Jennifer Banta - California College of the Arts
Jennifer Banta - California College of the Arts
Jennifer Banta - California College of the Arts
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong><br />
The Painting in <strong>the</strong> Rafters: Refiguring<br />
Abstract Expressionist Bernice Bing<br />
What is <strong>the</strong> mystery? The mystery is <strong>the</strong> work in process. Visually, I sense a<br />
great order <strong>of</strong> things and attempt to transpose this mystery into a picture. I<br />
used to look for meaningful order in life, now I am accepting things as IS. That<br />
nothing is certain, and in my imagery is ever-changing. We are at an epoch <strong>of</strong> a<br />
brave new world, and my hope is that our views will change about how we see<br />
our world, not to stay with <strong>the</strong> things familiar, but to reach out for <strong>the</strong> unknown.<br />
—Bernice Bing, Artist Statement for <strong>the</strong> Triton Museum Exhibition, 10/18/92
Bernice Bing, Burney Falls. 1980. Oil on Canvas, 96 x 77 3 ⁄4". Som<strong>Arts</strong> Cultural Center,<br />
San Francisco.<br />
My <strong>of</strong>fice with <strong>the</strong> Asian Pacific Islander<br />
Cultural Center, perched above <strong>the</strong> Som<strong>Arts</strong><br />
Gallery, is a site for exchange, community,<br />
politics, laughter, and ambitious cultural production. Som<strong>Arts</strong>,<br />
one <strong>of</strong> four city-owned cultural centers, has history in every<br />
crevice. The ineffable presence <strong>of</strong> those who came before pervades<br />
this space. Stored beneath <strong>the</strong> rafters above my desk, for<br />
example, was a 1980 painting by <strong>the</strong> first Executive Director <strong>of</strong><br />
Som<strong>Arts</strong>—painter Bernice Bing. Burney Falls was one <strong>of</strong> several<br />
canvases that she painted <strong>of</strong> this location in Nor<strong>the</strong>rn <strong>California</strong>,<br />
sometimes called <strong>the</strong> eighth wonder <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> natural world.<br />
I was told that Bing’s painting had been haphazardly<br />
propped up in <strong>the</strong> hallway until it was recognized and rescued<br />
to higher ground. The fact that Bing’s painting was stored in<br />
such a manner would seem to be at worst a high art crime, at<br />
best sheer neglect. I could not reconcile this lack <strong>of</strong> respect, yet<br />
it seemed oddly emblematic <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> treasure trove that is<br />
Som<strong>Arts</strong>, where high and low art comingle.<br />
The specter <strong>of</strong> invisibility has become <strong>the</strong> conduit for considering<br />
how a desire to create a visual archive <strong>of</strong> Bernice Bing’s<br />
life, art, and legacy has as much to do with excavating and pre-<br />
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 17
serving <strong>the</strong> material <strong>of</strong> her artwork as with her lived experience.<br />
I needed to understand <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> spiritual path<br />
Bing followed and <strong>the</strong> meditation practice that gave her focus<br />
and confidence as well as her search for her diasporic community<br />
in order to begin to navigate this in-between space. By<br />
approaching this task experientially, through listening to stories,<br />
looking at her paintings, and reading her journals, I too<br />
have found myself in <strong>the</strong> mystery <strong>of</strong> constant discovery. I am<br />
drawn to this state <strong>of</strong> absence, and I find that presence is<br />
returned by how I negotiate this space. I believe that art provides<br />
a medium for accessing this space <strong>of</strong> forgotten stories—<br />
making visible <strong>the</strong> invisible. As if <strong>the</strong> catalyst for my intent had<br />
been far closer than I could have realized, with Burney Falls<br />
hanging above my head every day, Bernice Bing’s oeuvre needed<br />
to be, in effect, dusted <strong>of</strong>f and brought to light.<br />
What exactly were <strong>the</strong> conditions that contributed to Bing’s<br />
marginalization? It is perhaps all too familiar an occurrence<br />
that a lesbian artist <strong>of</strong> color was filtered out <strong>of</strong> art history. If I<br />
accept this reality as a given, <strong>the</strong>n I must also go beyond this<br />
banal fact and tease out <strong>the</strong> details <strong>of</strong> her story. There are many<br />
facets <strong>of</strong> Bing’s identity—all <strong>of</strong> which beckon to be fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
explored, including <strong>the</strong> period <strong>of</strong> Beat history that contains<br />
such fissures and forgotten stories. Bing had access to <strong>the</strong> art<br />
world as an integral player.1 Her marginalization occurred with<br />
<strong>the</strong> passage <strong>of</strong> time.<br />
Perhaps <strong>the</strong> materialistic aspect <strong>of</strong> preserving Bing’s art is<br />
anti<strong>the</strong>tical to <strong>the</strong> fact that her work was rooted in process and<br />
<strong>the</strong> negotiation <strong>of</strong> mystery. On <strong>the</strong> relation between art and<br />
Buddhist spirituality, Bing stated, “I haven’t learned to let go <strong>of</strong><br />
art. The highest form <strong>of</strong> art is a vehicle, a mantra. I am burdened<br />
by <strong>the</strong> materialistic aspect <strong>of</strong> producing art.”2 I am intrigued by<br />
<strong>the</strong> complex and dynamic relations between Bing’s life and<br />
work. At present <strong>the</strong>re is little written about Bernice Bing, save<br />
for <strong>the</strong> work begun by Moira Roth and <strong>the</strong> memorial essay written<br />
by Lydia Mat<strong>the</strong>ws, both archived on <strong>the</strong> Queer Cultural<br />
