PIERRE DAURA
Pierre Daura (American, b. Spain, 1896 – 1976), “View of Buildings by the Water,” ca. 1919. Oil on canvas, 14 1/8 × 11 3/4 inches. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia; Museum purchase with funds provided by the Daura Foundation. GMOA 2022.266. h eather McMordie creates prints, puzzles and instal- lations informed by on-site research, site-specific experiences and field observations. Her work balances artistic and scientific exploration. McMordie’s “Below, Above” series highlights the dichotomy and interrelation of soil science and our evolving ecosystems. “Below, Above” is a series consist- ing of seven diptychs. Each work includes an impression from a naturally corroded plate buried in the soil at Jacob’s Point, Warren, Rhode Island, and a figurative etching depicting dominant plant species at the same location (six with native plants and one with invasive species). Jacob’s Point is home to threatened plant and animal species including the salt marsh sparrow and was the site of major salt marsh restorative project in 2009 and 2010. Using corrosion to make visible the hydrology of a salt marsh, these prints capture water movement through high and low areas of the marsh. The soil and salt marsh environments collaborate to help create the prints. Soil is the foundation of the landscape and one of the key contributors to flourishing (or declining) ecosystems. McMordie developed the series while studying with restoration scientists and ecologists who focused on salt marshes and their importance to coastal environments. The series creates a map of the salt marsh illustrating the impact of the underground soil hydrology and tidal levels. “Below, Above (41° 42’ 40.57” N, 71° 17’ 27.55” W, Limonium carolinianum)” features flora known colloquially as Carolina Sea Lavender, which is native to eastern U.S. shores, connecting Rhode Island to the Georgia coast. The abstract print created by the soil on the left mimics the seed pods of the flowering stems in the illustration on the right. Visually, it illuminates how closely our surface landscapes mirror or reflect subsurface environments, revealing both thriving and threatened ecosystems. “Below, Above (41° 42’ 41.73” N, 71° 17’ 14.11” W, Phragmites)” de- picts a non-native perennial reed grass that grows predominantly in wetland areas. On the New Jersey and New York coasts, these grasses filter out pollutants but grow so rapidly that they crowd out native species. Removing the invasive species would unset- tle large portions of the coasts and disrupt important pollutant removal efforts, but leaving them unmanaged risks losing native flora that foster high species diversity. The acquisition of these two works underscores concerns over the climate crisis and changing landscapes. Appearing in the exhibi- tion “Infinity on the Horizon,” they visualize the impact of land stewardship and colonial systems and highlight how contem- porary artists are revitalizing traditional media and the artistic rendering of landscapes through new approaches.
t he museum recently acquired a landscape by Pierre Daura through the generous support of his daughter, Martha Randolph Daura. When we ex- amine paintings, they can sometimes reveal clues about their provenance, as was the case when we unframed this work. On the back, an inscription reads: “Obsequi del pintor Daura a Enriqueta Benigani” (“Gift of the painter Daura to Enriqueta Benigani”) followed by what appears to be “Paris X-9-19.” After initial research, we discovered that Enriqueta was an artist living in Paris with her husband Lluis Bracons, also an artist. Looking in our Daura Archive, we found that Bracons and Daura corresponded in the 1920s. Further research will tell us how the painting reached the art market, but its inscrip- tion confirms that artists often exchanged their work as gifts. We have reached out to international colleagues and Daura scholars to understand better all the players connected to this painting, and so our work continues. Aside from its fascinating history, this landscape is a striking composition dominated by hues of yellow and drenched in sunlight. Horizontal bands of color are offset by the vertical shape of the buildings, which are reflected in the water through bold brushstrokes.
Nelda Damiano , Pierre Daura Curator of European Art, and Ashlyn Davis , Pierre Daura Curatorial Research Assistant
Kathryn Hill, curatorial assistant in contemporary art
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