New printmaking exhibit at SVMA

Innovative. Groundbreaking. Fascinating.

These are just a few of the words that Linda Cano, executive director at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, uses to describe the works of Bay Area artists Nathan Oliveria and Karl Kasten. Their work has been paired together in two new exhibits opening Jan. 14 at the museum: “Eye of the Beholder – The Sculpture and Early Prints of Nathan Oliveira” and “Graphic Knowledge: The Prints of Karl Kasten.”

Both Kasten and Oliveria were pioneers in the field of printmaking and many works in the two exhibitions have never been shown publicly before. Cano and co-curator David Keaton worked closely with the estates of both artists, and private collectors, to create a colorful, complex exhibition that represents the impact Kasten and Oliveira had, not only in the Bay Area, but internationally.

Kasten (1916-2010) is known as “The Dean of California Printmaking.” He established the first printmaking programs in California at San Francisco State University and at UC Berkeley, having taught at the latter for more than 30 years. He invented the K-B Press, a lightweight etching press that became a core tool found in printmaking studios around the world.

“He did a lot for his medium,” said Cano, who worked closely with Kasten’s widow and daughter to select works that showcase his decades-long career, “He was a painter, he was an inventor ... a huge advocate for the graphic arts,” said Cano, who has studied Kasten’s work for years.

The pieces by Kasten are known to be colorful, jarring and modern, with bold and moody shapes of color. His abstract expressionist style evolved over the decades, from flowing, soft etchings of the 1950s to complex, contemporary pieces that focus on iconic architectural landmarks as seen through Kasten’s eyes.

The works of Nathan Oliveira (1928-2010) are a notable contrast to Kasten’s pieces. Oliveira’s lithographs are known for their haunting introspection and often feature strange, dreamlike figures. Cano and Keaton also selected sculptures by Oliveira to display alongside the prints. The sculptures are equally as haunting. Many of the sculptures include body-less heads and lean, dancing figures – they appear to have jumped out of Oliveira’s prints to perform a strange, surreal style of yoga.

Born in Oakland, Oliveira was the youngest artist to participate in the groundbreaking 1959 “New Images of Man” show at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. After that exhibition, he became a printmaking devotee, and went on to teach at Stanford for over 30 years. The exhibition at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art is a vast retrospective, with works ranging from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Cano and Keaton have also crafted a series of events around the works, including poetry nights, as both artists were deeply influenced by poetry, and yoga and meditation evenings inspired by the thought-provoking works. Guests of all ages will also have an opportunity to try their hand at printmaking and sculpture, through formal classes. A printing press has also been set up in the exhibition space, for guests to find their own artistic inspiration, or to emulate the complex works of Oliveira and Kasten.

The two artists were friends and colleagues, who worked closely together to raise the bar of printmaking, especially at a time when the artform was considered to be low on of the fine-art food chain, far beneath sculpture, painting and photography. “Both artists felt that printmaking could be elevated to a status equal to that of painting,” said Cano. “Both were huge innovators in printmaking. They promoted their art form and really raised the level of printmaking, not just in the Bay Area, but in the United States.”