Center’s website by Rudy Lemcke. Despite this paucity <strong>of</strong> textual<br />
material, I find myself in <strong>the</strong> privileged position <strong>of</strong> being surrounded<br />
by people who knew and loved her.<br />
Spontaneous moments arise at Som<strong>Arts</strong> where I find myself<br />
in conversation with people who knew Bernice Bing. Bing’s life<br />
had a catalyzing effect on a group <strong>of</strong> people who came toge<strong>the</strong>r<br />
after her death to remember and honor her life, and who<br />
remain connected. In Quantum Bingo, <strong>the</strong> essay memorializing<br />
Bing after her death, Lydia Mat<strong>the</strong>ws writes, “[hers] was a powerfully<br />
sustained yet quiet career. This kind <strong>of</strong> artist can easily<br />
fall through historical cracks if we do not diligently keep her<br />
memory alive.”3 Indeed, Bing has now largely fallen through <strong>the</strong><br />
cracks, though in her lifetime she was quite visible. During <strong>the</strong><br />
1950s, Bing was among <strong>the</strong> first generation <strong>of</strong> post-war women<br />
artists in <strong>California</strong>, and after her graduation, Bing enjoyed a<br />
one-person exhibition at <strong>the</strong> Batman Gallery, one <strong>of</strong> several<br />
Beat galleries that appeared briefly during <strong>the</strong> late ’50s and early<br />
’60s in San Francisco. Bing appears in <strong>the</strong> poster announcing<br />
her 1961 show, surrounded by her paintings in her studio above<br />
<strong>the</strong> Noodle Factory in North Beach, <strong>the</strong> seat <strong>of</strong> Beat activity.<br />
Bing received early critical acclaim for her work with a 1963 and<br />
1964 Artforum review by critic James Monte. In many ways, this<br />
period marked <strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>of</strong> a promising career. However,<br />
this level <strong>of</strong> recognition waned substantially over <strong>the</strong> ensuing<br />
years, <strong>of</strong>ten due to her difficulties in surviving financially as an<br />
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 19
artist, time devoted, at least in part, to administrative duties<br />
(such as her role as <strong>the</strong> first Executive Director <strong>of</strong> Som<strong>Arts</strong>),<br />
and her failing health.<br />
The art community in <strong>the</strong> San Francisco Bay area experienced<br />
a surge <strong>of</strong> creative energy after World War II, and <strong>the</strong> city<br />
was <strong>the</strong> site <strong>of</strong> interchanges between abstract painters, Beat<br />
poets, jazz musicians, <strong>the</strong> West and East coasts, as well as artistic<br />
and spiritual contacts with Asia.4 This zenith <strong>of</strong> creativity<br />
encompassed a Beat sensibility that included collaboration, collectivity,<br />
and many forms <strong>of</strong> artistic expression. What was it like<br />
to come <strong>of</strong> age artistically during <strong>the</strong>se times? In many ways,<br />
this post-war period represented a liminal stage, and Bing was<br />
an integral player in this moment.<br />
San Francisco’s Bohemian history is rich and has been lovingly<br />
documented in numerous publications, yet <strong>the</strong>se tales are<br />
only part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> story. In <strong>the</strong> Bohemian milieu, <strong>the</strong> masculine<br />
world <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> literati and <strong>the</strong> male subjectivity <strong>of</strong> Abstract<br />
Expressionism dominated. Of course, women were present and<br />
not just as wives and stunning guests at parties and openings,<br />
but as business partners and artists. Rebecca Solnit has written<br />
extensively about Beat painting as concurrent with that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
literati’s activities during this period in <strong>the</strong> catalog accompanying<br />
<strong>the</strong> Whitney Museum <strong>of</strong> American Art’s exhibition, Beat<br />
Culture and <strong>the</strong> New America, 1950–1965.5 She explicates that<br />
though <strong>the</strong> historical focus has always been on <strong>the</strong> literati’s activities<br />
in North Beach, <strong>the</strong> strong presence <strong>of</strong> painters and jazz<br />
musicians in <strong>the</strong> Western Addition promoted significant artistic<br />
exchange. The two prominent women in this group that Solnit<br />
writes about were close friends <strong>of</strong> Bing’s: Jay De Feo (married to<br />
Wally Hendrick) and Joan Brown (married to Manuel Neri).<br />
Charles Snyder, Batman Gallery Poster. 1961. Collection <strong>of</strong> Lenore Chinn.<br />
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 21
Romantic alliances that were formed within this bohemian<br />
haven were an integral part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> movement and formed a<br />
nexus <strong>of</strong> lovers, partners, and roommates. A woman’s success<br />
and visibility as an artist was no doubt heightened by <strong>the</strong> partnerships<br />
she formed with successful men, and in many ways<br />
created a conflation <strong>of</strong> roles previously prescribed to women in<br />
bohemia’s history, such as <strong>the</strong> unsettled distinction between<br />
woman as muse and woman as artist. This idea was perhaps<br />
most clearly defined within Surrealism by André Breton, who<br />
attributed <strong>the</strong> female muse with child-like qualities that he saw<br />
as closer to <strong>the</strong> unconscious than men were.6 Although De Feo<br />
and Brown were talented artists in <strong>the</strong>ir own right, I think it is<br />
important to question why <strong>the</strong>y are written about and not<br />
Bernice Bing, <strong>the</strong> lesbian artist. Their marriages, as far as history<br />
