Course, I

Ellen Brooks, Course, I, 1988-1989, silver dye bleach print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Consolidated Natural Gas Company Foundation, 1991.49, © 1991, Ellen Brooks
Copied Ellen Brooks, Course, I, 1988-1989, silver dye bleach print, sheet: 41109 in. (104.1276.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Consolidated Natural Gas Company Foundation, 1991.49, © 1991, Ellen Brooks

Artwork Details

Title
Course, I
Artist
Date
1988-1989
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 41109 in. (104.1276.8 cm.)
Copyright
© 1991, Ellen Brooks
Credit Line
Gift of the Consolidated Natural Gas Company Foundation
Mediums Description
silver dye bleach print
Classifications
Keywords
  • Recreation — sport and play — golf
  • Architecture — other — playground
Object Number
1991.49

Artwork Description

In the late 1980s, Ellen Brooks was drawn to images of what she called “palatable nature” – objects and landscapes that conform to culturally defined ideals of natural beauty. Using photographs she found in magazines and theme calendars, Brooks constructed multi-layered works that emphasize the artifice of bonsai trees and formal gardens. For Course I, Brooks painted over an image of a manicured golf course, and then re-photographed it through a dense mesh screen that recalls the halftone screen used to print photographic reproductions. The result is a witty take on landscape; both nature and image have been manipulated for our use.


A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Musuem, 2013