#42 - The Triptych

COMPOSED & PREMIERED BY MILAD YOUSUFI, INSPIRED BY SIMON DINNERSTEIN’S PAINTING, “THE FULBRIGHT TRIPTYCH”

The Fulbright Triptych was begun in 1971 while I was on a Fulbright Fellowship to Germany. This is a large painting, just over 14 feet in width. It is an attempt to depict the studio of a printmaker. The copper plate on the table is being engraved and the burins, burnishers, scrapers and other instruments are part of the engraver's workshop. In this instance, however, the printmaker's studio is evoked in paint.

Completed in 1974, the three year project depicts the family of the artist, the artist's studio, visual enthusiasms and the German landscape which can be seen outside the windows.  The triptych motif allows all of these subjects to converse with each other.  One could almost say that the theme of the painting is the space between the pictures, between the panels, between the landscapes and, clearly between the individuals in the painting. 

"There are no second acts in American lives" is a quote attributed to F. Scott Fitzgerald.  The Fulbright Triptych's initial exhibit in 1975 at Staempfli Gallery in New York, drew widespread critical response, especially from John Russell in The New York Times. The painting has had its own journey since and a long term traveling exhibit in 2011-2019 elicited much renewed response, including an article by Roberta Smith in The Times.  Possibly, The Fulbright Triptych has proved the exception to Fitzgerald's maxim on American life.   

—Simon Dinnerstein

EXTENDED CONVERSATION

Join us for an extended conversation with Simon Dinnerstein and Milad Yousufi regarding their virtual collaboration for the "Stay-at-Home Symposium." Moderated by Musaics of the Bay Artistic Director Audrey Vardanega, Simon and Milad discuss their artistic backgrounds and their collaborative process.