Windgate: 'Shampoo of the Gelding at Twilight’s Snake Dance' by Keith Morrison

At first glance, Keith Morrison’s painting, "Shampoo of the Gelding at Twilight's Snake Dance," offers an abstract field of undulating purple brushstrokes with vivid blue, red and green highlights dappled across the surface like moonlight shimmering across rippling waters. Morrison’s technique seems to emulate and synthesize the color field and painterly styles of mid-20th century artists like abstract expressionists Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning and Norman Lewis.

Observing Morrison’s painting more closely, however, it becomes as complex and mysterious as its bewildering title. On the right side, the painterly marks materialize into a spindly, fluid figure seemingly engaged in a titular dance with one arm outstretched and the other raised above its head holding elongated snakes. Other coiled and writhing serpents slither on the ground in front of the figure. A large, ominous mask fixed in the top-center of the composition seems to alarmingly stare at the viewer, with the lightened silhouette of a hand below it. On the left side of the painting, another figure in splotchy patches of dark green appears to run wildly in the same direction as – or away from – the snake-wielding dancer.

This type of enigmatic imagery characterizes Morrison's work. The forms barely visible, as if in the waning light of dusk or dawn, it conjures strange rituals, thick forest brush and sparkling waters; his work a synthesis of figuration and abstraction just as his art brings together mythologies from different cultures. Exploring and synthesizing symbols, rituals and religious themes from African, Caribbean, Native American and European cultures, Morrison’s often dream-like work captures the tensions between these beliefs and values while attempting to forge a new cultural identity for a new age. In this case, Morrison appears to reference the ancient Native American Hopi Snake Dance ritual from the American southwest, in which snakes – guardians of spring – are handled by priests in a weeklong ceremony, culminating in a footrace across the plains with snakes in hand to conjure rain.

Morrison’s sophisticated art reflects his multifaceted career as an artist, writer, curator and art educator. Moving to the United States from Jamaica to study at the Art Institute of Chicago in the early 1960s, his work is included in numerous public and private institutions and has been exhibited in prestigious venues across the world, culminating at the 2001 Venice Biennale, where he represented Jamaica. He has also published numerous books and essays as a scholar, art critic and curator, and has held prominent academic positions throughout his career, serving as professor and dean of art schools and colleges across the United States. He was awarded the national title Commander of the Order of Distinction by his native country in 2017.

“Shampoo of the Gelding at Twilight’s Snake Dance” was gifted to the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith by Westark Community College alumnus, former NBA player and current University of Arkansas at Little Rock head coach Darrell Walker in 2017. It is currently on view in the lobby at Windgate Art & Design, along with other works from the permanent collection. For more information, call 479-788-7542 or email art.gallery@uafs.edu.

This column is produced by the River Valley Art Coalition, whose mission is to inform citizens and visitors of fine art exhibitions and education opportunities in Fort Smith and the surrounding region, while also highlighting people who make the local art scene such a vibrant and important part of the community. To send comments or for more information on the River Valley Art Coalition, contact daleana@fsram.org.

ART THIS WEEK:

Fort Smith Regional Art Museum

1601 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith

479-784-2787

• "Lecture Live: Rembrandt and the Dutch Republic": Live lecture at 7 p.m., Nov. 18; register at fsram.org/education or watch on Facebook Live.
• " John Bell Jr. Gallery Tour": 1-1:30 p.m. and 3-3:30 p.m., Nov. 20; registration required, max 20 per tour.
• "UAFS Student Art Exhibition": On view through Dec. 19.
• "David Malcolm Rose: The Lost Highway": On view through Jan. 30.
• "John Bell Jr. – Coming Home": On view through Feb. 20.
• "RAM Sketch": Pen and ink series with Laura Wattles available on Zoom every Tuesday at 7 p.m.; register at fsram.org/education or join via Facebook Live.
• Visit RAM's online store at shop.fsram.org.
• Visit RAM's YouTube Channel for classes, lectures and virtual exhibits.
• Visit fsram.org to see video tours and listen to podcasts by various artists.

Windgate Art & Design

5210 Kinkead Ave., Fort Smith

479-788-7290

• Permanent collection on view Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• "Arkansas Women to Watch 2021: Paper Routes": On view through Nov. 30.

Center for Art & Education

104 N. 13th St., Van Buren

479-474-7767

• Afterschool art classes for k-12: Free classes meet Mondays from 3:30-5 p.m., through Dec. 6.