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Show The Newspaper Thursday, March 12, 1981 PageB7 '''Hi f tl r 11 'n fQr ' "A v1" ill c -;'7? i,ix. . " I ":X vr V ' . - Ik , ' V " Ci - v y ' v .. ... ;, - t " " 'Winners' (1972) Artist's exhibit transcends his death Alvin Gittins wanted his exhibition to be unbeaten, said Alan Seko of the Kimball Art Center. And at first glance, you might think Fate intervened inter-vened to spoil those plans. Gittins died last Wednesday following a heart attack at the age of 59, practically on the eve of the exhibit's opening. The art center has responded respond-ed by giving prime exhibit space to Gittins' last painting, paint-ing, a self-portrait completed com-pleted the day before his death. The Dortrait rests stage center beside the reception desk with a kind of humorous defiance as Gittins, Git-tins, surrounded by easel and paints, peers querulously over his glasses but at who? Himself, caught in the act of painting his portrait? Or us, caught in the act of watching it? "He put a lot of humour in it," said Seko, publicity director for the center. Gittins' one-man show, titled "Steps Along the Way," is a collection of paintings paint-ings dating from 1940 to the present. It includes many experimental works and studio pieces that, Seko said, "he started on, stopped, and would go back to." Many are on public display for the first time. The exhibit runs from March 8 through April 2. The collection also features a . variety-, of - subjectslandscapes, sub-jectslandscapes, nudes, and even a cunning Richard Nixon. It has a number of self-portraits going back to a 1940 portrait of the artist as a clean-shaven young man who seems to bear no resemblance to the later Gittins Git-tins until you notice the similarity in the firmness of the facila muscles and the dark-set eyes. Gittins' last painting was commissioned by President David P. Gardner Gard-ner and was his 90th portrait por-trait done for the University of Utah. A fair majority of the exhibit is for sale, and the art center has a price list, ranging from $600 to $12,500. We had time for no more than a cursory look at the exhibit, but what we saw was tantalizing. On one wall, a female nude stands with her painted in frank, potbellied clarity. On another, a series of nudes are sketched with fragile, seductive lines that sometimes overlap. In "Hirsute "Hir-sute Man" the chest hairs bounce out like matress springs, while the man looks on in goofy pride. "The Dispossessed" shows an old W5nnpipe by Rick Lanman The vintages of Mirassou Winter is ending in California, and the mist-shrouded mist-shrouded hills that stretch north from the San Bernadino Mountains to San Francisco are etched in frail green. The tiny leaves are beginning to twist forth from their grapevine buds, hopefully christening what will become the 1981 harvest. The grapes of 1980, now crushed and resting quietly in dark oaken casks, have not yet experienced the turmoil of the marketplace the sound of an autioneer selling thousands of bottles of wine to a raised hand or nodded forehead. It thus remains for the vintage of 1979 to captivate our interest and tempt our pocket-books. pocket-books. As we often have stressed in this column, the time to purchase wine is by necessity in the drink's youth. For only then will the price be moderate and the selection broad; only then will you be able to control aging with proper storage and cool temperatures. tem-peratures. Last week we indicated that Mirassou Vineyards represented a high standard in California wines, and so we examine their 1979 vintages with an eye to building, however small, our cellars. Mirassou produces a wide selection of white wines utilizing both traditional grapes and those not so usual. Chardonnay, the grape of the aristocratic white Burgandies, is an offering of-fering of which the vineyard is quite proud. The 1979 Chardonnay was bottled on Feb. 15, 1980 and exhibits a fragrant, earthy character with oak-wood aging designed to bring out the subleties of the grape. The 1979 growing season in Monterey was slightly warmer than usual producing a rather light, delicate Chardonnay. Char-donnay. In a conversation with Carol Fox of Mirassou, she indicated that the grapes were machine picked, then small batches were fermented in oak. These small portions subsequently sub-sequently were blended with greater amounts ' that had been fermenting in stainless steel. Following fermentation, all the Chardonnay Chardon-nay was stored in oak for aging prior to the bottling in February. Presently, you could expect to hold this wine three to four years in the bottle prior to its reaching maturity, although the Chardonnay would certainly be quite drinkable today. Mirassou also bottles a White Burgandy. Using the generic name, this 1979 vintage contains con-tains 53 Pinot Blanc grape, 32 Chenin Blanc and 15 French Colombard. A fairly dry wine, the White Burgundy has a slightly flinty taste typical of French wines, and it makes a nice companion to seafood. It may age from two to four years and was bo! I led on March 5, 1980. The 1979 Mirassou Johannisberg Riesling was bottled on March 21, 1980, less than a year ago. As the label indicates, the grapes were grown in Monterey County rather than Santa Clara (near the vineyard) and the vineyard rates the vintage as excellent, with a rare 10 awarded on a scale of ten. This Riesling should be a delicate, fruity wine with similar characteristics to a mosel, perhaps a Piespor-ter, Piespor-ter, for example. A well-balanced wine, it should be drunk within two or three years. In 1979, Mirassou also bottled a Monterey Riesling, a