On view from July 18 through September 6 at Addison Rowe Gallery in Santa Fe is an exhibition of works on paper and paintings by a group of painters named the Transcendental Painting Group.

This group was cofounded by Emil Bisttram and Raymond Jonson (two New Mexican artists) in 1938. They exhibited together to advance the cause of non-objective art. Their purpose was “to carry painting beyond the appearance of the physical world, through new concepts of space, color, light and design, to the imaginative realms that are idealistic and spiritual.” (Alfred Morag) 

European Modernism was their platform with the Cubists and Vasily Kandinsky’s work heavily influencing the group’s style.  They clearly defended and promoted abstract art and were the forerunners of late Modernism and Abstract Modernism. These artists wanted their art to challenge the viewer to see art differently.  Their work moved away from any sense of reality into a spiritual arena.  They used unnatural colors in their paintings to express the spiritual realms of their work.  Yoga, Buddhism and Theosophy were some of their daily practices and beliefs. This group started to push the boundaries of what American art was doing at the time.

The Transcendentalist’s exhibited their work at the Guggenheim Museum, the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Golden Gate International Exposition. The stressful impact of WWII brought an end to the group in 1941.

The gallery will be showcasing works of five of the members:  Emil Bisttram, Stuart Walker, Raymond Jonson, Ed Garman, and Florence Miller Pierce