Industrial Cottage

James Rosenquist, Industrial Cottage, 1977, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2005.25A-E, © 1977, James Rosenquist
James Rosenquist, Industrial Cottage, 1977, oil on canvas, 80182 in. (203.2462.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2005.25A-E, © 1977, James Rosenquist

Artwork Details

Title
Industrial Cottage
Date
1977
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
80182 in. (203.2462.3 cm)
Copyright
© 1977, James Rosenquist
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — foodstuff — meat
  • Object — tool — drill
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — cottage
  • Allegory — arts and sciences — industry
  • Architecture — detail — window
Object Number
2005.25A-E

Artwork Description

Industrial Cottage reflects the patchwork of neighborhoods and industrial parks along Florida's Gulf Coast where Rosenquist settled in 1976. The artist was working his way out of debt following a catastrophic car accident, and the title expresses his wry opinion of himself as a "cottage industry." Rosenquist divided the canvas into three zones, populating each with large forms that reflected his years as a billboard painter. In each zone, cold-hued machinery contrasts with softer forms and warmer colors. Rosenquist called the paintings from these years his "self-portraits," and the discordant images suggest that the professional pressures of earning a living—of "bringing home the bacon"—intruded on the comforts of home and his new relationship with the artist Susan Hall.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006

Works by this artist (1036 items)

William H. Johnson, Young Pastry Cook, ca. 1928-1930, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.693
Young Pastry Cook
Dateca. 1928-1930
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Man, ca. 1935-1938, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.814
Portrait of a Man
Dateca. 1935-1938
oil on burlap
On view
William H. Johnson, Breakdown with Flat Tire, ca. 1940-1941, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.587
Breakdown with Flat Tire
Dateca. 1940-1941
oil on plywood
On view
William H. Johnson, For India and China, ca. 1944-1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.662
For India and China
Dateca. 1944-1945
oil on paperboard
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

Arnold Blanch, Harvest Scene (mural study, Fredonia, New York Post Office), ca. 1937, tempera on illustration board, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Internal Revenue Service through the General Services Administration
, 1962.8.28
Harvest Scene (mural study, Fredonia, New York Post Office)
Dateca. 1937
tempera on illustration board
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Seated Woman in Orange Print Dress, ca. 1939-1940, tempera on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.281
Seated Woman in Orange Print Dress
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera on paperboard
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Seated Female Nude with Gold Necklace and Auburn Hair, ca. 1939-1940, tempera on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.197
Seated Female Nude with Gold Necklace and Auburn Hair
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera on paperboard
Not on view