wine blending 32 Johannisberg Riesling grapes with 68 Sylvaner Riesling grapes. The, result is a light, fruity wine without the depth, perhaps, of the Johannisberg Johan-nisberg Riesling, yet well suited to' various main courses and a favorite well-chilled. This wine spent less time in the cask and markets at a lower price. , ' . Chenin Blanc is definitely a sweeter wine than the Chardonnay or Riesling. Normally exhibiting a rich fruitiness, this wine goes well with dessert and hot summer afternoons. Bottled on Feb. 2, 1980, it will take less aging than the wines mentioned so far, and will lose some of its sweetness with age. If you like Chablis (the generic name), you will not like Chenin Blanc. Mirassou also produces a wine called Gewurztraminer, a spicy wine that is growing in popularity. While quite interesting, a 1979 vintage was not produced. The vineyard also has developed a white wine called Fleuri Blanc, a blend of Gewurztraminer, Johannisberg Johan-nisberg Riesling and Pinot Blanc. An unusual semi-sweet wine, it smells a little like honey and has a mild apricot aftertaste. The wine, like a French Sauterne, seems to age very nicely and even 1975 vintages are still quite drinkable. The last available vintage is 1978. To review the red wines of Mirassou requires travel back in time to 1977, those presently being the marketed vintage. Later years still are sitting in the cool cellars of Mirassou just outside San Jose. Mirassou produces five notable red wines that are worthy wor-thy of purchase. Since much can be said of these wines, they will be reviewed next week in Winepress. While we have concentrated on Mirassou in this issue, the information provided tends to be true of the same grape varieties produced by other wineries. I would recommend that you clip this column and keep it in your purse or wallet. The next time you purchase a bottle of wine it can serve as a handy reference allowing you to make the proper selection for your taste. if J fi ' I K t i " . I ; 'Vt V vV7 f i '' : t- f - . . ; f ? Self Portrait (1980) man as tired skin and bone; where his fingers touch flesh, there is a red, sickly glow. My favorites of the collection collec-tion (not for sale) are two large group portraits commemorating com-memorating the 1972 election. elec-tion. The first, "Winners," shows the Republican vie-' tors clustered around a conference con-ference table; Haldeman and Nixon hunched with their secret earphones (Nixon, as usual, wHh sweaty upper lip), plus Erlichman and Mitchell. Its twin, "The Losers," shows the Democrats of '72, Muskie, McGovern, and Humphrey, raging over the defeat. -'A fourth figure black-haired and in shirt sleeves has his back to us' and seems to be a .mystery until you notice he is sitting in a wheelchair! Under Gittins' brush, the national leaders of the '70s seem about as profound as those card-playing bulldogs in the pictures you send away for in TV Guide advertisements. adver-tisements. The number of landscapesviews land-scapesviews of Santa Fe, Kanab, prickly pears is surprising for an artist known for portraits. But they were all done within the last few years, said Seko. "He was going back to landscapes. land-scapes. He seemed to feel that an artist is always a student, always learning," he said. "He told me that his new style was beginning to look like his old style." Gittins Git-tins intended to --show that process, he said, with the current exhibit. .Ciittins had been at the University of Utah since 1947 as a professor of art, and served as chairman of the art department from 19.6 to 1902. His portrait of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie hangs in the U's Middle Eastern Library. Gittins' other subjects included in-cluded Dr. Louis Leakey, Cal Rampton. Jake Garn, and Arlene Francis. In 1976, he received the university's Distinguished Teaching Award. "He wanted want-ed us to mention that especially in the exhibit material," said Seko, "because it came from the students." The award said that Ciittins' students "appreciate "ap-preciate his high standards, his keen wit, his great talent, and his constructive criticism. They strive diligently to merit his approval ap-proval of their work." "Alvin Gittins: A Realist," a film by Claudia Sisemore, will be shown as part of a program on the exhibit this Monday at 10 a.m. at Kimball Kim-ball Art Center. In addition, lecturers Abbie Whitney and Nancy Witt will conduct a tour of the collection. The Classifieds could be your ticket to the movies St. Patrick's Day Parkwest Backcountry Rescue Benefit Celebrate St. Patrick's Day and support Parkwest Backcountry Rescue Program Tuesday, March 17 7:00 p.m. "The Barn" at Parkwest Live Music SI.OO cover $.50beer $3.00 Rocky Mtn. Oyster Dinner mi i - 649-6541 'A HOLIDAY VILLAGE MALL, PARK CITY, UT 649-6541 OO Economy Night Monday Evenings Senior Citizens All Times. J THE BLUES BROTHERS JOHN BELUSHI DANAYKROYD Sal Sun Caddy 1.00.5:05.9:15 Blues 2,45.7 00 BILL MURRAY Mon-R,. CHEVY CHA5C t-aany-s is mt RODNEY DANGERHELD Blu" -70Q RICHARD DREYFUS5 AMY IRVING ry Sal -Sun Pvt. Benjamin 1:00. 5:15. 9 30 Competition 3:00,7:15 Mon.-Fn, . mrm Benjamin 9:30 nOmiflATCD FOR competition-? 15 Best Actress Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin PG He will find her. CHRISTOPHER REEVE JANE SEYMOUR CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER Sat.-Sun. 1:00,3:00,5:00 7:00,9:00 Mon.-Fri. 7:00,9:00 jjljjgfe Dfaai ostiiiii Songs, Ballads, and fiddle tunes from the British Isles and North America played on old and unusual instruments. III? Kimball Ait Center March 13th 8:00 D.m. $3.50 member $5.00 non-member J |