An exhibition curated by Dr. Lee A. Gray, independent curator for The Mennello Museum of American Art.
Born in Savannah, Georgia in 1935, Kennington has spent most of her life in southeast Alabama. She has lived through momentous periods in American history, and weathered them with them with steely Southern charm, embracing the canvas as her means of emotional expression. In the companion catalog for the exhibit, Dr. Gray writes:
The most powerful element of her work is by far the quality of light. Extremes of light and dark are reminiscent of the 16th century Italian school of Caravaggio or of Rembrandt in the 17th century. In their use of chiaroscuro (the use of light and shadow to create the appearance of volume), these old masters understood how to insert mood and psychological drama into their narratives. Kennington, too, uses chiaroscuro to establish mood. Hers is an unsettling tone that is haunting and disturbing for its ambivalence. Yet we are drawn into the scenes because of their visual depth and intimate sensuality.
From da Vinci to Pearlstein, the presentation of “reality” through visual expression has attracted, delighted, mortified and appealed to audiences dazzled by the skill of keen observation and technical expertise. While there are many definitions of Realism that define representational and figurative art, one artist, Dale Kennington, has managed to present us with a compelling collection of paintings that capture the essence of post-modernism in style and mood.
Kennington shares a dark and quiet American quality found in the work of Edward Hopper during the 1930-1940s, but she brings us into the 21st-century world of contemporary life through scenes of ordinary daily rituals such as a haircut, going to a bar, waiting for a train or watching a church choir. The artist makes us ponder the reality of living from an “outsider’s” position; one that feels both familiar and strange. Yet, the beauty and solemnity of Kennington’s paintings are so lush and provocative, one cannot help but stand before them and feel connected through shared human experiences common to our post-modern lives: fear, anxiety, wonder and camaraderie.