Back to Long Ago" paintings by Rocky Hartberg

The Dacotah Prairie Museum welcomed Rocky Hartberg of Langford, SD, as the featured artist in the Dacotah Gallery from October 3rd until November 17, 2006. His exhibit was comprised of colorful and action-packed acrylic paintings depicting themes from classics of literature like The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and Treasure Island. A reception for the artist was held at the Museum on Saturday, October 14 at 2:00.

“Back to Long Ago” was actually the second one-man show for Rocky Hartberg, a Langford native, at the Dacotah Prairie. The first was in 1978 when Hartberg was a college art student at NSU. That exhibition focused on his first goal of producing comic books, which led to talks with Marvel Comics in 1979. Deciding to self-publish his own strip, a private detective series, Hartberg continued writing/drawing comic books until 1987.

Since then, Hartberg has switched to acrylic paintings. “I strive to bring my storytelling and sense of action to the canvas,” Rocky says. The result is a hybrid of comic book illustration and fine art. Hartberg wishes to recognize the fine art instructors at Northern for helping him redefine his new direction, especially Mark McGinnis and Ruth McKinney.

The earliest of this series featured gypsy dancers in motion, but the compositions quickly became more ambitious and the brush strokes more expressive. Rocky now has the addition of his acute interest in history to join to the artistic mix. He has extensively studied ancient Egypt and its Pharaohs, the Vikings and their early exploration of the New World, along with classic folklore and his own unique take on the stories. Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book and Arabian Nights are all legends that have become inspiration for Rocky Hartberg paintings.

“Hopefully, viewers will want to read or re-read these classics with a new appreciation for the past, both historically and within themselves.” An after school program highlighted by a storyteller from the Alexander Mitchell Library was held on Friday, October 13th at 3:30. All children between 3rd grade and 8th grade were invited to attend the telling of several of the classic stories included in the exhibit. Following the stories, a tour of the paintings was enjoyed.

“Back to Long Ago” should provide a visual treat for people of all ages and the Museum was proud to welcome back Rocky Hartberg and his newest paintings.

For information on other past exhibits in the Dacotah Gallery, please click here.