A GLIMPSE AT A LIFETIME, A MEMORIAL RETROSPECTIVE OF THE ART OF MARGARET FERRARIE HERSHENHART AT DANIEL GALE IN SEA CLIFF
The works in this memorial retrospective exhibition are examples of a much broader body of Margaret Ferrarie Hershenhart’s life’s work. She had an affinity with the European artists, particularly the French painters, Henri Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Marie Laurencin to name a few.
Hershenhart blended abstraction and representation, which was very much a part of a collective idea during the time she lived and worked. She unified European Modernism with Abstract Expressionism; the work is grounded in drawing and gesture, which is painterly and expressive. Always thinking forward and versatile, she experimented with geometric forms and nonrepresentational images as well. Through her bold arrangements of form and color, her still life, landscapes, figures and abstracts create vivid visual experiences for the viewer. Hersenhart’s works are strongly rooted in the era of innovation when she lived, studied and worked in the city of New York. The eldest of four children, Margaret Ferrarie Hershenhart was born and raised in Manhattan, on E 85th Street. She showed a talent for art from an early age. She majored in art at Julia Richmond High School (1942), where she graduated with Anne Gutierrez, another Sea Cliff resident and artist. She was awarded a scholarship at the Museum of Modern Art for talented high school students and subsequently awarded a scholarship to the Cooper Union School of Art (1947). In addition to her art degree, she graduated From Queens College with a degree in General Studies With An Emphasis In Sociology (1971). In addition, she studied graphic design at the New School in the extended studies program, and thoroughly enjoyed studying with Betty Holiday at The Nassau County Museum of Fine Art. Around 1946, while attending Cooper Union and living in the East Village (Lower East Side), she met Harold Hershenhart, an New York University student. They were married in 1948, after which they lived on Pike Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn. They moved to Arverne, Queens in 1951, and eventually, made the final move to Sea Cliff in 1957 with their two children, Alyce and Paul. Article Submitted by Kathleen DiResta |
My mom, Margaret Ferrarie Hershenhart
October 15, 1923 – September 10, 2013
From her daughter, Alyce M. Hershenhart
My Mother instilled in me a love and appreciation for beauty in the world.
Whether she was pointing out interesting ironwork on a building, the form of a Noguchi lamp, or the unusual color of a flower, she awakened a strong sense of aesthetic in form, color and values in the world around me.
When we were children, she took my brother Paul and I to museums and galleries, deepening and enriching our love and understanding of art. As teenagers, she encouraged us to take the train into Manhattan to explore the exciting culture of the city that she loved and knew so well.
My Mother was interested in a number of areas to do with art and design and was quite clever and intensely focused in her execution of even the smallest project. She almost never followed rules or directions, always making it her own.
In addition to her painting and drawing, she was interested in fashion and presented herself often with bright colors and patterns, many times of clothing she made herself. She designed textiles; I recall she once sold a design for scarves.
She crocheted afghans, vests and hats and she hooked rugs of her own design from wool that she dyed herself. One beautiful example was a rug she made that looked like the surface of the moon.
I will always treasure my ability to see the beauty in the world and I must express how grateful I am to my intelligent, funny and creative Mother for awakening me.
October 15, 1923 – September 10, 2013
From her daughter, Alyce M. Hershenhart
My Mother instilled in me a love and appreciation for beauty in the world.
Whether she was pointing out interesting ironwork on a building, the form of a Noguchi lamp, or the unusual color of a flower, she awakened a strong sense of aesthetic in form, color and values in the world around me.
When we were children, she took my brother Paul and I to museums and galleries, deepening and enriching our love and understanding of art. As teenagers, she encouraged us to take the train into Manhattan to explore the exciting culture of the city that she loved and knew so well.
My Mother was interested in a number of areas to do with art and design and was quite clever and intensely focused in her execution of even the smallest project. She almost never followed rules or directions, always making it her own.
In addition to her painting and drawing, she was interested in fashion and presented herself often with bright colors and patterns, many times of clothing she made herself. She designed textiles; I recall she once sold a design for scarves.
She crocheted afghans, vests and hats and she hooked rugs of her own design from wool that she dyed herself. One beautiful example was a rug she made that looked like the surface of the moon.
I will always treasure my ability to see the beauty in the world and I must express how grateful I am to my intelligent, funny and creative Mother for awakening me.
