reaction, he said, At first
they were against it, but now they're pretty excited
too. I got them to think my way.". .
His plans after the toir include going back to school -in
January and possibly attempting the same hectic thp
AA.Sft ' '
again, -j v-
"After this, every thing's gping to be a letdown.
Fine Print store
" , A different sort of bookstore is getting new manage
ment at 2639 Randolph St. Fine Print, an outgrowth of
Open -Harvest Co-Op, is now owned and run by seven
.women volunteers.
Kathy rStfcf Wakely, a CETA worker, said that Fine
Print had financial problems that they attribute to "a lack
61 m 5 of communication and accountability' in the former set-
learning center P ww ?r ( .; ttd
w voluntftw -worked two or three n!
- - . m nvvik, ft A1W
present system Is a ElliHer group.
--QssflKe owners main goals is for the store to be a
learning center, "although we hare many others said
Mary Hansen, Open Harvest's volunteer coordinator. The
Store wants to help customers acouire information and
skills in a variety of subjects and show alternative meth
odsf she added., . . ,,w
A current project is a reference center where informa-
? --
Precisionists such as Charles Schiller and Charles Dumuth
were more consistent, and conservative museums prefer
red on their work.
'During his lifetime, especially the last five years, he
became better established. If he had lived, he would
probably be much better known today,' said Cloudman.
Dickinson differed from other Precisionists in that he
retained more detail in his work, according to Cloudman.
He also injected his work with social comment.
For instance, 'Tower of Gold," one of the works on
display at the Sheldon, clearly shows workers oppressed
by the rich executives. In the cleanly executed painting,
the business men in their black suits carry balls of gold
while the workers toil.
"Social comment is unusual for the Precisionists. In
fact, they were often criticized for not handling social
issues, especially in the 20s when industry, big business,
trusts, and monopolies were prevalent. For Dickinson, it
was a very individual contribution," said Cloudman.
CLOUDMAN said she believes that Dickinson is rele
vant today. "Art historians are going back to find the
roots of American abstraction. Dickinson went to Europe
in 1911. He was interested in the abstract movements
there and brought their influence back with him," she
said. "But he gave it a certain American flavor and never
abandoned realism completely. He helped to make the
new movements palatable in America arid paved the way
for the more abstract forms of the 40s, 50s and 60s."
Dickinson was influenced by Matisse, Cezanne, Japan
ese prints, Persian miniatures, early German Expression
ism, and fifteenth century Netherlands paintings. All these
influences can be seen in the Sheldon show.
Henri Matisse, a French Expressionist, was interested in
detailed patterns and used them throughout his paintings.
Dickinson included oriental and American Indian patterns
in his works.
LIKE CEZANNE, Dickinson liked to emphasize the two
dimensionality of the painting surface. The Harlem River
of New York appears in many of his works.
"He could stand on one bank of the river and look
across to the other bank and it would flatten by jtsel,f Jt
gave him a natural pattern," Cloudman explained.
The German Expressionists were known for their use
of color. Rather than using, natural coloring, they used
color as a register for emotion. This extravagant use of
color can be seen in many of Dickinson's works.
Several of Dickinson's paintings seem to presage Grand
ma Moses in their primitive use of shapes and flatness.
Cloudman attributes this quality to his study of 15th cen
tury Dutch works.
- Dickinson was born of English parents in Greenwich
Village, N.Y. Although he spent most of hs time in
New York, he made a trip to Nebraska in 1924.
While in Nebraska he worked on a series of pastels with
grain elevators as their subjects.
'They're wonderful visions of the grain elevators,"
Cloudman said. "Once you see Dickinson's pastels, you'll
never see the elevators in quite the same way. They're
delicate and soar so high in his pictures. It's fascinating
that they fit so well into his use of industrial subjects."
Chamber groups to play
The Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music's 15th annual
musical series begins Friday, with the Mirecourt Trio,
playing Mendolssohn, Martinu and Beethoven.
On Friday, Nov. 16, the Heritage Quartet will return,
performing Mozart, Burrill Philips and Faure." The group
performed the same series in 1976.
The Concord String Quartet will begin the second
semester on Jan. 19, performing the music of Beethoven
and George Rochberg. The quartet is the winner of the
.197 1 Naumberg Chamber Music Award. Jr
The New York Woodwind Quintet will be the next
guests, on Friday, March 7.
The Nebraska Chamber Orchestra Players will wind up
the season, performing on Saturday, April 12.
All concerts will be held in the Sheldon Art Gallery
Auditorium at 8 p.m. Series subscription price is $25.
Tickets will be mailed a week before the concerts.
tion can be gained that is not available from a library.
Hansen stressed that Fine Print is not trying to take the
place ota regular library but to add more resources.
Among the subjects covered are education, children's
books, nuclear energy, technology, alternate energy
sources, political action, cooking and nutrition.
-We also hope to get. into other things such is work-
ITiu xKiii exchanges," Cathi Kendra said. "We have
other goals but right now we are working on tfc bookstore'
aspect."
Other women involved in Fine Print are Lai'rie "Squir
rel Reitmanies, Kelly Vinopal, Gwen Meister, and Sue
Tynel. A new innovation, used to present a relaxed and
informal atmosphere, is free herbal tea, Laurie Reitmanies
said.
Fine Print will be selling its inventory of new and used
books and used records untU the end of September.