Frank Fleming, Desert Landscape, 1980, unglazed porcelain, overall: 14 1⁄2 x 30 x 21 in. (36.8 x 76.2 x 53.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1980.97A-C
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Desert Landscape
- Artist
- Date
- 1980
- Location
- Dimensions
- overall: 14 1⁄2 x 30 x 21 in. (36.8 x 76.2 x 53.3 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- unglazed porcelain
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Object — furniture — chair
- Animal — bird
- Animal — camel
- Animal — bird — penguin
- Object Number
- 1980.97A-C
Artwork Description
Frank Fleming recalls bringing together “three unlikely companions” to create the fanciful scene in Desert Landscape. Each animal represents a different place. Fleming explains that “the idea of the camel being a ship on the desert and the penguin coming from the cold country and the parrot from the lush jungle appealed to me.” He likes to use unglazed porcelain and is careful to capture the distinct attributes of each animal, seen in the ruffled feathers of the parrot, which he reproduced by imprinting real feathers on pieces of porcelain.