is concerned, ensure that <strong>the</strong>y are remembered by association.<br />
Bernice Bing was born in San Francisco’s Chinatown in<br />
1936. Her mo<strong>the</strong>r and aunt worked as hat girls and dancers in<br />
Chinatown’s infamous Forbidden City, a Chinese-<strong>the</strong>med<br />
cabaret frequented by military personnel. For Bernice’s mo<strong>the</strong>r<br />
to choose to step out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tightly prescribed domestic female<br />
roles was to invite a certain degree <strong>of</strong> ostracism from <strong>the</strong> community.<br />
She did it anyway; it was a job, and <strong>the</strong> Depression was<br />
in full force. Bing’s aunt Lonnie was also drawn by <strong>the</strong> allure <strong>of</strong><br />
late nights, glamorous costumes, and people from outside<br />
Chinatown;7 it is unclear whe<strong>the</strong>r this was <strong>the</strong> case for Bing’s<br />
mo<strong>the</strong>r. However, I like to think that this act became a legacy<br />
for Bing who was continually drawn to <strong>the</strong> avant-garde and<br />
spent her life deeply immersed in a variety <strong>of</strong> different worlds<br />
while maintaining separate identities.<br />
Bing’s mo<strong>the</strong>r died when she was a young girl. Though her<br />
Unknown Photographer. Forbidden City Dressing Room. n.d. Collection <strong>of</strong> Frances<br />
Chun Kan.<br />
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 23
fa<strong>the</strong>r, grandmo<strong>the</strong>r, and aunt were alive, both she and her<br />
younger sister Lolita spent <strong>the</strong>ir childhoods shuttled between<br />
Caucasian foster homes with only sporadic contact with <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
Asian relatives and infrequent visits to Chinatown. Bing was not<br />
an orphan since she had next <strong>of</strong> kin, but was orphaned none<strong>the</strong>less<br />
from her primary family. In her memories <strong>of</strong> her childhood,<br />
Bing emphasizes <strong>the</strong> cultural differences she experienced:<br />
My grandmo<strong>the</strong>r represented China, <strong>the</strong> old country, bringing<br />
over her feelings <strong>of</strong> anger and subservience, but her<br />
strength, too. She was a woman who had bound feet, bound<br />
at <strong>the</strong> age <strong>of</strong> five. I didn’t really know my mo<strong>the</strong>r but, <strong>of</strong><br />
course she was my grandmo<strong>the</strong>r’s child . . . my mo<strong>the</strong>r had an<br />
ambitious life as a young woman but she was never able to<br />
fulfill herself completely because she died at <strong>the</strong> young age <strong>of</strong><br />
twenty-three. For me <strong>the</strong>re was <strong>the</strong> difficulty <strong>of</strong> being an<br />
Asian American child going to a basically very middle class<br />
white school, and trying to assimilate both <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se cultures.8<br />
The early rupture in her life caused by her mo<strong>the</strong>r’s death<br />
disconnected her from <strong>the</strong> key sources <strong>of</strong> cultural transmission.<br />
Gone were <strong>the</strong> superstitions, <strong>the</strong> stories, <strong>the</strong> language, and <strong>the</strong><br />
food that all serve as conduits for transferring her Chinese culture<br />
from <strong>the</strong> elders in her family. Though she was raised in foster<br />
homes, she had relatives who exposed her to her Chinese<br />
heritage through <strong>the</strong> occasional visits, and this was enough to<br />
spark an interest which she pursued as a young woman through<br />
her studies and for <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong> her life.<br />
Her memories <strong>of</strong> Chinatown (<strong>the</strong> sights, smells, colors, and<br />
sounds) were only a memory, not something that was directly<br />
cultivated growing up. How does such an influence grow? In <strong>the</strong><br />
absence <strong>of</strong> an environment that nurtures a sensibility, is <strong>the</strong>re<br />
information in <strong>the</strong> space <strong>of</strong> memory that provides an intuitive<br />
map to navigate <strong>the</strong> world?<br />
At that time I knew almost nothing about Eastern art or<br />
thought. I was totally naive about my own cultural heritage.<br />
I was living in and reacting to parallel worlds—one, <strong>the</strong><br />
rational, conscious world <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> West; <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> intuitive,<br />
unconscious world <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> East. This duality caused me to<br />
explore <strong>the</strong> differences and samenesses in art forms.9<br />
Is Bing strategically toying with stereotypical notions <strong>of</strong><br />
East/West dualism here? When she refers to <strong>the</strong> West as “conscious”<br />
and <strong>the</strong> East as “unconscious,” I am inclined to think<br />
this construct refers tacitly to <strong>the</strong> organizing principal <strong>of</strong> interconnectedness<br />
that is understood as part <strong>of</strong> a dualistic whole. If<br />
I understand that in every cliché <strong>the</strong>re is an element <strong>of</strong> truth,<br />
<strong>the</strong>n it compels me to go beyond <strong>the</strong> face-value <strong>of</strong> her statement.<br />
It also has to be acknowledged that, given she was born,<br />
raised, and educated in <strong>the</strong> United States, her context, first and<br />
foremost, was a hybrid <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> experiential, <strong>the</strong> learned, and <strong>the</strong><br />
intuitive, given her artistic sensibilities.<br />
Bing’s statement can also be understood as an admission <strong>of</strong><br />
