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The world of
Morris Broderson is one of mystery, subtle ambiguities and silence.
His work expresses a vivid personal vision suffused with obscure allusions
and meticulous care. In his paintings, familiar forms are interpreted with
rare imagination and technical refinement.
Broderson was born in Los Angeles in 1928 and still lives there. He
was born deaf and learned to express himself in sign language. As he grew
older, he mastered oral communication. When he was fourteen he attracted
the attention of his aunt, Joan Ankrum, with a pencil sketch he did
of her. She recognized his exceptional talent and encouraged him to
further his studies in art. His first significant study was with
Francis de Erdely at the Pasadena Art Museum and when de Erdely
secured a post as associate professor of art at the University of Southern
California, he persuaded the University to enroll Broderson as a special
student.
Broderson also studied at the Jepson Art Institute with William
Brice and Howard Warshaw.
In 1960, Broderson's work was included in the Whitney Museum's "A
Young America" show. New York Times critic, John Canaday, applauded
Broderson's talent extravagantly. In particular, the painting titled "The
Sound Of Flowers". A friend had told Morris the tale of a child wandering
through the fields listening to the sound of flowers. The music of flowers
flows through his work. In this painting there is a figure, head-bent and
ear-to-flower listening and seeing the sound of flowers.
Joseph H. Hirshhorn saw Broderson's work in the Whitney
show, recognized his unique talent and eventually played a vital role in
Broderson's artistic progress. At that time, along with her partner,
William Challee, Joan Ankrum opened The Ankrum Gallery in
Los Angeles.
The Gallery's first task was to make arrangements for a major exhibition
of Broderson's work at the M.H.de Young Memorial Museum in San
Francisco in December of 1960. The show was a resounding success, and the
rest of the decade brought Broderson independence and important career
opportunities. His travels, in particular, affected his painting,
supplying him with new images and fresh creative impulse.
While in Japan, he was especially influenced by Kabuki, the
traditional Japanese theater art wherein hand gestures are of such
significance. Broderson has an unusual kinship with hand gestures as his
first means of communication. It has often been suggested that
deafness has determined his perception of reality and choice of subject
matter. Perhaps it is the realm of his soundless world that intensifies
his poignant response to touch, sight and smell which in turn so markedly
engages and intrigues the viewer's imagination.
The ballet, poetry, flowers and joys of childhood, Asian influences - all
have been powerful sources of inspiration of Broderson's work. He has
always been attracted to the rich textures, colors and patterns of Eastern
art. His rendering of a wide variety of textures such as those found in
embroidery, lace, tapestry, marbled surfaces - is quite remarkable. He
often includes very personal details in his paintings and juxtaposes
objects that appear to be unrelated, and yet he achieves unity through his
discriminating use of color and balance of composition. He works in both
oil and watercolor; however, he prefers watercolor for his more detailed
painting. This is unusual as most artists find the medium of watercolor
more difficult to control than oil which can be reworked repeatedly.
There are brilliant shifts of color and texture in Broderson's paintings
enhancing their mysterious, elusive themes.
William Challee said, "We are stumbling in the darkness-toward the
light. Morris, more than anyone I know, must be balanced in the tough and
tender darkness of our heart-the heart with curious divinity pierces the
blackness that our eyes alone cannot."
Morris Broderson is now represented by David Ankrum, Joan Ankrum's
son.
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