Untitled

Theodore Roszak, Untitled, 1959, pen and ink and ink wash on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Adelyn D. Breeskin, 1968.13.14
Copied Theodore Roszak, Untitled, 1959, pen and ink and ink wash on paper, sheet and image: 11 x 8 3⁄8 in. (27.8 x 21.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Adelyn D. Breeskin, 1968.13.14

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Artist
Date
1959
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 11 x 8 3⁄8 in. (27.8 x 21.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Adelyn D. Breeskin
Mediums
Mediums Description
pen and ink and ink wash on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1968.13.14

Artwork Description

Theodore Roszak's bold, explosive forms echo the hopes and fears of American society in the 1950s. As the nation emerged from World War II into a decade of innovation and prosperity, Atomic-Age scientific achievements exposed the fragility of human life. Here the artist translates that tension by allowing aggressive, gestural lines to bleed into an ink wash background, giving organic energy to this prickly cluster. Roszak had worked as a welder in an aviation factory during the war, and such sharp, extended shapes -- suggesting bird and airplane wings -- appear often in his abstract drawings and welded metal sculptures.