Paintings, Drawings, Watercolors and Prints

7321 BEVERLY BOULEVARD • LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA 90036 • (323) 933-5523 FAX: (323) 933-7618
web site: www.tobeycmossgallery.com •email: tobeymoss@earthlink.net

STANTON MACDONALD-WRIGHT (1890-1973)
and
NICHOLAS P. BRIGANTE (1895-1989)

Paintings, Drawings, Watercolors and Prints
from the 1920s through the 1970s
August 4^th - September 8^th, 2001

Stanton MacDonald-Wright and Nicholas P. Brigante each occupy an important place in the history and development of Modern Art. "Stan", originally from Virginia and "Nick", born in Padua, Italy, each came to Los Angeles as children. Possessing vastly different personalities, these two artists are linked by their ability to see beyond the tradition of Western art and in their belief in Los Angeles as an art center.

In 1907 MacDonald-Wright traveled to Paris to study and in 1913 with fellow artist and friend, Morgan Russell, founded Synchronism. After exhibiting in Europe and New York, MacDonald -Right returned home to Los Angeles. It was in 1919 that MacDonald-Wright and Nick Brigante first crossed paths at the Los Angeles Art Students' League, where Brigante had attended before the War and which MacDonald-Wright would later direct.

Brigante first attended the Art Students' League in 1911 where he met his mentor, Rex Slinkard . Brigante worked as a sign painter and studied landscape painting until he joined the Army in 1917. In 1921 he exhibited works at LACMA and in 1923 was involved in the "Group of Independent Artists" exhibition in Los Angeles. For the next two years he and his bride lived in New York, where his watercolors were exhibited alongside those of Demuth, Morin, Feitelson. Brigante returned to Los Angeles in 1925 and built a home for himself and his wife, Francisca, in the Hollywood Hills.

While Brigante preferred the secluded environment of the Hills, MacDonald-Wright was more extroverted, working as a regional advisor for the WPA and creating a commissioned mural for the Santa Monica Public Library. From 1942-1952 MacDonald-Wright taught Eastern philosophy/aesthetics, art history, and iconography at UCLA.

Although in different ways, both Brigante and MacDonald -Wright turned their attention towards Asian art. Upon retirement, MacDonald-Wright devoted him self entirely to painting, creating both abstract and figurative works, returning in great measure to Synchro mist techniques, while dividing his time between Kyoto, Japan and his Santa Monica home. Simultaneously, Brigante pursued intuitive painting and the subconscious, becoming a master of ink wash and creating multiple series of works including the Burnt Mountain, Tide Pool, and Space series.

Digital images, slides and glossies are available upon request.