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Pieces of Art
By Krista Goerte
Published September 19, 2009
Many people walk by them on a weekly basis, maybe even give them a cursory glance on the way to find the newest mystery or thriller on the shelf, or the latest J.K. Rowling book.
But few recognize the significance of several pieces of art hung in different locations at the Paris Public Library. Unbeknownst to many in the community, the library is home to paintings and drawings by a few nationally recognized artists.
“We have art from nationally known, recognized artists that I think most people in Paris don’t even realize we have,” Paris librarian Priscilla McAnally said. “When the Culbertsons gave the library to the City of Paris, originally there was an art gallery, because they wanted people to have access to all kinds of culture, not just the literary, but the artwork.”
The original art gallery room has since been used for other purposes, but the library still has a gallery where art is displayed.
“We pride ourselves on taking a hand in art,” McAnally said.
In addition to the portraits of J.J. and Emily Culbertson, painted in Munich, Germany, the library displays art by three nationally known artists.
Just inside the library, on the right-hand wall, are four paintings by Jerry Bywaters, depicting Paris history and legend.
Past the entrance hallway and into the main room, Jose Cisneros’ pencil and ink illustrations hang on the left-hand wall high above a row of shelves.
Walking toward the adult fiction section, library patrons will pass John Biggers’ “East Texas Patchwork” painting.
All three artists have left their artistic stamp in the Paris community.
“We’ve got this wonderful treasure in the library,” McAnally said. “I want people to come in and look at it. I want them to know what they have in town.”
Jose Cisneros
Cisneros probably never stepped foot in Paris or Lamar County, according to the biography “Jose Cisneros: An Artist’s Journey,” yet he drew a series of 23 book illustrations for A.W. Neville’s “The Red River Valley, Then and Now,” published in 1948.
He was born in Mexico in 1910 and his family lost all their belongings in the Mexican revolution that same year. In 1939, Cisneros moved to El Paso and he became a U.S. citizen in 1948.
Cisneros was self taught, and is known primarily for his pen and ink depictions of culture, horses and riders of the old Southwest. His honors throughout the years include the 2002 National Humanities Medal and the 2005 Texas Medal of Arts. He was recognized by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1985 for “Riders Across the Centuries” and in 1997 won the Wister Award from the Western Writers of America for Lifetime Achievement.
McAnally said she believes Cisneros was color blind, which is why he favored pen and ink over colors.
Neville’s “The Red River Valley, Then and Now” was the artist’s first experience drawing in a non-western, non Hispanic book. His drawings from “Then and Now” were done by viewing the area through a “few poor photos and clippings” and ideas from the manuscript.
In addition to the 23 illustrations for “Then and Now,” the library has four prints, all Cisneros’ work, and a portrait of a man who McAnally said she believes is A.W. Neville.
“It’s a portrait of a man,” McAnally said. “Some have said it’s Mr. Cisneros, but I’ve seen pictures of him, I don’t think it’s him. I think it’s Judge Neville, that’s who it looks like to me.”
The five illustrations not on the wall in the main library room, along with the prints, are hanging in the gallery room at the library.
John Biggers
Biggers’ love of the African culture comes through clearly in his work.
The artist was born in Gastonia, N.C., in 1924. He attended the Lincoln Academy, Hampton Institute and Pennsylvania Institute. He also served as a missionary in west Africa and later won a UNESCO fellowship to travel to Africa.
Biggers became the founding chair of the art department at Texas Southwestern University, and in the ’50s, received awards from the Dallas Museum of Art and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. The artist was not allowed to attend the award reception because of the segregationist policies of the museums.
The Biggers painting in the Paris Public Library, “East Texas Patchwork,” was commissioned for the library in 1987 as a joint project between the Chamber of Commerce and the Art Development Council.
“That mural was commissioned for the library specifically,” McAnally said. “They did it when they were expanding the library. The Arts Development Council and the Chamber of Commerce had it done through a grant and donations.”
The painting is a celebration of the patterns and color transformations possible in quilts, according to Alvia J. Warlaw’s book, “The Art of John Biggers: View from the Upper Room.”
“It has actually been out on tour, about 1994 or so, the Houston Museum of Art,” McAnally said. “It was gone for about a year or year and a half. While it was gone we had people come to Paris specifically to see that.”
The painting is worth a second glance: There is much more to it than meets the eye after only a quick glance.
“It’s probably my favorite in here because every time I look at it, and every time you sit there and stare at it, you go ‘I didn’t notice that before,’” McAnally said.
Jerry Bywaters
Not only do the Bywaters paintings depict Paris history, but the artist himself has a history in Paris.
He was born in Paris May 21, 1906. Bywaters graduated from Southern Methodist University and traveled as far as Spain, France, Mexico and New England. His studies continued at the New York Art Students League and produced a body of work ranging from landscapes, to still lifes, to portraits and lithographic prints.
His career included serving as an art critic for The Dallas Morning News, director for the Dallas Museum of Fine Art (now the Dallas Museum of Art) and instructor of art and history at SMU. Bywaters died in 1989.
The four paintings in the entry hallway at the library were painted by Bywaters in 1934.
“We have four works he did for the Public Works Art Project, which was a depression-era public works administration program,” McAnally said. “All of his are obviously connected to Paris, and he was a Lamar County native,” McAnally said.
Two of the paintings depict the 1916 fire that swept through Paris and the rebuilding that took place in subsequent years.
Another depicts Davy Crockett, tying into — whether truth or tale — the night Davy Crockett is said to have passed through Paris.
Cattle baron John Chisum is the subject of one of the four paintings.
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