her own naiveté about her cultural heritage. In fact, Bing later<br />
turned to a Japanese mentor, Sabro Hasegawa, who inspired her<br />
with a context to begin thinking about her heritage. In her<br />
words, “I had no idea what it meant to be an Asian woman and<br />
he got me started thinking about that. I was in awe <strong>of</strong> him.”10<br />
This reveals a complex process that included all sorts <strong>of</strong> intercultural<br />
knowledge. Bing’s lack <strong>of</strong> experience and innocence in<br />
this regard, along with her hunger for knowledge about her her-<br />
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 25
itage, would have included impressions gleaned from <strong>the</strong> dominant<br />
culture at <strong>the</strong> time. Clearly, this process was a life-long<br />
endeavor <strong>of</strong> absorbing information and discovering self-truths.<br />
Gifted with a facility for drawing at a young age, art became<br />
<strong>the</strong> means by which she navigated <strong>the</strong> two worlds in which she<br />
lived: <strong>the</strong> memory <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> brief exposure to her Chinese culture<br />
in <strong>the</strong> first years <strong>of</strong> her life, and <strong>the</strong> Western context in which<br />
she was raised. Nona Mock Wyman, in her memoir about growing<br />
up in <strong>the</strong> same orphanage as Bing, titled Chopstick<br />
Childhood In A Town <strong>of</strong> Silver Spoons: Orphaned at <strong>the</strong> Ming<br />
Quong Home, recalls <strong>the</strong> nuns who washed Bing’s mouth out<br />
with soap as punishment for her smart and feisty tongue.11<br />
Raised in an orphanage, Bing was not a dutiful Chinese daughter<br />
curtailed by <strong>the</strong> family structure. The story Wyman tells is<br />
emblematic <strong>of</strong> Bing’s angry rebellion and unwillingness to conform.<br />
This spirit would follow her throughout her life and find<br />
its outlet in her paintings. Early in her student career, Bing was<br />
drawn to teachers that could inform her about painting, calligraphy,<br />
abstraction, and Zen. In o<strong>the</strong>r words, her early facility for<br />
drawing became <strong>the</strong> means by which she also was able to access<br />
and learn about her heritage.<br />
Bing was also deeply influenced by her studies in<br />
Abstraction with Richard Diebenkorn and Nathan Oliviera. In<br />
her book, Abstract Expressionism, O<strong>the</strong>r Politics, Anne Gibson<br />
points out that Abstract Expressionism (a style whose definition<br />
was intimately related to <strong>the</strong> identity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> artist), while being<br />
promulgated as a universal story, has been told as a triumph <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> outsider. Abstract Expressionism represented a rebellious<br />
movement born <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> post-war period in America. This narrative,<br />
based on <strong>the</strong> trials <strong>of</strong> a privileged group <strong>of</strong> white, heterosex-<br />
ual bohemians and intellectuals, and celebrated by critics such as<br />
Clement Greenberg, reflects <strong>the</strong> story <strong>of</strong> Abstract Expressionism<br />
as it has been written into <strong>the</strong> art historical canon.<br />
Artists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning<br />
were enamored with <strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> a pure process related to selfdiscovery<br />
through painting. The time <strong>of</strong> Abstract<br />
Expressionism was also <strong>the</strong> era <strong>of</strong> New Criticism in which political<br />
affiliations were suppressed along with one’s biography. As<br />
a result, Gibson contends, Abstract Expressionism emerged as<br />
<strong>the</strong> “work <strong>of</strong> artists <strong>of</strong> one gender, one color, and one sexual<br />
preference . . . while critics also insisted that <strong>the</strong>ir judgments<br />
were made without reference to <strong>the</strong> artist’s identities.”12<br />
Abstract Expressionism claimed <strong>the</strong> mantle <strong>of</strong> marginality and<br />
appropriated aes<strong>the</strong>tic strategies (such as masking, maternalism,<br />
and social invisibility) that paralleled experiences more<br />
familiar to blacks, women, gays, and lesbians and was certainly<br />
resonant to Asians experiencing bitter and protracted prejudice<br />
in San Francisco during this time in American history.13 In particular,<br />
from <strong>the</strong> turn <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> twentieth century, until its repeal in<br />
1943, <strong>the</strong> Chinese Exclusion Act was a national system formed<br />
specifically for regulating Asian immigration, a system that<br />
invoked fear and suspicion <strong>of</strong> Asian Americans in <strong>the</strong> larger<br />
community.14<br />
Clement Greenberg and some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> influential critics that<br />
followed him all practiced this kind <strong>of</strong> New Critical/Death <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> Author interpretation that actually perpetuated <strong>the</strong> power<br />
and privilege <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> individual artist within a space <strong>of</strong> critical<br />
denial. How does one understand this notion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> self? In this<br />
context, an understanding must first address <strong>the</strong> construct that<br />
in many ways actively appropriated styles and tropes from o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 27
Bernice Bing, Burney Falls. 1965. Watercolor on paper, 24 x 32". Collection <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> artist.<br />
traditions while positioning Abstract Expressionism, in<br />
