Wall Painting with Stripes

Robert MotherwellWW-1944-124413

1944·Oil on canvas·137.2 × 170.5 cm (54 × 67 1/8 in.)

<p>Of all the New York School painters, scholar and artist Robert Motherwell aligned himself most closely with modern European art and literature. An early painting by Motherwell, <em>Wall Painting with Stripes</em> fuses the geometric rigor found in the art of Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, and Pablo Picasso with an organic or biomorphic abstract language that is reminiscent of the imagery employed by Surrealists Max Ernst and Joan Miró. Although signed and dated 1944, this painting shows signs of having been altered over time by the artist. Pentimenti (evidence of previous compositions), including a complex network of lines that were simplified into egg-shaped forms and bulging curves, are visible underneath the vertical bands of ocher and white paint. Motherwell once wrote, “My pictures have layers of mistakes buried in them—an X-ray would disclose crimes—layers of consciousness, of willing.”</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1944
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 137.2 × 170.5 cm (54 × 67 1/8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Robert Motherwell

Artist

Robert Motherwell

Painting

Alongside such great artists such as Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, and Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell is considered one of the key progenitors of Abstract Expressionism. His bold, abstract, and often intuitive style and approach to painting not only garnered him international acclaim during his lifetime, but has also helped establish his standing in art historical canon, as the presence of his work in a multitude of national and international collections can attest.Born on January 24 in Aberdeen, Washington, Motherwell’s artistic talent was recognized early on; at the tender age of 11 he was awarded a fellowship to the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. After temporarily studying painting at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, he went on to complete formal training at Stanford University, where he ultimately received his B.A. Motherwell subsequently undertook graduate studies at both Harvard University in Cambridge, and Columbia University in New York City (where he studied the history of art with Meyer Schapiro)—his extensive experience in academia reflects the intelligence and contemplativeness that he came to be known for, both in his personality and his p

New York and Greenwich, Connecticut, USA

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