Robert Goodman Eric Hibit Kristine Moran Ann Toebbe

Anna Kustera is pleased to present “Innocence Regained.” This exhibition will feature new work by Robert Goodman, Eric Hibit, Kristine Moran and Ann Toebbe, each of who feel a special affinity for the great 20th century American watercolorist Charles Burchfield, who is the inspiration for this show.

The longing for childhood’s innocence recurs throughout history as a theme in poetry, music and art. It is particularly resonant in our cynical times, when wonder is too often equated with naiveté rather than with thrilling and pleasurable awe. But fortunately there are always artists who have the ability to capture that longed for state of being. Burchfield was a master among them. In his exuberant, sun-filled landscapes, ecstatic, starry nights, brooding nature scenes, images of decay and eerie, haunted buildings, he shows the world through a child’s eyes, evoking human emotion through the natural elements of landscape.

Though Goodman, Hibit, Moran and Toebbe work in very different styles, each one of them retains an innocent perspective. Goodman draws upon Floridian imagery recalled from his youth to create his dynamic, large-scale paintings that burst with geometric shapes and lines that look as vibrant as disorderly nature. Hibit returns to an innocent state of wonder and excitement to create his moody, cut-paper collages, which like a child’s toy chest might include an old teapot, pictures from fairy tales, and a piano that appears to come to life. Moran views the urban environment as a child might, as places ripe for disaster, conveying the wonder a child might feel in her chaotic, fragmented landscapes. Calling up pleasant memories, Toebbe paints faux-folksy scenes of her grandmother’s farm in southern Indiana, for this exhibit including two works of interiors that resemble rooms that Burchfield himself might have lived in.

This exhibition offers many pleasures, not least the chance to see how four brilliant artists used their childhood insights and memories to create works of lasting freshness and authenticity. It represents a more than fitting tribute to Burchfield and his ideals.