Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9411160029
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The two artists, who were husband and wife (Bell is deceased), are nationally known and acclaimed. Bell, who was born in Maryland, was a self-taught artist encouraged in his early work by the painter Karl Knaths. His work combines abstraction with figure painting.
In a 1980 edition of Arts Review magazine, writer Martica Sawin said Bell chose "to pit himself against masters of the past rather than fads of the present. He is one of the few contemporaries who has found a way to continue the great tradition of easel painting and give it a current vitality and validity."
A 1993 review of a Bell show, written by the New York Times, noted that the painter was "determined to meld the advances of modern abstraction'' with figure painting. "He never quite succeeded ... yet the complexity of his ambition and the gusto with with he embraced his many inspirations and goals can be fascinating to watch."
The Hollins show includes a number of self-portraits of the painter - who died three years ago at the age of 69.
The show also includes still lifes and self-portraits by Bell's wife, Louisa Matthiasdottir. A native of Reykjavik, Iceland, Matthiasdottir studied in Denmark, Paris and New York City, where she has lived for more than 50 years.
"Matthiasdottir is very much a painter of two worlds, maintaining a studio in Iceland and continuing to draw upon its indigenous beauty as a source for her landscape imagery," wrote the New York Review of Books in March. Her work, the Review went on, is characterized by clearly defined forms, broad application of paint and brilliant color.
The Hollins Art Gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 1p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
by CNB