The Beauty of Politics:

Oscar Bluemner and Luca Molnar

The Beauty of Politics: Oscar Bluemner and Luca Molnar showcases the distinct approaches these artists employ in addressing political issues. This exhibition invites spectators to actively and critically engage with the very concept of political art. By exploring the unique perspectives of both a Modernist and a contemporary artist, the audience is prompted to contemplate the intersection of aesthetics and politics, encouraging reflection on the nuanced connections between artistic expression and the broader socio-political landscape.

The Paterson Silk Strike of 1913 is chosen as a crucial starting point, not solely because it is directly or indirectly referenced by Bluemner and Molnar, but primarily because this specific episode in the US labor movement epitomizes the convergence of radical politics and art. Robert Edmund Jones' portrayal of a worker, breaking through the constraints of the frame into the spectator's space, was designed to galvanize the audience, projecting a sense of rebellion and resolve. Positioned on the program cover to advertise the event, this image had to be immediately understood, creating fitting unity between the picture and the message. Nevertheless, such directness rarely occurs in independent artworks; after all, art should not be synonymous with propaganda. So, what does it mean to create a politically engaged art? Bluemner and Molnar present distinct answers to this question.

When a contemporary viewer examines Bluemner's landscapes and cityscapes featuring Paterson, deciphering political connotations becomes a challenge. Instead, one is drawn to the houses, mills, riverbanks, and trees. Devoid of human presence, these scenes seemingly exude a sense of peace, even discipline. However, after 1913, Paterson was far from a neutral location; on the contrary, it became a site of a dramatic political struggle. A comparison between Bluemner's 1911 color pencil drawing and his 1916-17 Jersey Silkmills watercolor reveals a shift in the artist's perspective of the city. In the early drawing, Bluemner portrays a sunlit scene, camouflaging with yellows, violets, and greens what he had previously described as "crude brick factories ... dull foreground, ugly heaps of timbers all misplaced, ... utterly uninteresting artistically." Conversely, the later composition depicts Paterson immersed in a vivid red that animates the canvas. Although Bluemner does not directly illustrate the Paterson strike, he offers a unique interpretation. According to him, "the world is tired of seeing ... painters rush from the Poles to the Equator ... to compete with the photographers and the illustrated weeklies." Instead, Bluemner revolutionizes the form, rejecting realist conventions and emphasizing abstracted shapes and non-mimetic red, a far cry from neutrality. Indeed, Bluemner's contemporaries unmistakably read these compositions in political terms. Art critic Henry McBride observed: "Factories fastened upon his ego. He saw them red. His paintings of factory scenes were the most violent protests against the modern system that I have ever encountered." What rendered Bluemner's Jersey Silkmills political or even “violent,” in McBride's words, were not the descriptive content but rather the formal qualities of the work, especially the pulsating red.

Unlike Bluemner, who never explicitly expressed his political beliefs, Molnar is unapologetically forthright regarding her commitment to social justice. However, oscillating between abstraction in decorative patterns and fragmented figuration, her works invite viewers into a realm of complexity. Instead of providing straightforward answers, they compel spectators to engage in the process of decoding, emphasizing the intricate layers embedded within the art. In other words, the political concerns do not overshadow the aesthetics; rather, the two are in a dynamic dialogue. Molnar's paintings cannot be reduced to a singular message; the artist draws on a variety of historical and contemporary visual references that resist linear reading. For instance, Hot Strike Summer integrates elements from Jones' Paterson pageant cover (1913), Nicolai Fechin's 1927 portrait of Mabel Dodge Luhan, who was instrumental in staging the pageant, as well as photographs depicting the aftermath of the Greensboro Massacre (1979) and the picket line during the Writers Guild of America strike (2023). Set against a patterned background, these images may not be immediately recognizable, yet they eloquently recount a sustained narrative of resistance and underscore the significance of solidarity across racial, gender, and class lines. Rather than diluting the potency of the political messages embedded in the works, the decorative patterns enhance their allure, extending an invitation to a diverse audience—beyond just the believers—to join the conversation. This is the essence of what The Beauty of Politics is about.

Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva, Vera Kouba Bluemner Collection

Curator, Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection