
Copied
Alma Thomas, Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music, 1976, acrylic on canvas, 73 3⁄4 × 158 1⁄2 × 2 1⁄2 in. (187.3 × 402.6 × 6.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist, 1980.36.2A-C
Copied
Artwork Details
- Title
- Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music
- Artist
- Date
- 1976
- Location
- Dimensions
- 73 3⁄4 × 158 1⁄2 × 2 1⁄2 in. (187.3 × 402.6 × 6.4 cm)
- Markings
- left panel lower right in acrylic: Alm Thome (sic)/76 center panel lower right in acrylic: AWThomas/'76 right panel lower right in acrylic: AWThomas/76 left panel stretcher center left to center right in felt-tipped pen and ink: "Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing The Rock and Roll Music '76 Triptych No. 3 left to right/Alma/W./Thomas center panel stretcher center left to center right in felt-tipped pen and ink: "Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music" 76 Triptych No 2 left to/right/Alma/W/Thomas/Acrylic/on/canvas right panel stretcher stretcher center left to center right in felt-tipped pen and ink: "Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Museum" 1976 From left to right/No. 1/Acrylic/on/Canvas/72"x52"/Triptych/No 1/AT/Left to Right right panel stretcher upper right in felt-tipped pen and ink: Do Not Put a Canvas to this side right panel back center to lower left in felt-tipped pen and ink: 72 x 5 (illegible)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of the artist
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- acrylic on canvas
- Classifications
- Keywords
- Nonrepresentational
- Abstract
- Object Number
- 1980.36.2A-C
Artwork Description
--Alma Thomas
This is the largest painting of Alma Thomas's career, created for what would be the last solo exhibition of her lifetime. Thomas painted it on three separate canvases, a format that enabled the artist to achieve ambitious scale despite her declining health and the modest size of her kitchen studio.
As the painting's title suggests, Thomas often listened to music as she worked. Here, bright red forms shimmy across the canvas as if animated by the rhythm of rock and roll.