FRAMING FAULKNER: `THE FAULKNER CENTENNIAL: A VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION' TO OPEN TUESDAY

"Faulkner Images" by Margaret Randol Dement of Sikeston

This oil on canvas painting by K. Kincses of Tulsa, Okla., is titled "The Sound & the Fury."

Early in his life, William Faulkner considered a life a painter. He chose writing instead, but scholars say painting imagery and painterly techniques infuse his prose.

Three upcoming events in Southeast Missouri State University's upcoming Faulkner centennial celebration will spotlight the role the visual arts played in the writer's work.

The first will be the opening Tuesday of "The Faulkner Centennial: A Visual Arts Exhibition" at the University Museum. Co-sponsored by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri and the university, the international exhibition consists of art inspired by Faulkner's life or work.

An opening reception and awards ceremony for the artists will be held from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, at the University Museum. The exhibit was juried by Dr. Grant Lund, whose Faulkner mural will be dedicated at 4:30 p.m. that afternoon at Kent Library.

In addition, a lecture titled "Faulkner and the Visual Arts" will be delivered Thursday, Sept. 4, by Dr. Max Cordonnier, professor emeritus of English at the university. The lecture will be given at 7:30 p.m. in Room 300 of the Art Building.

Cordonnier says Faulkner was enamored of many painting styles. "Sometimes in the way of stylistic matters he will use Impressionistic methods or possibly Expressionism. Practically all the `isms' have been applied to his work," he said.

His involvement in William Morris' Arts and Crafts movement led him to hand craft a number of books of poetry and a drama. "It wasn't unusual when he started writing poetry for him to include some of his own drawings," Cordonnier said.

Aubrey Beardsley, an Art Nouveau adherent, also influenced Faulkner, as did Rembrandt. The names Matisse, Picasso and Cezanne often appeared in his letters, discussions and interviews.

"What might be most important ... is how the whole set of painterly techniques becomes part of his whole style, sometimes subtly," Cordonnier said.

Noting that a number of Faulkner's works have been turned into movies, Cordonnier said Faulkner himself has influenced filmmakers. "Some of the most avant-garde directors actually think Faulkner and his novelistic techniques have contributed to their film techniques," he said.

The art in the exhibition at the University Museum represents the work of 25 artists from across the country. Local artists whose work will be displayed include Michelle Buehler of Perryville, Pat Fabrick of Cape Girardeau and Margaret Dement of Sikeston.

Some of the winning artists who live in other states plan to attend the awards ceremony, according to Greg Jones, executive director of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri. That is an unusual event in the history of national juried exhibitions here.

Jones, who is artist himself, said the artwork reflects Faulkner's own psychological bent. "His are complex characters ... people who have a lot of different parts to their personality," he said.

In jurying the show, Lund used Dr. Robert W. Hamblin, director of the Center for Faulkner Studies at the university, as an adviser as he looked at the relationship between form and content in the works.

Lund said the cooperation itself between the Arts Council and the university on the exhibit "is bringing together people interested in both writing as well as the visual arts; people interested in the interplay between the two."

Faulkner drew cartoons for his high school yearbook and did artwork for Ole Miss, the university yearbook at Oxford, Miss., Hamblin says. His first novel, the aborted "Elmer," was about an artist.

In 1925, Faulkner was in Paris at the same time as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein and other members of the so-called Lost Generation. "He got there late. He was on the fringe," Hamblin says. "He liked being with people and drinking but he didn't like conversation. And he couldn't tolerate dilettantes."

Faulkner wrote the way an artist paints, the scholars say.

"He was a wonderfully descriptive writer," Hamblin says. "When he describes scenes in nature, even faces, you can almost read the passage in Faulkner and see the same kind of attention to detail."