BERNIE TAUPINRAGGED GLORY | ART AMERICANA
BERNIE TAUPINRAGGED GLORY | ART AMERICANA
980 BRIARCLIFF ROAD NEATLANTA, GA 30306
THE BURIAL OF WILLIAM SYCAMORE
BURLAP, CHICKEN WIRE, FLAG MATERIAL, CORD, SCORCH,
CORRUGATED CARDBOARD, PLEXIGLASS ON CANVAS
36X60, 2017
FOREWARD
I am very pleased to introduce Bernie Taupin’s solo exhibition at
Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia.
Taupin’s art is a convergence of Abstract Expressionism, American
history, and various forms of American music, such as Jazz, Folk,
and Blues. A renowned lyricist and wordsmith, Taupin blends music
and art seamlessly. He creates imagery through words, and he
incorporates words into his images– all of which are infused with a
rugged, unmistakably American essence of soaring above adversity.
His recent works are paintings and assemblage pieces that may
contain guitars, the American flag, scorch, wood, intricate webs
of crisscrossed twine, broken records, and layers of torn fabric or
corrugated cardboard. Oftentimes, strong messages such as “We
shall overcome” and “I shall not speak with restraint” are painted
or stencilled on. These works are comparable to those of modernist
artists such as Ed Ruscha, Jasper Johns, Anselm Kiefer, and Jenny
Holzer.
Patriotism is the key theme in Taupin’s flag pieces. His flags are
treated as if, simultaneously, to protect and venerate our national
symbol, while also revealing our collective fighting spirit wherever
injustice or hardship occurs.
CHRISTINA BRAY GALLERY DIRECTOR CALLANWOLDE FINE ARTS CENTER JUNE, 2017
CIVIL WAR TRILOGY I - THE UNION
ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
36 X 48, 2014
CIVIL WAR TRILOGY II - BATTLE DRESS
ACRYLIC, CORRUGATED CARDBOARD, FABRIC ON CANVAS
36 X 30, 2014
CIVIL WAR TRILOGY III - THE COMING OF THE LORD
ACRYLIC AND FABRIC ON CANVAS
48 X 36, 2014
THEY PLACED HER IN A GLASS COFFIN AND AWAITED HER REAWAKENING
FLAG MATERIAL, RESIN, SCORCH, PLEXIGLASS IN CANVAS STRETCHER
30 x 60, 2016
PRISONERS OF WAR
CORD, FLAGS, NAILS, FIXATIVE, SCORCH,
CANVAS FRAME ON PANEL
50 x 31, 2016
FRAGMENT
ACRYLIC, FLAG MATERIAL, SCORCH, RESIN,
CORRUGATED CARDBOARD ON CANVAS
60 X 36, 2016
SLEEPING BEAUTY IV
COLORED CORD, FIXATIVE, FLAG MATERIAL ON CANVAS
36 X 60, 2017
BERNIE TAUPIN is a lifelong visual artist. In the early 1990’s painting
became the main thrust of his creative endeavors. In his early work
Taupin was inspired by groundbreaking Abstract Expressionists
including Hans Hoffman, Franz Kline, Anselm Kiefer, and Robert
Rauschenberg.
Taupin says, “As in any creative field, we start by emulating work
we like, following the path that ultimately leads to finding our own
vision, a style we feel is original and unique in its own beliefs, on its
own merits.”
Taupin artwork evolved from Ab-Ex explorations to a level of self-
satisfaction followed by experimentations with text-based content
and minimalist Pop Art concepts. By 2016 and 2017 works become
sculptural constructions off and through the canvas and bound
with cord and wire. Expressing with found objects and repurposed
material and artifacts, Taupin’s multi-layered creations include
manipulated flags, scorch, paper, wax, wire, wood, corrugated
cardboard, fabric, bubble wrap, and resin.
“The imagination is the most powerful tool artists possess enabling
us to conjure up beautiful distraction for the eyes and ears.
My dimensional work is simply the visual extension of what I have
spent my life creating through words.”
BERNIE TAUPIN, 2017
THE SHIPWRECK NEWS
FABRIC, ASH, WOOD, NEWSPRINT, GAUZE,
STAIN ON PANEL
(RIGHT) 66 X 28, 2015
THE BARRICADE
FLAGS, WOOD, ASH, FABRIC, RESIN,
TWINE ON PANEL
(ABOVE) 20 x 48, 2015
Born in very rural northern England on a farm in a house with no
electricity. Taupin’s earliest education came from his mother reading him
English classics including the narrative poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson
and Lord Macaulay and exploring picture books of the paintings of
J.M.W. Turner and Paul Gaugin. Bernie’s father, a decorated World War
II veteran, became a stockman and farmer after the war. Growing up in
post WWII Europe with appreciation that America led the way to victory,
Bernie’s earliest imaginations aligned himself with the dreams of America.
