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Tornadoes
Paintings by John Brosio
October 9, 2008 – January 18, 2009
National Academy of Sciences
2101 Constitution Ave., N.W., Rotunda Gallery
Enter at 2100 C St., N.W.
Lecture by Tim Samaras and Reception:
Wednesday, January 7, 7 p.m.
Open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Special exhibit hours:
Wednesday, January 7, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday, January 18, 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Free! Photo ID required.
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Destructive yet often elegant, tornadoes demonstrate the immense power and beauty of nature. In John Brosio's paintings, they serve as a metaphor for life's unpredictability and humankind's vulnerability and complacence in the face of danger. His paintings pose questions about the relationship between humans and the natural environment in the 21st century. In daily life, we are mostly insulated from the elements – but have we grown indifferent to the grandeur and awesome force of the world that surrounds us, even at a time when war and natural disasters are regularly headline news?
Created between 2002 and 2008, the 12 paintings in this exhibition range from allegories to abstractions to a combination of the two styles. In his earliest paintings, Brosio depicts human figures dwarfed by threatening skyscapes and imminent harm. The people appear in somewhat depressed settings, oblivious, dismissive, or perhaps simply resigned to their powerlessness in the face of impending devastation. In other works, he delves into abstraction, exploring the haunting quality of light and the unusual color combinations that often accompany tornadoes.
Predominantly an American phenomenon, tornadoes are most common in the central plains, east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Appalachian Mountains where the cool jet stream flowing east meets the warm, moist air flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico. Although further analysis of climate models is needed, some scientists have found evidence that as global warming accelerates, there may be a dramatic increase in the weather conditions that spawn severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.
Brosio trained in art, studying in his native state at the University of California, Davis. He gained a deep understanding of his subject through field research and storm chasing trips in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. When he works, he refers to memories of first-hand observations, photographs, notes, video clips, and tablets filled with thumbnail sketches, which he refines into final compositions. He draws inspiration from painters such as Edward Hopper, J.M.W. Turner, James McNeill Whistler, Albert Pinkham Ryder, and Maynard Dixon.
Storm chaser and meteorologist Tim Samaras will give a free lecture about his work on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the National Academy of Sciences, 2100 C St., N.W.
Image: Meditation (after Storm chaser Al Moller), 2003, oil on canvas, 60 x 36 inches, courtesy of Scott and Jodi Anderson
John Brosio is represented by Sue Greenwood Fine Art in CA
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