The Student & The Teacher

Theodore Waddell, Marinii’s Mare, 1999

October 27, 2017 - February 5, 2018

Theodore Waddell and Isabelle Johnson

Co-curated by Stacey Otte-Demangate of the Wildling and Bob Durden of the Yellowstone Art Museum

The Wildling partnered with the Yellowstone Art Museum for this unique exhibition of the modernist Western landscapes of Theodore Waddell (b. 1941) and those of his former teacher Isabelle Johnson (1901 - 1992).  Johnson was a second-generation ranch owner in Montana who loved history and art.  After travels in Europe and training on the East Coast she brought a modernist sensibility back to Montana and her art.  Her influence can be seen in the artwork of Theodore Waddell who trained with her at Eastern Montana College, along with many other artists.  Waddell has become renowned for his own modernist perspective on western landscapes which have an unromanticized view of ranching life and wild landscapes in big sky country.  His work can be found in major museums including the Denver Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and many more.

The exhibition included a range of artworks from both artists to illustrate the evolution of each, as well as the ways in which Johnson made an indelible imprint on Waddell.