Chuck Forsman : "Vietnamerican"

Robischon Gallery presents a reprise of paintings from esteemed Colorado artist Chuck Forsman in conjunction with the Denver Art Museum’s exhibition entitled, “Seen in Passing: Photographs by Chuck Forsman” which runs from November 17 through May 25, 2014. As one of the region’s most distinguished artists, Forsman’s featured “Vietnamerican” paintings blend images from Vietnam and the U.S.  The artist states that his work offers to “bring union where division once reigned; reconciliation where there was discord.” Speaking to this timeless, human desire for post-war restoration, Forsman presents his singular perspective, bridging the politically-charged landscape of foreign policy while reflecting on an American way of life through domestic land-use. From his inimitable soaring vantage point and the juxtaposition of East and West, the works from “Vietnamerican” point to a complex and deeply-felt period for Americans and for the artist as a veteran. Forsman often returns to Vietnam on extended visits, acknowledging one of the formative influences of his life – viewing now both its landscape and culture from a much different perspective.

A native of western Idaho, the paintings of long-time Colorado resident Chuck Forsman can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, Wichita Art Museum, Knoxville Museum of Art, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Yellowstone Art Museum and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art at the Buffalo Bill Historic Center, among others. A two-time recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, Forsman’s work has toured such venerable institutions as the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina and the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. A former professor of Fine Art at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Forsman is the author of Western Rider: Views from a Car Window, Walking Magpie and Arrested Rivers and the recently published Along the Buddha’s River co- created with his daughter, Shannon Forsman.