Greenberg’s words, as an “art that lies almost entirely within<br />
Western tradition.”15 Nothing is pure; what is au<strong>the</strong>ntic is<br />
entirely subjective to <strong>the</strong> individual and, perhaps, takes a lifetime<br />
for that individual to discover.<br />
Bing’s understanding <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> East came largely from her<br />
own desire to pursue this knowledge as a young woman, namely<br />
through her studies with Sabro Haesgawa at <strong>the</strong> <strong>California</strong><br />
School <strong>of</strong> Fine <strong>Arts</strong> who introduced her to Zen, <strong>the</strong> writings <strong>of</strong><br />
Lao Tzu, and Chinese painting. Based on Bing’s own biography,<br />
<strong>the</strong> historical references Bing makes to calligraphy, philosophy,<br />
and ancient Chinese Art in her work drew from her experience.<br />
Her search represented an excavation <strong>of</strong> her roots and was a<br />
reflection <strong>of</strong> her unfolding identity. At <strong>the</strong> same time, it represented<br />
a confluence <strong>of</strong> different styles and cultures.<br />
In 1997, <strong>the</strong> year before she died, her painting, Burney Falls<br />
(1965), was included in Asian Traditions / Modern Expressions:<br />
Asian American Artists and Abstraction 1945–1970, a traveling<br />
exhibition organized by <strong>the</strong> Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art<br />
Museum at Rutgers University. Burney Falls (1965) closely references<br />
<strong>the</strong> one-stroke approach <strong>of</strong> traditional Chinese ink<br />
landscape painting, rendered in washed-out blues, browns, and<br />
greens. It is also deeply rooted in <strong>the</strong> natural scenery <strong>of</strong><br />
Nor<strong>the</strong>rn <strong>California</strong> from which it takes its name and <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>California</strong> Abstract Expressionism that Bing studied.<br />
During <strong>the</strong> period <strong>of</strong> Abstract Expressionism’s development,<br />
a significant number <strong>of</strong> Asian American artists comprised<br />
a largely unnoticed group <strong>of</strong> abstractionists, according to<br />
<strong>the</strong> exhibition curator, Jeffrey Wechsler. He proposes that this<br />
art, “centered in nature and meditative ra<strong>the</strong>r than assertive in<br />
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 29
spirit, has roots in a fundamentally Asian es<strong>the</strong>tic.”16 Wechsler<br />
fur<strong>the</strong>r suggests that <strong>the</strong> signature features <strong>of</strong> Abstract<br />
Expressionism (gestural brushwork, a restricted palette) had<br />
time-honored Asian precedents.17 Wechsler understands Bing’s<br />
work in <strong>the</strong> context <strong>of</strong> geography/biography and <strong>the</strong> historical<br />
traditions that influence her work. This context is provocative<br />
given that Abstract Expressionism, at its advent, was promoted<br />
by critics such as Clement Greenberg as a purely American Art<br />
form. Wechsler proposes a much more fluid re-framing <strong>of</strong> this<br />
moment based on a confluence <strong>of</strong> different traditions, coincidences,<br />
and influences ra<strong>the</strong>r than a spontaneous generation on<br />
American soil.<br />
Art Historian Margo Machida asserts that <strong>the</strong> framing <strong>of</strong><br />
issues “through an Asian American lens continues to be widely<br />
regarded as parochial and self-marginalizing.” At <strong>the</strong> same time,<br />
“<strong>the</strong>re is nothing inherently restrictive, essentialist or balkanizing<br />
about concepts like difference and identity.” In fact, essentialism<br />
fur<strong>the</strong>r collapses <strong>the</strong> scope <strong>of</strong> inquiry ra<strong>the</strong>r than inviting fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
investigation and imagination.18 Machida maintains that reproducing<br />
Asian American visual art without new means <strong>of</strong> interpretation<br />
and contextualization is problematic. As <strong>the</strong> world<br />
becomes an increasingly hybrid, transnational environment,<br />
<strong>the</strong> issues <strong>of</strong> meaning and cultural translation have to move<br />
beyond <strong>the</strong> rhetoric <strong>of</strong> race and ethnicity. In this premise, <strong>the</strong>re<br />
is a provocative question concerning intercultural knowledge. If<br />
it can be said that <strong>the</strong> discourse has evolved beyond mere representation<br />
as a means to counterweight stereotypes, <strong>the</strong>n it can<br />
also be said that anybody’s biography contains complex and disparate<br />
elements. Bing’s biography complicates and adds depth<br />
to her art because she was actively engaged in an ongoing<br />
process <strong>of</strong> examination. Not everyone elects to do this, and it<br />
takes a certain degree <strong>of</strong> courage to look within in this manner.<br />
In 1958 Bing transferred from <strong>the</strong> <strong>California</strong> <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Arts</strong> and Crafts, where she had studied advertising, to <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>California</strong> School <strong>of</strong> Fine <strong>Arts</strong> to pursue a degree in painting.<br />
She earned a BFA with honors and went on to graduate as part<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> first MFA class in 1961.19 Bernice Bing, or Bingo as she<br />
was affectionately called since childhood, was part <strong>of</strong> a Bay Area<br />
art scene that included Joan Brown, Bill Wiley, Robert Hudson,<br />
Leo Vallidor, and Cornelia Schulz—colleagues in her 1961 MFA<br />
class at <strong>the</strong> <strong>California</strong> School <strong>of</strong> Fine <strong>Arts</strong>.<br />
