In the Mountains

Copied Kim Rawdin, In the Mountains, 2001, fabricated, hollow-formed, soldered, cut, and inlaid 18k and 22k gold, chrysoprase, lapis lazuli, red coral, blue chalcedony, black jade, and petrified palm, 2 123 141 34 in. (6.28.24.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Linda and Donald Schlenger and museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund, 2002.27

Artwork Details

Title
In the Mountains
Artist
Date
2001
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 123 141 34 in. (6.28.24.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Linda and Donald Schlenger and museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund
Mediums Description
fabricated, hollow-formed, soldered, cut, and inlaid 18k and 22k gold, chrysoprase, lapis lazuli, red coral, blue chalcedony, black jade, and petrified palm
Classifications
Object Number
2002.27

Artwork Description

Kim Rawdin’s design for In the Mountains came from the aerial perspective in mythological Dreamtime paintings by Australia’s Aborigines. The pure colors of the polished stones evoke the immensity of Ayer’s Rock, the Australian sky and sea, and the resilient grasses and trees of the inland plains. The poem stamped on the inside of the bracelet---as brief as a Japanese haiku---clarifies the artist’s emotional interpretation of the land:

I MOMENTARILY STOP

AND SEE MYSELF

UNKNOWN AND UNDEFINED

FREE FROM THE MOVIES . . .