Thistle in the Dream (To Louis Sullivan)

Theodore Roszak, Thistle in the Dream (To Louis Sullivan), 1955-1956, cut and welded steel, 41 3840 1230 in. (105.2102.976.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.74

Artwork Details

Title
Thistle in the Dream (To Louis Sullivan)
Date
1955-1956
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
41 3840 1230 in. (105.2102.976.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
cut and welded steel
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — flower — thistle
Object Number
1986.6.74

Artwork Description

Roszak once wrote that his sculptural forms “are meant to be blunt reminders of primordial strife and struggle, reminiscent of those brute forces that not only produced life, but in turn threatened to destroy it.” The spikey forms of Thistle in the Dream (To Louis Sullivan) combine associations of threat and cautious hope. The sculpture has the look of an avian predator with a spearlike beak and powerful wings, but the menacing shapes protect a vulnerable life form within. For Roszak, who worked in an aircraft factory during World War II, the pairing of aggression and safekeeping represented a conflicting duality that characterized postwar life. The title’s dedication to brilliant but difficult architect Louis Sullivan reflects Roszak’s understanding of the visionary role of the complex, often conflicted individual in modern society.


Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014

Works by this artist (162 items)

Mingering Mike, MERCY: "DIG IT" / WELL SHE LOVE'S ME, MINGERING MIKE & HIS FRACTURED SOUL BAND, ca. 1972 - 1975, ink and marker on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.8.85.2, © Mingering Mike
MERCY: DIG IT” / WELL SHE LOVE’S ME, MINGERING MIKE & HIS…
Dateca. 1972 - 1975
ink and marker on paper
Not on view
Mingering Mike, Gold Pot Records: MINGERING MIKE: SWEET WOMAN OF MINE, ca. 1972, ink, marker, crayon, and paint on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.8.110, © Mingering Mike
Gold Pot Records: MINGERING MIKE: SWEET WOMAN OF MINE
Dateca. 1972
ink, marker, crayon, and paint on paperboard
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 1986.6.100 - SAAM-1986.6.100_2 - 135134
Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Sara Roby Foundation Collection
This exhibition presents some of the most treasured paintings and sculpture from SAAM’s permanent collection, including artworks by Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, among others.

More Artworks from the Collection

Claire Falkenstein, City is Man, 1941-1952, linocut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.14, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
City is Man
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Untitled, 1976, embossed paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.18, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Untitled
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
Claire Falkenstein, Mandala, 1977, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Falkenstein Foundation, 2019.27.19, ©1997, The Falkenstein Foundation
Mandala
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Nathan Oliveira, Site with Blue and White, 1978, monotype, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Moses Lasky, 2004.32.14
Site with Blue and White
Date1978
monotype
Not on view