After her graduation, she enjoyed a one-person exhibition<br />
at <strong>the</strong> Batman Gallery. The Batman Gallery was so called due to<br />
<strong>the</strong> influence <strong>of</strong> poet Michael McClure (who, when asked about<br />
<strong>the</strong> origin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> name, quipped, “You know, battling <strong>the</strong> forces<br />
<strong>of</strong> evil.”) and <strong>the</strong> “blackness” that was artist Bruce Connor’s creation:<br />
black floor, black ceilings, <strong>the</strong> complete opposite <strong>of</strong> what<br />
you would see in most galleries with <strong>the</strong>ir stark white walls.20<br />
This alternative site for artists and intellectuals was still a decidedly<br />
male-authored environment. William Jahrmarkt financed<br />
<strong>the</strong> Batman Gallery, and McClure and Connor were instrumental<br />
is its design and concept.21<br />
Alfred Frankenstein reviewed Bing’s solo show at <strong>the</strong><br />
Batman in <strong>the</strong> San Francisco Chronicle: “Bing . . . has a remarkable<br />
gift for fluid line . . . carried to <strong>the</strong> verge <strong>of</strong> abstraction in<br />
some extremely good small drawings. Her paintings are huge<br />
and are most remarkable for <strong>the</strong> majestic sternness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
blacks and reds . . .”22 The artists who inspired Bing (de<br />
Kooning, Kline, Mo<strong>the</strong>rwell, Still23) favored monumentally<br />
scaled works that stood as reflections <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir individual psy-<br />
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 31
ches.24 Bing also favored huge works that were as bold a statement<br />
as her male counterparts. It could be surmised that she<br />
was able to garner a solo show at <strong>the</strong> Batman because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
scale <strong>of</strong> her works, at a time when a one-woman show was rare.<br />
Bing’s work was informed by this confident masculine energy,<br />
while at <strong>the</strong> same time she was unassuming. According to Bing,<br />
<strong>the</strong> Batman show was “surprising” to her contemporaries since<br />
she did not make a lot <strong>of</strong> noise at school.25<br />
In <strong>the</strong> poster announcing <strong>the</strong> 1961 show, <strong>the</strong>re is a degree<br />
<strong>of</strong> brazen, almost defiant, authorship in this tableau, as she sits<br />
in a rocking chair, looking boldly at her audience. Bing creates<br />
a diptych with <strong>the</strong> arrangement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> paintings in <strong>the</strong> poster<br />
that moves us from one chapter <strong>of</strong> art history to <strong>the</strong> next. She<br />
places her physical body within <strong>the</strong> field, in a triangulation <strong>of</strong><br />
art history. To her right, her 1960 painting <strong>of</strong> Las Meninas<br />
(based on <strong>the</strong> famous 1656 painting by Diego Velázquez, <strong>the</strong><br />
painter <strong>of</strong> King Phillip IV) represents Western figurative painting,<br />
and to her left, is an unidentified abstract study. The bold<br />
horizontal lines on <strong>the</strong> left connect <strong>the</strong> scenes and suggest a<br />
continuation. As we look at her and her paintings, she also<br />
looks at us; we have entered <strong>the</strong> sanctified space <strong>of</strong> her studio.<br />
In this moment, we have happened upon Bing, who seems to<br />
radiate a quiet sovereignty.<br />
It was typical <strong>of</strong> art education at <strong>the</strong> time to have students<br />
recreate paintings by <strong>the</strong> masters <strong>of</strong> art history, just as <strong>the</strong>y had<br />
done for hundreds <strong>of</strong> years. Bing painted Las Meninas in 1960<br />
when she was still at <strong>the</strong> <strong>California</strong> School <strong>of</strong> Fine <strong>Arts</strong>.<br />
Velázquez’s Las Meninas shows a large room in <strong>the</strong> Madrid<br />
palace <strong>of</strong> King Philip IV <strong>of</strong> Spain, and presents several figures,<br />
most identifiable from <strong>the</strong> Spanish court. Just behind <strong>the</strong> fig-<br />
ures, Velázquez portrays himself working at a large canvas while<br />
looking outwards at <strong>the</strong> viewer.26 In Bing’s Las Meninas, <strong>the</strong><br />
focal point <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> scene is arranged around <strong>the</strong> Infanta<br />
Margarita. The depiction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> painter in <strong>the</strong> left <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> canvas<br />
is abstracted to <strong>the</strong> background, though <strong>the</strong> canvas on which he<br />
is working predominately frames <strong>the</strong> scene. The presence <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Infanta highlights <strong>the</strong> female looking out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> painting at <strong>the</strong><br />
viewer. By recreating this painting, Bing is also aligning herself<br />
with <strong>the</strong> master who painted <strong>the</strong> scene.<br />
The scene staged by Bing in <strong>the</strong> poster for her exhibit at <strong>the</strong><br />
Batman Gallery mimics, in certain ways, Velázquez’s famous<br />
painting. Velázquez placed himself to <strong>the</strong> side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> painting on<br />
which he is working, and, significantly, Bing is framed by several<br />
large paintings in her own studio. Both artists identify as<br />
painters and associate <strong>the</strong>mselves within <strong>the</strong> represented scene.<br />
Though Bing is not actively working on her paintings in <strong>the</strong><br />
