Luce Foundation Center for American Art
Painting: 21st century: Untitled #21
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Untitled #21 2009 James F. Dicke II mixed media on canvas 40 x 30 in. (101.6 x 76.2 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Marsha Ralls 2010.19.2 |
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| "The artwork I find interesting, and the art I try to make engages interest and tries to stop the viewer for a closer look. A certain element of ambiguity and beauty should address the senses. Is the image abstract or representational? Is it a view through a microscope or a view of space spanning millions of miles?" Artist's statement | |
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James F. Dicke II finds inspiration for his art in nature, specifically images of galaxies produced by the Hubble Space Telescope. To create his paintings, he attaches the canvas to a potter's wheel and carefully pools drops of paint onto the surface. He then spins the canvas so that centrifugal force pulls the beads of paint outward from the center. In Untitled #21 the partially blended layers of saturated color streak away from the dark blue central shape, evoking light emerging from deep space. |
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