#13 — 1973

John McLaughlin, #13 - 1973, 1973, oil and acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Edith S. and Arthur J. Levin, 2005.5.47
Copied John McLaughlin, #13 - 1973, 1973, oil and acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 x 1 1⁄8 in. (152.3 x 121.9 x 2.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Edith S. and Arthur J. Levin, 2005.5.47

Artwork Details

Title
#13 — 1973
Artist
Date
1973
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
60 x 48 x 1 1⁄8 in. (152.3 x 121.9 x 2.9 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Edith S. and Arthur J. Levin
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil and acrylic on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract — geometric
Object Number
2005.5.47
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2005.5.47

Artwork Description

John McLaughlin worked as a sailor and military intelligence officer and was a student of Japanese and Chinese art before he began painting at age forty-eight. Working in his garage in Dana Point, California, he explored the possibilities for meditation he associated with Japanese art. The precise alignment, strict symmetry, and carefully adjusted colors in #13 Untitled prompt thoughts of weight, balance, and stability. The surface is intentionally smooth. “I have gone to considerable pains to eliminate from my work any trace of my own identity with the view to making the viewer the subject matter [of the painting],” he said.

Modern Masters: Midcentury Abstraction from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2008