Blue in Space

John Ferren, Blue in Space, ca. 1937, pastel on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Daisy Shapiro, 1976.130, © 1937 John Ferren
John Ferren, Blue in Space, ca. 1937, pastel on paper mounted on paperboard, sheet: 19 3425 12 in. (50.264.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Daisy Shapiro, 1976.130, © 1937 John Ferren

Artwork Details

Title
Blue in Space
Artist
Date
ca. 1937
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 19 3425 12 in. (50.264.8 cm)
Copyright
© 1937 John Ferren
Credit Line
Gift of Daisy Shapiro
Mediums
Mediums Description
pastel on paper mounted on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1976.130

Artwork Description

A pioneer of American abstraction, Ferren created this composition during a seven-year sojourn in Paris. He began his career as a sculptor, but turned to painting after he saw an exhibition of work by Henri Matisse and recognized the power of color. In the mid-1930s he worked at Stanley William Hayter’s printmaking workshop in Paris, Atelier 17, where he was encouraged to imprint his engraved and inked plated on wet plaster. When the plaster block dried, it showed the lines of the plate. He then carved into it to create a bas-relief sculpture of modeled and curved planes. Blue in Space resembles one of these carved plasters, translated into two dimensions with the planes defined by the rich colors of soft pastels.

Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2009

Works by this artist (1036 items)

William H. Johnson, Young Pastry Cook, ca. 1928-1930, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.693
Young Pastry Cook
Dateca. 1928-1930
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Man, ca. 1935-1938, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.814
Portrait of a Man
Dateca. 1935-1938
oil on burlap
On view
William H. Johnson, Breakdown with Flat Tire, ca. 1940-1941, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.587
Breakdown with Flat Tire
Dateca. 1940-1941
oil on plywood
On view
William H. Johnson, For India and China, ca. 1944-1945, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.662
For India and China
Dateca. 1944-1945
oil on paperboard
On view