Show Preview | Russell Chatham

Bozeman Art Museum, Bozeman, MT
Through March 13

In his 80 years, Russell Chatham earned a reputation as one of America’s preeminent landscape painters, sensitively capturing the light and atmosphere of the rural settings where he made his homes: first in Marin County north of his native San Francisco, and then, for 50 years, in Montana’s Paradise Valley near Bozeman. Also a writer of evocative essays on outdoor pursuits as well as short stories, Chatham developed a devoted following of star-studded collectors including Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, Harrison Ford, Warren Beatty, Tom Brokaw, and Robert Redford.

It seems fitting that the first show to look back at Chatham’s work since his passing in 2019 should be held not far from his adopted home. Russell Chatham: Drawn by the Mystery is on view through mid-March at the Bozeman Art Museum, representing just the third exhibition since the young institution opened its doors in a landmark building on West Main Street in downtown Bozeman. The show is open to socially distanced, masked visitors during normal business hours; at press time, a virtual tour is also planned for the museum’s website.

The 35 Chatham works in the show—mostly oil paintings but also etchings and lithographs—span the course of his career, a variety of subjects, and an impressive range of sizes. A small depiction of an apple tree, completed in 1972 soon after he moved to Montana at the age of 33, shows uncharacteristically bold impasto. By contrast, SPRING MOON OVER THE MARSHALL RIDGE, Chatham’s very last painting, employs painstakingly fine brushwork, subtle modulations of color, and a composition that celebrates the vastness of western skies. Says Linda Williams, the museum’s executive director and the force behind the exhibition, “It shows a level of dedication that you see in all of the great artists. The paintings are so magnificent, it’s almost like they appeared on their own.”

Considering the masterful work, it may come as a surprise to learn that Chatham was self-taught. But he grew up steeped in artistic sensibility and “literally painted from his childhood,” says Williams. The artist’s grandfather, Swiss-born American Gottardo Piazzoni [1872-1945], who died when Russell was just 5, was himself a tonalist painter; he was perhaps best known for his 14 murals created for the former San Francisco Public Library, 10 of which are now in that city’s de Young Museum. Three paintings by Piazzoni, including SLIVER OF MOON OVER THE HILL, are included in the Bozeman show. Also on view are two pieces by Chatham’s great-uncle, Maurice Del Mue, and even two by his granddaughter, Della McCann.

Such wide-ranging, high-quality artworks add unusual depth to the exhibition. “I want this show to really portray how a life was created in the art world from birth,” adds Williams, “and to express Chatham’s legacy.” —Norman Kolpas

contact information
406.551.2032
www.bozemanartmuseum.org

This story appeared in the February 2021 issue of Southwest Art magazine.