Fascinated by the history of America and the American West, eight year
old Bernie begins to write stories and dreams of becoming a cowboy.
The 17-year-old Taupin answered an advertisement for new song-writers
placed by the London branch of Liberty Records. There were many
applicants including former child prodigy Reginald Dwight who had been
admitted to the Royal Academy of Music at age 11, then a 20-year-old
talented pianist and singer. Both were rejected but encouraged to work
together and develop their writing talents for other British performers.
Bernie writes “Your Song.” Reginald composes music for it and a dozen
more Taupin writings.
Taking the names of two of his friends, Reginald becomes Elton John. The
album “Elton John” is released in the United States. The rest is 50 years of
creative writing history.
The book Bernie Taupin: The One Who Writes the Words for Elton John is
published.
Bernie buys a ranch in California and becomes a real ‘brown dirt cowboy’
raising and showing cutting horses.
The Taupin auto-biography, A Cradle of Halos: Sketches of a Childhood is
published in England.
Builds art studio at the ranch.
Bernie Taupin commences national and international art exhibitions.
1950
1958
1967
1968
1970
1985
1976
1988
1995
2010
“I’ve been called a writer, poet, lyricist, painter, sculptor. I prefer: Artist.”
BERNIE TAUPIN
POP AMERIKA
CANDY WRAPPERS, TRADING CARDS, COMICS, PLAYING CARDS,
BANDAGES, DUCT TAPE, NAILS, ACRYLIC, FLAG MATERIAL, WAX,
CORD ON STRETCHER BARS
60 X 36 X 4, 2016
INTERMISSION
TWINE, WAX, PAPER, FABRIC, FLAG MATERIAL, SCORCH,
CANVAS ON CANVAS FRAME
60 X 48, 2016
FROM ASHES
CORRUGATED CARDBOARD, CHICKEN WIRE, FLAGS, WOOD, WIRE, SCORCH,
ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
48 x 60, 2016
AMERICAN GUITARS I - FOLK SINGER
GUITAR PARTS, FLAG MATERIAL, NEWSPRINT, STAIN,
SCORCH, ACRYLIC ON PANEL
36 X 41.5, 2017
AMERICAN GUITARS II - PROTEST SINGER
GUITAR PARTS, FLAG MATERIAL, SCORCH, PAPER,
ACRYLIC ON PANEL
36 X 41.5, 2017
AMERICAN GUITARS III - DELTA BLUES SINGER
GUITAR PARTS, FLAG MATERIAL, CORRUGATED CARDBOARD,
ALBUM COVER, VINYL, SCORCH, RESIN, ACRYLIC ON PANEL
36 X 41.5, 2017
DETAIL ON COVER
AMERICAN GUITARS IV - HILL COUNTRY SINGER
GUITAR PARTS, FLAG MATERIAL, BIBLE PAGES,
SCORCH, ACRYLIC ON PANEL
36 X 41.5, 2017
WHEN WOODY GUTHRIE LEFT OKLAHOMA
ACRYLIC, FABRIC, WOOD, STENCIL CASINGS, WAX,
TWINE ON CANVAS
60 x 48, 2015
NORMAN ROCKWELL CRIED LAST NIGHT
WOOD, CHEESECLOTH, WAX, RESIN, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
60 x 48, 2015
“THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS”
WORLD’S MOST WANTED
FLAG, RESIN, TWINE, TAPE, ATLAS MAPS ON PANEL
36 X 60, 2016
MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY
FABRIC, WOOD, PENCIL, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
60 x 48, 2014
MONDO POLITICO
PLASTIC MASKS, TWINE, ACRYLIC ENAMEL ON CANVAS
41.5 X 36, 2017
MARTYRS IN THE CORNFIELD
BURLAP, CHICKEN WIRE, RESIN, CORRUGATED CARDBOARD, SCORCH, CORD, FLAG MATERIAL, ACRYLIC ON PANEL
24.5 X 37, 2016
I SHALL NOT SPEAK WITH RESTRAINT
ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
60 X 48, 2004
RAGGED GLORY II
CHICKEN WIRE, GAUZE, STRING, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
