Hummm (The West Coast Critic - Palmer French)

Gerald Gooch

This lithograph by San Francisco artist Gerald Gooch depicts San Francisco critic, rare book dealer, and former Boston art critic Palmer D. French, also known as "The Professor" (1916-1990). Gooch often used sequential elements, a kind of motion picture, to create narrative for the viewer.

The artist follows the critic from the viewpoint of the object being observed. The critic, in his gray suit, striped tie, and sneakers, pauses, notebook in his left hand, as he reaches for his glasses, a skeptical look on his face. He then withdraws his pince-nez glasses from his suitcoat. Finally, he has his glasses on and, hands and notebook behind his back and slightly hunched forward, he carefully studies the object before making any notes. "Hummm".

After moving from Boston to San Francisco Palmer worked as a critic and reviewer for California art publication Artforum in the late 1960s and 70s.

Gerald Gooch abandoned two dimensional art, exploring multimedia work, including video, sculpture, woodwork, and more. In 1974 he went on a trip to Baja funded by the San Francisco Museum of Art, traveling with artists Robert Fried, Bill Martin, Richard Lowenburg, Robert Moon, and Gage Taylor. It resulted in "Baja", an exhibition of 80 multimedia works interpreting the desert landscape, with works made on location and at their studios. He taught at the San Francisco Art Institute for many years.

In the late 1970s, Gooch abruptly interrupted a class he was teaching by leaving the room, saying he would be right back. He did not return. Later, it was discovered that he'd moved to a commune in the Pacific Northwest, retiring from art entirely.