The Blues

October 15 – January 21, 2012
Perkins Gallery

Color is a complex thing.  Throughout art history it has been studied, categorized and subjected to a variety of interpretations.  From these years of study, we realize that the three primary colors (red, yellow and blue) are the fundamental colors and the key ingredients to produce any other color of the spectrum.  That makes blue a rather important player in the art world.  It has traditionally symbolized sorrow and, ironically, happiness.  In abstract paintings, blue’s cool tone is typically used to give the impression of receding space on the two-dimensional canvas.  In more natural or representational paintings, blue is often mixed with other hues to depict realistic shadows caused by natural light.  Musically, blue is the label for an entire genre of music founded by African-Americans in the Deep South during the 19th century to express grief or distress.  In conjunction with its annual Red, White & The Blues celebration, Polk Museum of Art pays homage to the cool color by displaying works from its Permanent Collection wherein blue is a major component.

Annual Exhibition Fund Sponsors:

• The Muses
• Dorothy Chao Jenkins
• Peterson & Myers, P.A.
• National Endowment for the Arts
• Mr. & Mrs. Robert Puterbaugh
• The Reitzel Foundation
• SunTrust Foundation
• Agriculture and Labor Program Inc.
• Mrs. George W. Truitt
• Fleetwing Corp.
• Tinsley Family Concessions
• Mr. & Mrs. Andy Hernandez
• Dr. & Mrs. Emilio Montero
• BCI Engineers & Scientists