30 X 30, 2013
UNITY NOT DIVISION
PENCIL, LEATHER, CORD, FABRIC, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
48 X 36, 2012
ANARCHAEOLOGY
ACRYLIC ON CANVAS
40 X 30, 2015
I DO NOT PLAY NO ROCK N ROLL
ACRYLIC, WAX, ASH, PAPER, SCORCH,
CHICKEN WIRE, GUITAR PARTS ON PANEL
(FACING PAGE) 48 X 72, 2016
DICK DALE DIED FOR YOUR SINS
GUITAR, GUITAR CABLE, SCORCH,
FLAG MATERIAL, TWINE, CASSETTES,
CORRUGATED CARDBOARD, WOOD,
ACRYLIC ON PANEL
(LEFT) 48 X 19.5, 2017
FROM THE BURNING HOUSE OF LINK WRAY
GUITAR, GUITAR CABLE, SCORCH, LABELS,
RESIN ON SCORCHED PANEL
(RIGHT) 53 X 17.5, 2017
RED, WHITE, BLUE GUITARS
GUITAR PARTS, ACRYLIC ENAMEL, CORRUGATED CARDBOARD ON PANEL
41.5 X 24, 2017
THE CURRENCY OF DENIAL IS NOT ACCEPTED
FLAG MATERIAL, FIXATIVE, SCORCH, IN CANVAS STRETCHERS ON PANEL
48 x 108, 2017
THE PATRIOTS SUITE
Bernie Taupin is a lifelong creative genius. THE PATRIOTS SUITE combines
his visual art with elements for which he is most known, his writing. His
words, whether they be poetry, lyrics, or other writings, are among the
most well-known in popular culture.
Taupin’s lyrics, as narrative poetry put to music by Elton John, allow the
listener and reader to find their own interpretations in their own personal
context.
RED, WHITE, AND BLUE together is an important symbolic concept.
Each artwork separately is a colorful metaphor in its own measure.
THE PATRIOTS SUITE was conceived in celebration of the Bernie Taupin
RAGGED GLORY | ART AMERICANA exhibition at The Callanwolde Fine
Arts Center Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, October 12 - December 12, 2017.
The midpoint of the exhibition is a tribute to peace at the end of World
War I, celebrating Veterans Day in the United States and Armistice Day
throughout the world. The peace treaty was signed at the 11th hour of the
11th day of the 11th month, 1918.
Each work in THE PATRIOTS SUITE (RED, WHITE, BLUE) is an archival
pigment print with brush embellishing on heavyweight archival 17 x 22”
paper from an edition of 111 individually signed by Bernie Taupin.
BRETT PEZZUTO
CHRISTIAN PEZZUTO
SCOT LINDVALL
MR/MRS CHARLES ROVEN
ATLAS ENTERTAINMENT
TOM GUSTAFSON
MR./MRS. TIM AND ROBIN CARGILE
MR./MRS. MICHAEL SCHWARTZ
GALERIE MICHAEL
MR. RICHIE SAMBORA
MR./MRS. ANDREW KROLL
HON. JANE HARMAN
RAVAGO MANUFACTURING AMERICAS
EXXON CORP
CHARLIE HENDON
SIR ELTON JOHN AND DAVID FURNISH
DANIEL CROSBY, LIMELIGHT AGENCY
DANA YARGER, BRETON FINE ART
TIMOTHY YARGER FINE ART
BRYAN JENNINGS
KEVIN O’LEARY
BRUCE BEAL, SR.
RELATED PROPERTIES
ROBERT ROBLIN
ANA HOLLINGER
KM FINE ART
NICHOLAS KORNILOFF
PAMELA COHEN
DEBARTOLO FAMILY
GREG LOEBEL
GRANT GUSTAFSON
DOUGLAS & SHARON BECKER
DENNIS RATNER
JULIANNE WHITE RATNER
SUZANNE NIEDLAND
LARRY DE GEORGE
KIMI PRICE QUEGINER
LAKESHORE ENERGY CAPITAL
SIDNEY KIMMEL
MR./MRS. DOUG WOLFORD
MR./MRS. JAMES FIEBER
MANUEL & ELISABETH HENRIQUEZ
PARTIAL LIST OF COLLECTIONS
RAGGED GLORY | ART AMERICANA EXHIBITION PRESENTED BY
THE CALLANWOLDE FINE ARTS CENTER GALLERY
WITH SUPPORT BY HENDON PROPERTIES.
I DON’T LIKE TO BRAG
BUT WE’RE KINDA PROUD OF THAT RAGGED OLD FLAG
YOU SEE, WE GOT A LITTLE HOLE IN THAT FLAG THERE
WHEN WASHINGTON TOOK IT ACROSS THE DELAWARE.
