David B. Harton

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House of Spirits

Shown at the Emeritus Faculty Exhibition of the University of Michigan School of Art & Design at the Slusser Gallery, Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 4 - 25, 2011.

Visual artists in the twenty-first century seldom collaborate.  Today, visual art has come to be defined as a singular and isolated occupation, however in past centuries artists worked together, teaching, sharing, and combining ideas.  From the Renaissance period through the mid-twentieth century this was true.  In the current century collaboration among artists should not be a rarity; instead of singular ideas there can be multiplicity of ideas, methods of working, and techniques employed.  The unique aspect of this work is the collaboration of two artists and their perspectives.

Al Hinton recently retired after over 32 years as a Professor of Painting at the University of Michigan.  David B. Harton, originally trained as an architect, also holds an MFA and has been a working sculptor for 30 years. 

Harton is responsible for the structure of House of Spirits.  Contrary to his more usual Hard-Edged Minimalist style, this work is relaxed, revealing feelings that flow throughout the form with no restriction of mathematical calculation.  Both Harton and Hinton collaborated on painting the piece to reflect the spirits who have inhabited the house over time.