Canada, U.S.A., Mexico

Edward Ruscha, Canada, U.S.A., Mexico, 1980, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Edith S. and Arthur J. Levin, 2005.5.65
Copied Edward Ruscha, Canada, U.S.A., Mexico, 1980, oil on canvas, 20 1⁄8 x 159 1⁄8 in. (51.1 x 404.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Edith S. and Arthur J. Levin, 2005.5.65

Artwork Details

Title
Canada, U.S.A., Mexico
Artist
Date
1980
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
20 1⁄8 x 159 1⁄8 in. (51.1 x 404.2 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Edith S. and Arthur J. Levin
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
  • Landscape — celestial — planet
Object Number
2005.5.65
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2005.5.65

Artwork Description

Ed Ruscha's desolate panoramas are seen through the frame of his car's windshield, the extreme horizontals reminiscent of wide-screen movie formats like Panavision and CinemaScope. The vast, uneasy expanse is punctuated by miniature words and phrases that force the viewer to travel along the horizon line to read them. Canada, U.S.A., Mexico encourages consideration of the relationship among the three countries which, from this perspective, appear borderless. The exaggerated curvature of the earth's surface emphasizes the irrelevance of the imposed boundaries.