same way as Velázquez, <strong>the</strong> scene is staged at <strong>the</strong> site <strong>of</strong> her production,<br />
within her studio, and her paintings serve as her<br />
entourage. Her gaze, like Velázquez, signals an awareness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
viewer.<br />
Michel Foucault’s study <strong>of</strong> Velázquez’s Las Meninas focused<br />
on <strong>the</strong> artwork itself as though it were before him, describing in<br />
minute detail what he saw.27 Foucault conceptualizes <strong>the</strong> significance<br />
<strong>of</strong> this painting as a “self-reflexive meditation on <strong>the</strong><br />
nature <strong>of</strong> representation” which signals a paradigmatic shift in<br />
Western culture regarding representation.28 Foucault writes,<br />
“we are observing ourselves being observed by <strong>the</strong> painter, and<br />
made visible to his eyes by <strong>the</strong> same light that enables us to see<br />
him.”29 Through Foucault’s act <strong>of</strong> observing and describing <strong>the</strong><br />
painting, he reveals a reciprocity <strong>of</strong> looking that complicates <strong>the</strong><br />
32 Sightlines 2009<br />
<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 33
Bernice Bing, Las Meninas. 1960. Oil on Canvas, 6 x 6'. Private collection (opposite<br />
top). Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas,1656. Oil on canvas. 10'5" x 9'1". Museo del<br />
Prado, Madrid (opposite bottom).<br />
relationship between those who are represented and those who<br />
look. In effect, <strong>the</strong>re is a degree <strong>of</strong> uncertainty in visual representation.<br />
Bing suggests a shift in <strong>the</strong> field <strong>of</strong> abstraction that is<br />
dependent on <strong>the</strong> viewer’s interpretation. Here Bing shows in<br />
visual terms <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>sis that Foucault later elucidates with language.<br />
Bing’s choice is oddly prescient as Foucault’s study <strong>of</strong> Las<br />
Meninas would not be written for ano<strong>the</strong>r six years.<br />
The photographer Charles Snyder captured Bing during<br />
<strong>the</strong> late fifties in several iconic shots in her studio, including <strong>the</strong><br />
one used for <strong>the</strong> Batman Gallery poster. In a second photograph,<br />
<strong>the</strong> scene is similarly framed as <strong>the</strong> one for <strong>the</strong> poster,<br />
except that here Bing is in <strong>the</strong> foreground, lying down on <strong>the</strong><br />
floor, her sweatshirt and clam-diggers spattered with paint, her<br />
chin resting in her hand. Her gaze fully engages <strong>the</strong> viewer and<br />
<strong>the</strong> photographer. In <strong>the</strong> background, <strong>the</strong> rocking chair is<br />
framed by <strong>the</strong> two paintings but has been turned to face <strong>the</strong><br />
o<strong>the</strong>r way. The informal air to this scene reinforces that <strong>the</strong> studio<br />
is where she is most at home.<br />
In ano<strong>the</strong>r image by photographer Grover Sales, Bing is<br />
captured as if in contemplation <strong>of</strong> her painting that fills <strong>the</strong><br />
background <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> frame. Here, in <strong>the</strong> midst <strong>of</strong> her reverie, she<br />
looks out at <strong>the</strong> viewer who has entered her space. Bing is wear-<br />
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<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 35
Charles Snyder, Bingo late 50’s. n.d. Collection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> artist (below).<br />
Grover Sales, Bernice Bing, n.d. Collection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> artist (opposite).<br />
36 Sightlines 2009 <strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 37
ing a white oxford with <strong>the</strong> sleeves rolled up, her hair pulled<br />
loosely back, and her trademark red lips captured in black and<br />
white. Her hand holds a lit cigarette; <strong>the</strong> tendrils <strong>of</strong> smoke<br />
become part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> field <strong>of</strong> abstraction in her painting. There is<br />
something seductively voyeuristic about <strong>the</strong>se shots, and I can’t<br />
help but describe her presence in <strong>the</strong>se glamorous and feminine<br />
terms. I would venture to assert that, here, Bing assumes “<strong>the</strong><br />
mask <strong>of</strong> femininity” as she poses within her studio. According<br />
to <strong>the</strong> analysis <strong>of</strong> Joan Rivière, in her essay, “Womanliness as<br />
Masquerade,” “womanliness <strong>the</strong>refore could be assumed and<br />
worn as a mask, both to hide <strong>the</strong> possession <strong>of</strong> masculinity<br />
[read power and authority] and to revert <strong>the</strong> reprisals expected<br />
if [<strong>the</strong> women] was found to possess it.”30 There is a symbiotic<br />
relationship between Bing and <strong>the</strong> paint that reveals an intimate<br />
and carefully crafted look at <strong>the</strong> artist.<br />
The Sales photograph presents one version <strong>of</strong> Bing’s “self,”<br />
embodying both her authority as an artist and her feminine<br />
presence. The similarities between <strong>the</strong> photograph <strong>of</strong> Bing in<br />
<strong>the</strong> white oxford and <strong>the</strong> photo that appears on <strong>the</strong> Batman<br />
Gallery poster are as striking as <strong>the</strong> marked differences, and I<br />
can only surmise why one and not <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r, in <strong>the</strong> end, was<br />
chosen for <strong>the</strong> poster. Ultimately, by reframing and developing<br />
