Amusement Land

Ynez Johnston, Amusement Land, 1956, pastel and ink on paper, sheet: 24 x 35 ¹⁄₂ in. (61.0 x 90.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon C. Schild, 1981.137

Artwork Details

Title: Amusement Land
Artist: Ynez Johnston
Date: 1956
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: sheet: 24 x 35 ¹⁄₂ in. (61.0 x 90.2 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon C. Schild
Mediums: pastel
ink
Mediums Description: pastel and ink on paper
Classifications: Drawing
Subjects: Architecture Exterior — commercial — recreation
Abstract
Object Number: 1981.137
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1981.137

Artwork Description

Amusement Land alludes to California’s blockbuster attraction, Disneyland, which opened in July 1955. The park’s grand opening alone drew more than 15,000 visitors to Anaheim, not far from the artist’s home in Los Angeles. Within the pastel fields of color are references to the park itself, including a body of water, trees, roller coasters, and children’s faces. The red stripes repeated throughout the composition might refer to the sails of the park’s private ship. While most of Johnston’s works from the 1950s are obsessively intricate compositions resembling surreal cityscapes, this drawing is highly gestural, loose, and intentionally childlike.

Abstract Drawings, 2012