“STATE OF THE ART”

Rob P. Moore Jr. | 1937-1992 

By Jon Garelick

The artist and teacher Rob Moore, who died on New Year's Eve from complications due to AIDS, pursued everything in life with a meditative joy that was intoxicating to those around him whether he was escorting his students from the Massachusetts College of Art through an Ellsworth Kelly exhibition at the MFA, lecturing in an intense whisper so as not to disturb other gallery-goers; serving one of his massive, impromptu dinners to friends and students at his apartment with companion Brian Hogan; or simply arguing about a movie in a downtown bar. 

And Rob loved to argue. Tall and charismatic, with a shock of blond hair and twinkling blue eyes, he spoke in a declarative tenor with a mild Tennessee twang, and had a ringing laugh. His passionate, evangelical style in the classroom prompted one student to compare him with a Southern Baptist minister. 

Trained in the tradition of post-World War II abstractionists, Rob taught his students through what he called "information-gathering" exercises about "the unique conditions of two-dimensional space." In his color classes, he'd ask them to make a painting of a common paper shopping bag using only black and white paint. Or they would have to create some other object in space using as a palette only the colors of a cut-up magazine. The point was not to make great work but to learn how to "read" the exercises' effects. "It sounds very conceptual,” a student once commented after a critique. Rob was adamant: "It's very per-ceptual. Con-ceptual gets you into trouble. It's the difference between seeing and hoping to see." 

Rob began teaching at Mass Art in 1968, and he committed himself to making collaborative, accessible art that could address social issues. He co-founded the ongoing Graphic Workshop, which is most widely known for its "Endangered Species" series of prints and posters. 

In the last 15 years of his life, he returned to his own work with increasing intensity. His paintings were usually long, horizontal juxtapositions of various blocks and stripes of color, built up with rich paint surfaces. Seen as a group, they often read from left to right, like a series of dramatic sentences. There were commissions and awards, memorable exhibitions at the Harcus Gallery and Brandeis's Rose Art Museum, purchases by the MFA and other museums. 

But the lessons Rob leaves have less to do with a particular art form than with that joyful absorption he conveyed in every activity he undertook. He said that his job was to teach students not how to make art, but how to "see." His own vision often seemed without limit.

Appreciation | Rob Moore: inspired artist, revered mentor

By Patti Hartigan | The Boston Globe, January 4, 1993

“[Rob] left this life as the city and the nation joyously saluted a new year, a new administration and, perhaps, a new era. ‘Yes the timing was significant. His mom kept saying that his whole life was a celebration from the moment he was born.’”

ROB MOORE (1937 - 1992)

Published in MCA Perspectives: Volume V, Number 18 | Winter 1993

A Publication from The Massachusetts College of Art Alumni Association

Rob Moore was an internationally recognized and exhibited painter whose artistic achievement is almost overshadowed by the immense respect and affection held for him because of his friendship and generosity. He was born in New Jersey but raised in Tennessee, where the roots of his accent, charm and demeanor were found. His own art studies were extensive: degrees from the University of the South, John McGrady School of Art in Louisiana, the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and Tyler School of Art in Pennsylvania.

Rob Moore came to MCA [The Massachusetts College of Art] at the end of the sixties and responding to the political turmoil of the time, was one of the founders of the Graphic Workshop. His teaching—always uncompromising and generous—influenced numerous artists at the College and elsewhere. Just as influential and celebrated are his paintings, which can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Rose Art Museum, Philadelphia Art Museum, and elsewhere.

In his memory, the Rob Moore Grant for Painting has been established to continue his presence and influence at the College. The award will be given annually to a student selected as best representing Rob Moore’s standard of excellence in art.

Rob Moore Obituary 1 | Rob Moore Obituary 2 | Rob Moore Obituary 3 |Rob Moore Obituary 4