Cleo Hartwig, Fern, 1981, stone, 15 3⁄4 x 8 3⁄4 x 6 1⁄4 in. (40.0 x 22.2 x 15.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Albert Glinsky, 1984.43
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Fern
- Artist
- Date
- 1981
- Location
- Dimensions
- 15 3⁄4 x 8 3⁄4 x 6 1⁄4 in. (40.0 x 22.2 x 15.9 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Albert Glinsky
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- stone
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Object — foliage — fern
- Object Number
- 1984.43
Artwork Description
Cleo Hartwig based Fern on the plant she remembered from her childhood in rural Michigan. In this piece she retained the texture and weightiness of the hard stone and stylized the individual fern fronds in order to express the plant’s formal beauty. Yet despite Fern’s abstracted appearance, the curled fronds suggest balled-up energy and the potential for growth. Indeed, the trio of leaves resembles a family group, in which the two taller “adult” fronds watch protectively over their “child.”