Mara

Simon Gouverneur, Mara, 1989, egg tempera, acrylic, and colored pencil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Michael Abrams and Sandra Stewart, 2022.60.2
Copied Simon Gouverneur, Mara, 1989, egg tempera, acrylic, and colored pencil on canvas, 61 × 61 × 1 in. (154.9 × 154.9 × 2.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Michael Abrams and Sandra Stewart, 2022.60.2

Artwork Details

Title
Mara
Artist
Date
1989
Location
Dimensions
61 × 61 × 1 in. (154.9 × 154.9 × 2.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Michael Abrams and Sandra Stewart
Mediums
Mediums Description
egg tempera, acrylic, and colored pencil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — letter
  • Allegory — religion
  • Abstract
Object Number
2022.60.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2022.60.2

Artwork Description

With its rings of colorful shapes and patterns, abstracted eyes, hands, pyramids, and letters, Mara appears to be at once puzzle and code. Simon Gouverneur constructed his compositions from a visual vocabulary of images and symbols derived from various religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jewish mysticism, and ancient American traditions. Influenced in part by the painter Alfred Jensen--whose work is on view nearby--he sought to reveal a universal language that joined spiritual practices across cultures.

Gouverneur worked very slowly: he mixed his own pigments, rather than relying on commercially available paints, and applied his paint with many tiny, meditative strokes. His methodical process connected him to generations of artists but existed in tension with the expansive and mystical experiences he aimed to create.