Valton Tyler
Joy
1970

About the Item

In The New York Times Arts in America column, Edward M. Gomez wrote of Valton Tyler, "visionary seems the right word for describing his vivid, unusual and technically refined paintings, prints and drawings, whose style defies convenient labels. Abstract, surreal, cartoonish, sci-fi fantastic, metaphysical, apocalyptic-Baroque - all of these fit but also fall short of fully describing his art." (The Living Arts, June 13, 2000, p. B2) Valton Tyler was born in 1944 in Texas, where "the industrial world of oil refineries made a long-lasting impression on Valton as a very young child living in Texas City. He was three years old when the terrible explosion occurred there and can remember the terrifying confusion and 'the beautiful red sky and objects flying everywhere in the air.'" (Reynolds, p. 25) While growing up in Texas City, Valton's father worked in auto repair, and was known for his skill in mixing colors for paint jobs. After leaving Texas City, Valton made his way to Dallas, where he briefly enrolled at the Dallas Art Institute, but found it to be too social and commercial for his taste. After Valton's work was introduced to Donald Vogel (founder of Valley House Gallery), "Vogel arranged for Tyler to use the printmaking facilities in the art department of the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where the young artist essentially taught himself several demanding printmaking techniques. 'It was remarkable,' Vogel says. 'Not only did he learn complicated etching methods, but he was able to express himself powerfully in whatever medium he explored.' Vogel became the publisher of Tyler's prints. Among them, the artist made editions of some 50 different images whose sometimes stringy abstract forms and more solid, architecturally arresting elements became the precursors of his later, mature style." (Gomez, Raw Vision #35, p. 36) "Joy" is plate number 12, and is reproduced in "The First Fifty Prints: Valton Tyler" with text by Rebecca Reynolds, published for Valley House Gallery by Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas, Texas, 1972. In “The First Fifty Prints,” Reynolds provides the following quote from the artist: “Humor is the only thing there is for me. Seriousness is just a state of mind. I scream all the time inside myself when I see shapes and forms. I just want to jump on them and pounce on them.” Of “Joy”, Reynolds wrote, “These four little people are a joy to live with; it is simply impossible to suppress a smile when studying them. The empathy they seem to communicate helps to lift us away from that serious state of mind Valton refers to. There is really nothing complex to the forms. The artist emphasizes the fact that he merely combines simple shapes to create anatomies we have never seen before. The surface design and rich shadowing worked in after the outline has been transferred onto the plate are the elements that bring the forms so vividly to life. The various dark openings of the mouths express different emotions, as the diverse uses and posturing of the spindly legs and bodies add to the personalities of these figures. Even the indications of shadows they cast on the tops of their pedestals convince us of their corporeality. The formal aspects unique to this artist’s work are those of arcs resting, touching, or playing against other shapes. This is seen in the various sprouting forms with their curving filaments rising gracefully to touch another delicate line that forms a delicate calligraphic design against the background. The crescent moon shape that rests on the head of the figure on the right is a typical motif in Valton’s work. It is a transformation of the sickle or curved blade he used frequently in earlier pen and ink drawings. It is used again here for the artist’s pure delight in a curved object touching another.” Reynolds continues, “The four figures seem to sing or cry that they, like the artist, scream inside to express themselves. Although they are presented to us through a fusion of two mediums, those of etching and sculpture, they emphasize that a work in any medium is never static, but a continually living, life-giving form.” (Reynolds, p. 62) Paper size: 21 1/2 x 23 3/4 inches Edition: 5 Artists Proofs Imp. 50 Signed Prints Imp. Bibliography: Edward M. Gomez, "Futuristic Forms Frolic Under Eerie Texan Skies," The New York Times, June 13, 2000, page B2. Edward M. Gomez, "Valton Tyler's Techno-Organic Landscapes," Raw Vision 35, Summer 2001, pages 34-39. Rebecca Reynolds, "The First Fifty Prints: Valton Tyler," published for Valley House Gallery by Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas, Texas, 1972.

Creator:
Valton Tyler (1944, American)
Creation Year:
1970
Dimensions:
Height: 15.75 in (40.01 cm)Width: 17.75 in (45.09 cm)
Medium:
Etching
Movement & Style:
Surrealist
Period:
20th Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
Seller: VT-121stDibs: LU257739272
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