Valton Tyler
Space Eagles
1971

Name: Space Eagles
Brand: Valton Tyler
Rating: 5 (14 reviews)

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) “Space Eagles” is plate number 45, 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: “I am concerned with happy contrasts. If you see anything in my prints that reminds you of torture, it would be only to bring out happiness and joy. Dealing with horror you can create happiness. Some people have symbols: thorns, sickles, guns, things that look like cannons. I use these things to bring the person into it. That is why I use a lot of these shapes to create fear. By contrast, my shapes will not seem that severe. It limits my shapes. It brings them and the outer surfaces into a happier feeling.” Of “Space Eagles”, Reynolds wrote, “This scene of fortified buildings, cannons, and huge demonic winged creatures descending from above may initially arouse fearsome associations with a dark medieval world or with a futuristic battle scene against unknown creatures, but if we begin to study the print more closely, these characteristics of fear and anxiety diminish. Soon we begin to question the function of the forms and the nature of the movement. What we have assumed to be weapons have no definite targets. It is not even certain whether the space eagles are evil beings descending to attack or merely harmless machines carrying out strange technological functions. What previously appeared as missiles speeding through the air are now seen slowly floating or hovering in midair. Everything is in fluid motion or slowly gathering momentum. We no longer have to decipher the meaning of the forms but can begin to enjoy the beauty of the surfaces and shapes of the forms for themselves.” (Reynolds, p. 126) Paper size: 30 x 23 1/2 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:
1971
Dimensions:
Height: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)Width: 17.75 in (45.09 cm)
Medium:
Paper,Etching
Movement & Style:
Surrealist
Period:
1970-1979
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
Seller: VT-451stDibs: LU257853393

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