Top of the Line (Steel)

Thornton Dial, Sr., Top of the Line (Steel), 1992, mixed media: enamel, unbraided canvas roping, and metal on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of Ron and June Shelp, 1993.47
Thornton Dial, Sr., Top of the Line (Steel), 1992, mixed media: enamel, unbraided canvas roping, and metal on plywood, 65 x 81 x 7 7⁄8 in. (165.2 x 205.7 x 20.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of Ron and June Shelp, 1993.47

Artwork Details

Title
Top of the Line (Steel)
Artist
Date
1992
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
65 x 81 x 7 7⁄8 in. (165.2 x 205.7 x 20.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift from the collection of Ron and June Shelp
Mediums
Mediums Description
mixed media: enamel, unbraided canvas roping, and metal on plywood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
  • Figure — fragment — face
  • Figure group
Object Number
1993.47
Research Notes
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1993.47

Artwork Description

Dial created Top of the Line (Steel) in response to the Los Angeles riots of 1992, after a jury acquitted four white policemen in the beating of unarmed black motorist Rodney King. The verdict ignited looting and rioting that lasted several days. Top of the Line re-creates the frenzy of the streets. Rope-outlined figures swirl in a dense field of color and line, grasping at pieces of automobiles and air-conditioners. Bold touches of red suggest violence; black-and-white figures symbolize racial tensions; red, white, and blue strokes, faint notes of patriotism, interweave the canvas in clusters.


African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012

Works by this artist (626 items)

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Werner Drewes, Central Density, 1973, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.116
Central Density
Artist
Date1973
oil on canvas
On view
Werner Drewes, Pointed Brown and Floating Circles, 1933, oil, pen and ink, and pencil on wood panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.17
Pointed Brown and Floating Circles
Artist
Date1933
oil, pen and ink, and pencil on wood panel
On view
Werner Drewes, Suspended Forms, woodcut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1977.21.11
Suspended Forms
Artist
woodcut
Not on view
Werner Drewes, Summer Bouquet (no. 242), color woodcut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1968.9.81
Summer Bouquet (no. 242)
Artist
color woodcut
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 1995.22.1 - SAAM-1995.22.1_1 - 65784
African American Art in the 20th Century
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is home to one of the most significant collections of African American art in the world.

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Artist
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Les Quais de la Seine a Paris
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