Memory and Modern Life is a major retrospective of artwork by Henk Pander from the past 50 years. The Dutch-born artist immigrated to Portland in the 1960s and became a prominent figure in regional art. His subjects address tragedy and disaster: a plane crash, decaying buildings, or scenes from his childhood memories in Holland during the Nazi occupation. Despite their content, Pander’s dark subjects somehow retain an underlying beauty.

The classically trained painter builds up rich surfaces and a sense of atmosphere through a voluminous handling of paint. His technical mastery is rooted in a highly skilled drawing ability, recalling the long tradition of Dutch art while documenting and interpreting dramatic contemporary events.

Pander’s large oil painting The Burning of the New Carissa depicts the explosion of the infamous carrier ship wrecked off the coast of Oregon. The massive tanker was intentionally burned to prevent more of its oil from leaking into the ocean and further destroying the pristine ecology of the protected coastline. The image is typical of the provocative and socially relevant dialogue in his work.

A major monograph accompanies this show. The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is also hosting a complementary exhibition of Pander’s drawings, prints, sketchbooks, and posters in the Print Study Center and Study Gallery until March 13, 2011.

Allyn Cantor