Throughout his artistic career, Julien Binford concerned himself with painting the world as he experienced it directly. From his gouaches in Paris to his sketches of everyday life in Powhatan County, he primarily focused on figurative compositions inspired by his personal environment. However, as the art world saw an insurgence of abstraction in the 1950s and 1960s, Binford began working in a non-figurative style. Although limited in quantity, as he quickly returned to his familiar art form, Binford’s abstractions exhibit the artist’s experimentation with various techniques while maintaining his devotion to color.  

Julien Binford, Untitled (blue and red abstraction), pastel on paper, mounted on board, promised gift of Maureen Paige, L.2023.MP202.

The young Julien Binford did not initially intend on pursuing a career in the fine arts. Instead, he enrolled at Emory University to study at their premedical school. However, while enrolled at the University, Binford developed a proficiency in the renderings of dissections to which Roland McKinney, the then director of the Atlanta High Museum, took notice. With encouragement from McKinney, Binford left his family in Atlanta to enroll at the Art Institute of Chicago. During his formal art education, he studied under the great Russian colorist Boris Anisfeld, a contributing factor to his great devotion to color theory. After graduating in 1932, he was awarded the Edward L. Ryerson Traveling Fellowship that took him to Paris. While abroad, Binford is said to have worked incessantly, experimenting with both mediums and textures. At night, after he had finished painting, he walked the city and sketched his surroundings. Although he created many ink drawings during his time in Paris, color remained his primary concern. According to his wife Elisabeth, a series of compositions in gouaches created in Paris were some of his most important works. The three works displayed here are representative of Binford’s experimentation with color and medium in 1934, at the height of his Parisian travels.

Julien Binford, Untitled (reclining nude), watercolor on board, promised gift of Maureen Paige, L.2023.MP127.

As she continued to write, now in both French and English, she published the article A Wife’s View of an American Painter: Julien Binford, which presents a thorough biography of Binford’s life, and depicts her own talent in prose. Her quoting of Paul Valery became the inspiration for this exhibition’s title, as it encompassed Binford’s lifelong dedication to his exploration of color. Elisabeth passed away on July 11th, 1984, leaving behind countless sketches and paintings Binford made of her image, as well as her own volumes and writings.

Julien Binford, Untitled (portrait of Elisabeth), paint on board, promised gift of Maureen Paige, L.2023.MP222.