AND IT GOT POWDER-BURNED THE NIGHT FRANCIS SCOTT KEY
SAT WATCHING IT, WRITING “SAY CAN YOU SEE”
IT GOT A RIP IN NEW ORLEANS
WITH PACKINGHAM & JACKSON TUGGING AT ITS SEAMS.
AND IT ALMOST FELL AT THE ALAMO
BESIDE THE TEXAS FLAG, BUT SHE WAVED ON THOUGH.
SHE GOT CUT WITH A SWORD AT CHANCELLORSVILLE
AND SHE GOT CUT AGAIN AT SHILOH HILL.
THERE WAS ROBERT E. LEE AND BEAUREGARD AND BRAGG
AND THE SOUTH WIND BLEW HARD ON THAT RAGGED OLD FLAG
ON FLANDERS FIELD IN WORLD WAR I
SHE GOT A BIG HOLE FROM A BERTHA GUN
SHE TURNED BLOOD RED IN WORLD WAR II
SHE HUNG LIMP, AND LOW, A TIME OR TWO
SHE WAS IN KOREA, VIETNAM
SHE WENT WHERE SHE WAS SENT BY HER UNCLE SAM...
LYRICS EXCERPTED FROM “RAGGED OLD FLAG” BY JOHNNY CASH
JOHNNY CASH
FABRIC, RESIN, GLAZE ON CANVAS
48 X 72, 2013
“Consider them not just art, but more the musings of a vivid imagination.”
ARCHITECTS+ARTISANS 2014
“One of the more potent aspects of Taupin’s practice is the way in which he
‘re-purposes’ materials.”
ARTY NELSON, ART CRITIC, LOS ANGELES 2016
“With 20 years of painting under his belt, Taupin’s personally and politically
charged visual works demand just as much of your attention.”
CULTUREMAP, AUSTIN 2013
“Most highly creative individuals are capable of inspired work in different artistic
fields, but few achieve it; Taupin has.”
RAY WATERHOUSE, NEW YORK 2016
“Outside of the incredibly productive partnership [Elton John], Taupin also
nurtured an acute visual sensibility and infatuation with the revolutionary
developments of Modernism.”
ARTSPACE 2014
“I have it easy. I have someone who creates the story. Bernie’s lyrics to me are
visual.”
SIR ELTON JOHN
“Taupin’s work looks right at home hanging next to Jackson Pollock, Hans Hofmann
and Willem DeKooning,”
MARK BORGHI, PALM BEACH 2017
“Within the abstract languages of the AbEx painters, Taupin was able to find his
own visual vocabulary.”
NASHVILLE ARTS 2013
“Bernie Taupin’s artwork, initiated both by Turner’s stormy Romanticism and the
sandstorms of America’s West, continues to demarcate a place of promising, even
spiritual tranquility.”
DAVID MACFADYEN, ART CRITIC, PHD, UCLA 2016
“ Taupin’s flair for serious abstraction and his experiments with mediums make for a
memorable exhibition.”
ART+AUCTION 2014
“Taupin demonstrates a powerful chemistry and instinctive aptitude with painterly
shapes and color. “
BRUCE HELANDER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE FELLOW,
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS 2016
“ The work is grounded in reality that our eyes are accustomed to and yet it seems
to achieve a new plane of achievement.”
MARK BORGHI, NEW YORK, RETROSPECTIVE 2015
“ Taupin’s vigorous abstractions are extensions of his id. Post-minimal and
audaciously experimental.”
DOUG MCCLEMONT, NEW YORK 2015
“ Bernie Taupin is an artist who expresses himself via words-creating some of
the most popular enduring songs of all time - and with paint, twine and flags
provocative paintings and sculptures.”
ARTMIAMI 2016
“ Taupin, a lifelong creative, became a master storyteller and often references
themes of America and the American West in his writing and in his
abstract artworks.”
DANA YARGER, CURATOR, LOS ANGELES 2014
“ Music and art is an inevitable collision. I personally gravitated from one to the
other because I desire to create on a different topical level and simply because
visceral visual art exerts an almost narcotic drive in me.”
BERNIE TAUPIN, INTERVIEW MAGAZINE 2015
“Creating artwork is a 24/7 endeavor. It’s how I see myself now.”
BERNIE TAUPIN 2017
COMMENTARY ON BERNIE TAUPIN
CALLANWOLDE FINE ARTS CENTER
980 BRIARCLIFF ROAD NE, ATLANTA, GA 30306
404 872 5338 | CALLANWOLDE.ORG
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