“Studying War” is a 154-work meditation on war and society: more precisely, it includes Goya’s “Disasters of War” (Spraightwood has a complete set of 80 plus the unpublished plate 81, which was not included in the original edition and, after the plate was recovered in 1956, was printed in a small edition for the fellows of the institution where Goya’s copperplates are stored), Otto Dix’s lithographs for “The Gospel according to Saint Matthew” (31 of the 32), in which the Temple Guards and the Roman soldiers are played by uniformed Nazi SA and SS troopers, the 16 color plates from George Grosz’ “Ecce Homo” (of which 15 will be on the wall and the other one available for viewing), and 27 selections from George Rouault’s “Miserere et Guerre,” done in the aftermath of World War I and full of mixed-media prints of people at war with themselves and each other.
Those who have already seen it say that it is a powerful show. The show will end in mid-November, at which time the show of Pierre Alechinsky’s works will be displayed.
Spaightwood Galleries is located at the corner of Main St. (Highway 140) and Maple Ave in Upton. For those not familiar with Upton, it is the first exit off I-495 south of the Mass Pike (I-90). The Gallery is located in a deconsecrated Unitarian Church and contains over 9000 works of art from the late 15th century, most of them on paper, to the present. Y
You can get a quick sense of it from their website, http://www.spaightwoodgalleries.com
The Gallery is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m and other times by arrangement. You can reach us by phone at 800-809-3343.
Andy Weiner is the Director of Spaightwood Galleries; Professor of English Emeritus, University of Wisconsin, Madison.
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UPTON DAILY 
I like to believe that V Organic Café & Art Gallery, with it’s smoothie bar, bakery, café, art gallery featuring local artists and new Gifts n Goods retail room is worth a trip to Upton all on it’s own (okay that is my plug for the café), but for fellow art lovers, there is another great reason to visit Upton, particularly on the week end; Spaightwood Gallery. The gallery is located on Main Street just down the street from the cafe. This Sunday, after brunch, I headed down to the gallery to take in the current exhibition which I’d read about in the Upton Daily. I was very excited to see the exhibition ‘Studying War’ which included series by Otto Dix, Grosz, George Roualt and Goya, the artist I was most anxiously anticipating, as I adore Goya. One of the owners of the gallery, Andy Weiner gave me a private 30 minute tour on Goya’s series entitled, ‘Disasters of War’. Spaightwood Gallery has the entire 81 plates in this series! The series presented in the manner in which it is displayed in the gallery is powerful, explosively evocative and as relevent to the violent conditions of war in the world today, as they were when Goya created them between 1810-1820. The back story on these works and Goya at the time he created them, should you care to read a bit online, is absolutely fascinating as well. Spaightwood Gallery, which I’ve visited a few times prior to this Sunday, is such a hidden treasure here in Upton. This is a not to be missed show, which I so highly recommend to my fellow Uptonites (or are we Uptonians, I’m never quite sure?). And as I tell those friends who live outside of Upton, Spaightwood gallery is destination worthy for both art lovers and those who love historical architecture. How fortunate we are in Upton, to have this treasure right in town.