By Richard L. Brown

"The Unstill Lifes," the title of Rutland artist Carolyn Shattuck's show at the Bennington Museum, challenges a few rules of the English language, but it accurately describes the art.

The show is comprised of two bodies of work: still lifes in oil from the late 1990s, and recent works in acrylic that are responses to the artist's 2005 visit to South Africa.

The still life — the depiction of inanimate objects, usually on a table or other platform — is an ancient genre, dating at least to Roman times. Artists in virtually every culture and period have worked in it.

Even through the complex evolution of Western art in the 20th century, most artists stuck with simple compositions, with subjects that obeyed the laws of gravity, even when painted from multiple points of view.

Not Shattuck. Her objects dance topsy-turvy across the canvas, floating tilted, inverted and, as my grandmother might have said, "catawampus," over and among bands of cloth with brilliant and contrasting patterns which they reflect and refract.

"Still life" is a virtual synonym for "careful arrangement," and at first glance this work can appear arbitrary. But in her gallery statement, the artist makes clear that she remains true to the compositional planning that is a hallmark of still life: "At one point I decided to tilt the objects for the still life setup . . . I glued the objects with threads on an elaborate vertical arrangement that could remain in place for weeks." She thus places herself firmly in the historical continuity of still life painters while exploring new ways to express the genre.

The unstillness of the earlier work is manifest in the later African Series. The vivid color and vitality are carried over, with the addition of collage in some and the use of human figures. In her statement Shattuck expresses admiration for the work of female South African folk artists, and flashes of their work appear in the paintings. Most striking, however, are some extraordinary textural effects.

In the African Series, most notably in "Mma. Ramotswe" (2006), she uses deep shading to isolate parts of the composition, requiring close viewing to be sure the area is truly painted and not collaged. In other places she applies a transparent medium over the painted surface, which she then tools to create a light-catching, glistening texture with real depth.

If I had to use a single adjective to describe "The Unstill Lifes," it would be "dance-like:" elements of many patterns swirl and interact, moving randomly but following the same rhythms, sometimes inadvertently bumping against other elements, but always maintaining a loose but coherent overall structure. There is an uplifting sense of freedom and joy in these paintings, which provide a lively foil to the generally staid collections surrounding them.

"The Unstill Lifes" will be open through Sept. 29. The Bennington Museum is at 75 Main St. and is open daily except Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an $8 admission. Visit www.benningtonmuseum.org or call 447-1571.



Richard L. Brown is an art historian and former gallery director.