Oil on canvas 60" x 72"
William Conger along with Frank Piatek, Miyoko Ito and Richard Loving (all represented in the Elmhurst University Art Collection) were members of the group 'Allusive Abstractionists' who were known for their interest in abstraction as metaphor.
Bursting with energy and luminous color South Beach uses the language of abstraction to evoke the memory of place. Conger's titles (Diversey, Fullerton, Webster Bridge) hint at his personal connections to places in and around Chicago. In particular, Lake Michigan has held a fascination for Conger.
South Beach, located along Lake Michigan in Evanston, just outside Chicago, holds great significance for Conger. As a child, in the early 1940's Conger lived directly across from the beach and enjoyed many happy days at the lakeshore with friends and family. In 1985, the year Conger made this painting, he began his academic career at Northwestern where his office and painting studios overlooked both South Beach and his childhood home. According to the artist, this painting commemorates those experiences by abstractly expressing the reverie and excitement he felt at the time.
In South Beach a shimmering body of water is glimpsed behind a dynamic foreground filled with a dazzling array of jagged and curved shapes suggestive of lightning bolts and tall prairie grasses. The painting is filled with a sense of explosive joy.
Suellen Rocca, Curator 10/09