<strong>the</strong> shadow presence <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Batman Gallery and by extension,<br />
<strong>the</strong> times around Abstract Expressionism and <strong>the</strong> Beat movement<br />
in San Francisco, <strong>the</strong> whole picture comes into focus. The<br />
Batman Gallery poster is a piece <strong>of</strong> ephemera that functions as<br />
one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> few remaining testimonials to this place and time.<br />
Reading <strong>the</strong> poster provides clues to <strong>the</strong> context <strong>of</strong> history,<br />
gender, and Bing’s concurrent quest for identity that make clear<br />
<strong>the</strong> need to expand <strong>the</strong> art historical canon to acknowledge <strong>the</strong><br />
key role <strong>of</strong> this visionary painter. The poster demonstrates that<br />
Bing was present and that she was an integral player in Beat<br />
History. At <strong>the</strong> tail end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fifties, a time dominated by <strong>the</strong><br />
masculine presence in <strong>the</strong> arts, Bing chose to identify in bold<br />
and unmistakable terms that she was a painter, while positioning<br />
herself squarely within <strong>the</strong> trajectory <strong>of</strong> art history.<br />
Notes<br />
1 In 1960, Bing accompanies Joan Brown a close friend at this time, to New<br />
York, for Brown's first one-person show at <strong>the</strong> Staempfli Gallery. On meeting<br />
Marcel Duchamp at a party, Bing states, “that was my most thrilling<br />
experience in New York.” Moira Roth, “A Narrative Chronology,” in Moira<br />
Roth & Diane Tani, eds. Bernice Bing, (Berkeley, CA: Visibility Press, 1991).<br />
2 Bernice Bing, Video Interview with Moira Roth, 1989.<br />
3 Lydia Mat<strong>the</strong>ws, “Quantum Bingo,” (San Francisco: Som<strong>Arts</strong> Gallery,<br />
Retrospective Exhibition, 1999).<br />
4 Susan Landauer, The San Francisco School <strong>of</strong> Abstract Expressionism<br />
(Berkeley, CA: University <strong>of</strong> CA Press, 1996), 5–6.<br />
5 Rebecca Solnit, “Heretical Constellations: Notes on <strong>California</strong>, 1946-1961,”<br />
Beat Culture and <strong>the</strong> New America, 1950–1965, (New York: Whitney<br />
Museum <strong>of</strong> American Art, 1995), 69.<br />
6 Briony Fer, David Batchelor and Paul Wood, Realism, Rationalism,<br />
Surrealism: Art Between <strong>the</strong> Wars, (London: Open University, 1993), 237.<br />
7 Lenore Chinn, in conversation with <strong>the</strong> author, (July 3, 2008).<br />
8 Moira Roth, “A Narrative Chronology,” in Moira Roth & Diane Tani, eds.<br />
Bernice Bing, (Berkeley, CA: Visibility Press, 1991), 22–23.<br />
9 Asian American Women Artists Association, Of Our Own Voice, (Berkeley,<br />
CA: AAWAA, 1998), 13.<br />
10 Moira Roth, “A Narrative Chronology,” in Moira Roth & Diane Tani, eds.<br />
Bernice Bing, (Berkeley, CA: Visibility Press, 1991). 22–23.<br />
11 Nona Mock Wyman, Chopstick Childhood In A Town <strong>of</strong> Silver Spoons:<br />
Orphaned at <strong>the</strong> Ming Quong Home (Walnut Creek, CA: MQ Press, 1999),<br />
12 Ann Eden Gibson, Abstract Expressionism: O<strong>the</strong>r Politics (Connecticut: Yale<br />
University Press, 1999), 59.<br />
13 Ann Eden Gibson, Abstract Expressionism: O<strong>the</strong>r Politics, (Connecticut:<br />
Yale University Press, 1999).<br />
38 Sightlines 2009<br />
<strong>Jennifer</strong> <strong>Banta</strong> 39
14 Life on Angel Island, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation,<br />
2007–2008 http://www.aiisf.org/index.php/history/life-on-angel-island<br />
15 Ellen G. Landau, ed. Reading Abstract Expressionism: Context and Critique,<br />
(New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005), 207.<br />
16 Jeffery Wechsler, ed. Asian Traditions/Modern Expression: Asian American<br />
Artists and Abstraction, 1940–1970, The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art<br />
Museum. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1997.)<br />
17 Ibid.<br />
18 Elaine H Kim, Margo Machida, and Sharon Mizota, eds. Fresh Talk, Daring<br />
Gazes: Conversations on Asian American Art, (Berkeley: University <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>California</strong> Press, 2003). xi–xiii.<br />
19 Edited by Moira Roth & Diane Tani, Bernice Bing, (Berkeley, CA: Visibility<br />
Press, 1991).<br />
20 Jack Foley, “O her blackness sparkles!” in The Beat Generation: Galleries and<br />
Beyond, (Davis, CA: John Natsoulas Press. 1996), 163.<br />
21 Jack Foley, 164.<br />
22 Alfred Frankenstein as quoted in Moira Roth, “A Narrative Chronology” in<br />
Bernice Bing. 26.<br />
23 Bernice Bing, Artist’s Statement. Completing <strong>the</strong> Circle, (San Francisco:<br />
Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Exposure Gallery, 1990).<br />
24 Paul Stella. “Abstract Expressionism”. In Heilbrunn Timeline <strong>of</strong> Art History.<br />
New York: The Metropolitan Museum <strong>of</strong> Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm.<br />
25 Ibid.<br />
26 Madlyn Millner Kahr. “Velazquez and Las Meninas”. The Art Bulletin,<br />
Vol.57, No. 2, June 1975. 225.<br />
27 Michel Foucault, “Las Meninas,” The Order <strong>of</strong> Things: An Archaeology <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Human Sciences (London: Routledge. 2002), 3–18.<br />
28 Yvette Greslé, “Foucault’s Las Meninas and art-historical methods,” Journal<br />
<strong>of</strong> Literary Studies, Volume 22, Issue 3 & 4 (London, England: Routledge<br />
Press, December 2006): 211–228.<br />
29 Michel Foucault, “Las Meninas,” 5.<br />
30 Joan Riviere, “Womanliness as Masquerade,” first published in International<br />
Journal <strong>of</strong> Psychoanalysis 9 (1929): 303–313; reprinted in The Inner World <strong>of</strong><br />
Joan Riviere: Collected Papers, 1920–1958 (London: Karnac Books, 1991),<br />
90–101.<br />
40 Sightlines 2009