Dorothy Hood, “Tough Homage to Arshile Gorky,” circa 1970s, oil on canvas, 90 x 50 inches
Remember Something Out of Time, the celebrated Houston artist Dorothy Hood’s solo show at Hollis Taggart in New York gives viewers a chance to delve into Hood’s layered work. Organized twenty-five years after her passing, this exhibition is announced in conjunction with the representation of her estate by Hollis Taggart alongside Houston’s McClain Gallery.
Before settling in Houston in 1962, Hood lived in Mexico, and the complexity of her compositions reflects the intricacy found in the works of other artists working in Mexico during her time there, including Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Frida Kahlo. She was mentored by and friends with José Clemente Orozco, and aspects of his formal approach to contrasting areas within the same work are present in Hood’s work.
Dorothy Hood, “Brown Cloud Floating,” 1970s–80s, oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches
Upon entering the show, viewers have the opportunity to view an excellent collection of paintings by the artist. Blue Waters, Tough Homage to Arshile Gorky, and Brown Cloud Floating are just a few of the paintings on view that show the rich medium-specificity of oil on canvas. The plurality of Hood’s technique keeps each painting lively and provocative. Blue Waters perfectly demonstrates how different elements of the medium, such as facture, thickness of paint, color, form, size, and texture, are all uniquely used in each section and communicate with other elements in a formal, sprightly, and weighty manner.
Dorothy Hood, “Blue Waters,” circa 1980s, oil on canvas, 89 3/4 x 70 inches
The show also features drawings and collages that offer a more comprehensive perspective on Hood’s practice. All of the mediums on view demonstrate complex, unique, and compelling compositions, as well as a keen interest in making lines and borders definitive and unique to each piece. The collages continue Hood’s interest in contrasting aspects and forms within each work.
Dorothy Hood, “Picasso is Everywhere,” 1982–97, collage on matboard, 19 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches
Pieces like Picasso is Everywhere show both the formalism in Hood’s paintings and collages and the humor of her drawings. Hood’s drawings exhibit a distinct tone in her practice, and through humor and weirdness, they achieve excellent compositions and line work, ultimately conveying a figurative, unserious buoyancy.
The exhibition leaves viewers wanting more, creating a desire to delve into a more extensive curatorial selection of works by this remarkable painter, like a museum retrospective. Patriarchal art history functions by excluding, overlooking, and forgetting even those who, like Hood, have influenced entire communities of artists. They get the attention they deserve when gatekeepers decide to benefit from the work.
Dorothy Hood: Remember Something Out of Time is on view through April 12 at Hollis Taggart.
