Spot On

This week, I'll be examining exhibits and the arts of the South Carolina Low Country. We begin with an exhibit that just opened days ago, but will be a benchmark in Southern Arts.

Every drawing starts with a line, and every line starts at the spot at which pencil meets paper, to paraphrase Robert Hicklin in his new catalog of his exhibit "Spot."

Rob Hicklin has long been the authority of Southern 19th century paintings, so his new exhibit Spot is an extension of his life's work. Spot encompasses an incredible array of artists and work done on paper throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The catalog is exceptional, as are all of Rob's catalogs. The extensive references, the copious amount of information, and the beautiful photographs are an education unto themselves. To then see the exhibit in Rob's Charleston Renaissance Gallery is an incredible experience. The restoration of the building and the housing of such amazing art is breathtaking.

Whether sophisticated or simple; whether a line drawing or a full study; whether in color or charcoal; Spot offers an intimate view of the artists of the South Carolina Low Country of the 19th and 20th centuries. If you cannot make it to Charleston, at least order the catalog. You will not be disappointed.