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Ralph Fasanella
Catholic Protectory Line-Up, 1961
Oil on canvas, 30 x 47 inches
Historian Paul D’Ambrosio writes that this painting “illustrated not only Fasanella’s maturation as an artist but also his reflections on the previous decade. Having found refuge from political and governmental forces hostile to his ideas, Fasanella seems at last able to produce a cogent visual statement of his ideological confinement.” … The work “admirably conveys the harsh regimentation and loss of individuality encountered in a dogmatic, institutional environment.”
A lighter visual of regimentation of schoolchildren comes to mind as we prepare this exhibit—the line-up found in the beloved Madeline books—highlighted in an exhibit currently on view at the Museum of the City of New York: Madeline in New York: The Art of Ludwig Bemelmans (through October 19, 2014).
