Revelation

Six monumental prints created by mixed-media artist and printmaker Patrick Merrill will be showcased in the exhibit “Patrick Merrill: Revelation” Oct. 30-Nov. 9 in the Begovich Gallery. They were all created between 1994 and 2010 — and include four 6' x 12' works titled “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” produced in 2004, in response to the events that followed Sept. 11. 

Merrill, who was curator of Cal Poly Pomona's art gallery from 1997-2009, died Aug. 31 after a long battle with cancer. A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, in the courtyard of the Visual Arts Center. The service will be followed by a panel discussion of Merrill's work at 4:30 p.m. and the opening reception for the show at 5 p.m. 

Ruth Capelle, art historian and emeritus professor of art, writes on Merrill’s life and artwork: “Medieval man did not differentiate between the past as documented and the future as foretold by visionaries .… Patrick Merrill does not claim a celestial vision of the future; he maps the realities as they have already occurred and continue to shape our world.” The artist’s final print, “Alpha and Omega,” was completed a week before his death and is part of the exhibition. 

A 250-page book of Merrill's art, with full-color images and scholarly essays, will be published in early 2011. 

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays except Thursday, Nov. 11, and Thanksgiving week, Nov. 21-27.

 

Caption: Patrick Merrill's “Seventh Seal.”

 

Oct. 12, 2010