Scepter

William Baziotes, Scepter, 1960-1961, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1968.52.15
Copied William Baziotes, Scepter, 1960-1961, oil on canvas, 66 x 78 1⁄8 in. (167.7 x 198.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1968.52.15

Artwork Details

Title
Scepter
Artist
Date
1960-1961
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
66 x 78 1⁄8 in. (167.7 x 198.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1968.52.15
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.52.15

Artwork Description

The hazy, dappled background of Scepter evokes a primordial world where elemental forms drift in and out of focus. William Baziotes painted intuitively, in an effort to capture what he called a “phantom that must be . . . made real” (Baziotes, “I Cannot Evolve Any Concrete Theory,” Possibilities I, 1947-48). He was not interested in literal meanings, and many of his titles come from images or objects that he saw in the paintings once they were completed. Here, the white shape suggests many things---a wisp of smoke, a scepter of state, or an elaborate piece of calligraphy.