By Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – When I viewed the exhibit “Paul Harmon: Inner Voices” at the Customs House Museum, I experienced a nagging question. Where had I seen this before? There was something familiar in the line work and the way the women – even the nudes – looked as innocent as cherubs.
Then it hit me: Pablo Picasso. These works by Harmon called to mind that great artist’s line drawings “Dove” and “Francoise Gilot.”
Like Picasso – and Henri Matisse before him – Harmon’s paintings feature line work that is at once quick and graceful, creating a mood as innocent as a child’s. Even in the small details – say, the curvaceous lips of women – Harmon is able to draw lightly, but with full impact. These ladies’ lips possess all the weight of the carved Aphrodite statues of ancient Greece, but with the sparseness of a modern pen.
Harmon is originally from Brentwood, Tenn., but in 1986 he established a studio in Paris where he split his time for 12 years. His work exudes Parisian influences. They come through in his vivid use of color and in the whimsy of his subject matter, which includes rabbits, dogs and women.
Harmon has been exhibited in major venues in New York and Washington, Europe and South America and has garnered numerous awards and honors. “Paul Harmon: Inner Voices” will be on view through Sept. 7 at the Customs House Museum, 200 South Second Street. For more information, call the museum at 931-648-5780.
Harmon’s draftsmanship is reminiscent of the line drawings done by Pablo Picasso.