Top of the Line (Steel)

Thornton Dial, Sr., Top of the Line (Steel), 1992, mixed media: enamel, unbraided canvas roping, and metal on plywood, 65 x 81 x 7 ⁷⁄₈ in. (165.2 x 205.7 x 20.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of Ron and June Shelp, 1993.47

Artwork Details

Title: Top of the Line (Steel)
Artist: Thornton Dial, Sr.
Date: 1992
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 65 x 81 x 7 ⁷⁄₈ in. (165.2 x 205.7 x 20.1 cm)
Credit Line: Gift from the collection of Ron and June Shelp
Mediums: steel
enamel
rope
Mediums Description: mixed media: enamel, unbraided canvas roping, and metal on plywood
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Figure — fragment — face
Abstract
Figure group
Object Number: 1993.47
Research Notes: 1993.47.pdf
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1993.47

Artwork Description

Dial created Top of the Line (Steel) in response to the Los Angeles riots of 1992, after a jury acquitted four white policemen in the beating of unarmed black motorist Rodney King. The verdict ignited looting and rioting that lasted several days. Top of the Line re-creates the frenzy of the streets. Rope-outlined figures swirl in a dense field of color and line, grasping at pieces of automobiles and air-conditioners. Bold touches of red suggest violence; black-and-white figures symbolize racial tensions; red, white, and blue strokes, faint notes of patriotism, interweave the canvas in clusters.

African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012

Works by this artist (12 items)

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The Beginning of Life in the Yellow Jungle

Artist

Thornton Dial, Sr.

Date2003

plastic soda bottles, doll, clothing, bedding, wire, found metal, rubber glove, turtle shell, artificial flowers, Splash Zone compound, enamel, and spray paint on canvas on wood