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Jill Smith
Harry C. Doolittle, Reflecting Mandalas #1, 2007. Acrylics, glass, brass and aluminum leaf, 43 x 32 in. Courtesy of the artist.Seeing reproductions of the luminescent, brightly hued abstract assemblage paintings of Harry C. Doolittle does not do these images justice. It is only when standing before these intricately incised and subtly rendered creations that their true radiance can fully emanate. In fact, it is Doolittle’s unique approach and process that gets lost in the reproduction, the results of which can only be viewed up close, when the painting truly comes to life before the viewer.
No stranger to the art world, or his predecessors—including Piet Mondrian and Joseph Albers—Doolittle expands and improvises on the modernist vocabulary of abstraction using his own distinctive voice. Self-trained, the artist instinctually works automatically, employing his dreams as a rich source of vivid imagery and vibrant color. The results of this innovative and spontaneous process are kaleidoscopic bejeweled surfaces that evidence his idiosyncratic compositional strategies and sense of design.
Starting with canvas board, the artist composes unplanned compositions stemming from his unconscious and his dreams, compositions he often fully visualizes while he sleeps. Often centralized around the motif of the circle—or for Doolittle, the mandala—these visionary acrylic images combine repeated patterning of circles and rectilinear components, resulting in dramatic designs that produce interesting optical effects on the eye. Once the design has been laid out, he incises the canvas creating areas of indention as well as raised surfaces. He then has glass elements—often circles, but sometimes squares or other shapes—cut. He paints the underside of the glass pieces, or applies gold (brass) or silver (aluminum) leaf below them. These glass pieces are then applied to the surface of the canvas, becoming integrated into the surface, yet creating areas of relief and projection from it. They also add interesting reflective areas, which change the nature of the painting depending on where it is hung. If there is a garden in front of the work, perhaps that is what the viewer will see reflected in it. Often times the viewer is left to playfully ponder his own reflection as he stands before these mesmerizing pieces.
For Doolittle, these works are more than mere creative production. The art making process for this artist is a spiritual act, one highly influenced by Zen Buddhism and other related Asian art practices. One can also see the influence of Kenzo Okada, an artist admired by Doolittle, as well as the mandala paintings of Tibet. In fact, the form of the mandala, and his use of the symbol as a recurring motif is of the utmost importance to the artist. Representing eternity, and an on-going continuation of life, with no beginning and no end, Doolittle employs the symbol to infuse his works with a deeper spiritual significance. Similarly, his recurrent use of gold and silver refer to the Yin and Yang (masculine and feminine) present in all of us. Just as these forces require balance in the human soul, Doolittle similarly strives to create harmony in his works through a balancing of their compositional elements, color palette, and rhythm—in short, the energy and soul of these living paintings themselves. Though not always compositionally symmetrical, there is a sense of energetic dynamism within the synchronization that the artist achieves. The works speak to a kind of paradox that we encounter in our everyday lives in which we find balance through asymmetry. According to Doolittle, these images are “original and a delight to behold. A 3-D kaleidoscope of colors and intrigue.”
Like classical or jazz music, these Gesamkunstwerks unite both the Apollonian instinct for structure and order with the Dionysian forces of passionate pandemonium, resulting in “music on the wall” that delights the senses and pushes the boundaries of sensory experience. There is a synergy to the work that elevates it from a mere visual experience to something much more sublime.
According to Ruthie Tucker, curator at Chelsea’s Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, where Doolittle recently showed his work, “[He] is a superior craftsman, in that not only is he able to render such captivating images, but he is able to further emphasize the dynamic qualities of color and form through the use of a brilliantly enchanting style.” The gallerist goes on to say, “His abstract mixed media works differentiate themselves from other forms of contemporary art by conveying a sense of control. He is able to portray images that are directly appealing to both the eye and the intellect of the viewer. His diverse and dynamic range of shapes and forms create a unified and individualized identity of each of his works.”
