John Newman

RetRospective
KINSMAN ROBINSON GALLERIES
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A tRiBUtE tO

A Tribute to

John Newman
Retrospective
April 6 April 27, 2013

Kinsman Robinson Galleries

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A few years ago when John Newman was left paralyzed down his right side, a thoughtful friend gave him The Brain That changes itself written by Dr. Norman Doidge. This book gave him the courage and inspiration to recover his art.

Right:

The Dancer, 1979

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John Newmans extraordinary adaptation to the paralysis of his right hand, his drawing hand, by rewiring his brain, in his late seventies, so that he could draw with his left hand, is a story in itself. Butthere is a second story here. He, like all right handers, originally drew using his left hemisphere to move that hand. Each hemisphere pays a different form of attention to the world. Johns earlier right-handed drawings show, it seems to me, characteristics of the left hemispheres greater tendency to attend to a narrower focus, and detail. The left hemisphere describes a world that appears more objectified, a world where detail has been explored. With his switch to using more of his right hemisphere, we see a relative shift away from the world of the left hemisphere, to that of the right. The right hemisphere pays a broader form of attention, takes into account context, the deeply embodied experience of emotion and presence, and links us to a world that is less abstract, more alive, immediate, and evocative. These new pictures seem more impressionistic, but not less powerful. They have the power of dreams, and the figures within them are at times as transparent and as liquid as dream characters, which is perhaps why, when I view them, I feel I not only observe them, but I get lost within their beauty.
- Norman Doidge, MD, author of The Brain That Changes Itself

Left:

Adolescent With Flowers, 1979

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The Bride And The Rocking Horse, 1977

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Beach Dolls, 1970

TOP:

Bird And Bride, 1994 Friends, 1982 Girl In A Chair, 1980

Bottom:

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Little Girl, Bride And Boat, 1993

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The Shallows, 2012

Left:

Early Morning Bather, 2012 Self-Portrait Without A Mirror, 2013

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Page 16 & 17:

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The Bathers, 2013

Fields And Flowers, 2003

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Utopian Landscape, 1989

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Early Spring, 2013

TOP:

View From The Hill, 2013 Across The Mill Pond, 2013
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Bottom:

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Spring Like, 2013

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Mountain Path, 2013

Sunlight Sitting On The Trees, 2013

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Yellow Flowers By The Window, 2013

Right:

In A Bright Blue Vase, 2012

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List of Works
Please note that the asterisk (*) denotes that the work is illustrated in the catalogue.

I Am Me, 1991, pastel on paper, 26 x 40 in, 66 x 101.6 cm. Reproduced pg. 7, John Newman: Compositions, Kinsman Robinson Galleries, 2002. Three Aspects Of The Virgin Mary, 1992, Oil on canvas, 31.5 x 23.5 in, 80.01 x 56.69 cm. Reproduced pg. 14, John Newman: Rites of Passage, The Gallery Stratford, 1994 *Little Girl, Bride and Boat, 1993, Pastel on paper, 23 x 39 in, 58.42 x 99.06 cm On Your Own, 1993, Oil on masonite, 18 x 24 in, 45.72 x 60.96 cm *Bird And Bride, 1994, Pastel on paper, 17 x 23 in, 43.18 x 58.42 cm Welcoming Blossom, 1994, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm In A High Key, 1996, Pastel on paper, 20 x 26 in, 50.8 x 66.04 cm Flowers In A Dark Vase, 1997, Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 in, 60.96 x 50.8 cm Flowers In A Vase, 1997, Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 in, 60.96 x 50.8 cm The Greens Of Spring, 1998, Oil on canvas board, 16 x 20 in, 40.64 x 50.8 cm Garden Bouquet, 2000, Oil on canvas, 26 x 32 in, 66.04 x 81.28 cm Ballet Dancers, 2002, Pastel on paper, 26 x 19 in, 66.04 x 48.26 cm *Fields And Flowers, 2003, Oil on canvas, 47.5 x 63 in, 120.65 x 160.02 cm Among The Flowers, 2012, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm At Waters Edge, 2012, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm Blond Hair, Blue Water, 2012, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm The Conversation, 2012, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm Deep In Thought, 2012, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm Dreaming In Red, 2012, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm

*Beach Dolls, 1970, Acrylic on masonite, 30.25 x 22 in, 76.84 x 55.88 cm Morning On The Dunes, 1975-77, Watercolour and charcoal on paper, 20 x 28 in, 50.8 x 71.12 cm The Birthday Cake, 1977, Oil on canvas, 28.25 x 41.5 in, 71.76 x 105.41 cm. Reproduced pg. 10, John Newman: Rites of Passage, The Gallery Stratford, 1994 *The Bride And The Rocking Horse, 1977, Oil on canvas, 19 x 26 in, 48.26 x 66.04 cm. Reproduced pg. 12, John Newman: Rites of Passage, The Gallery Stratford, 1994 *Adolescent With Flowers, 1979, Oil on masonite, 30 x 22 in, 76.2 x 55.88 cm. Reproduced pg. 16, John Newman, Prince Arthur Galleries, 1979 *The Dancer, 1979, Oil on panel, 30 x 24 in, 76.2 x 60.96 cm. Reproduced pg. 10, John Newman, Prince Arthur Galleries, 1979 Dreaming, 1979, Graphite and watercolour on paper, 22 x 28 in, 55.88 x 71.12 cm Girl With Patterned Skirt, 1979, Oil on panel, 24 x 18 in, 60.96 x 45.72 cm. Reproduced pg. 11, John Newman, Prince Arthur Galleries, 1979 *Girl In A Chair, 1980, Conte on paper, 31 x 22 in, 78.74 x 55.88 cm *All In White, 1981, Oil on masonite, 32 x 24 in, 81.28 x 60.96 cm Winter White And Autumn Gold, 1981, Oil on masonite, 18 x 24 in, 45.72 x 60.96 cm *Friends, 1982, Pastel on paper, 30.75 x 22.5 in, 78.11 x 57.15 cm A Spot Of Gold, 1985, Oil on masonite, 18 x 24 in, 45.72 x 60.96 cm *Utopian Landscape, 1989, Oil on masonite, 24 x 29.25 in, 60.96 x 74.3 cm Girls And Dolls, 1991, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm

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*Early Morning Bather, 2012, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm Evening Flowers, 2012, Pastel on paper, 20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 60.96 cm The Glass Vase, 2012, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm *In A Bright Blue Vase, 2012, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm *In The Shallows, 2012, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm Looking Back, 2012, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm On A Summer Day, 2012, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm A Childs Face, 2013, Pastel on paper, 20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 60.96 cm *Across The Mill Pond, 2013, Pastel on paper, 20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 60.96 cm *The Bathers, 2013, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm Bouquet With A Friendly Smile, 2013, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm *Early Spring, 2013, Pastel on paper, 20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 60.96 cm May Marsh, 2013, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm *Mountain Path, 2013, Pastel on paper, 20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 60.96 cm One Tree Stands Out, 2013, Pastel on paper, 17 x 14 in, 43.18 x 35.56 cm Rolling Hills, 2013, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm *Self-Portrait Without A Mirror, 2013, Pastel on paper, 20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 60.96 cm *Spring Like, 2013, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm *Sunlight Sitting On The Trees, 2013, Pastel on paper, 20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 60.96 cm *View From The Hill, 2013, Pastel on paper, 20 x 24 in, 50.8 x 60.96 cm *Yellow Flowers By The Window, 2013, Pastel on paper, 14 x 17 in, 35.56 x 43.18 cm
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