Untitled

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.