Hibernation

Morris Graves, Hibernation, 1954, watercolor on paper mounted on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.37
Morris Graves, Hibernation, 1954, watercolor on paper mounted on paper, sheet: 18 1426 38 in. (46.266.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.37

Artwork Details

Title
Hibernation
Date
1954
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 18 1426 38 in. (46.266.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on paper mounted on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal
Object Number
1986.6.37

Artwork Description

Morris Graves was profiled in Life magazine in 1954, the year he painted Hibernation, as one of four mystical painters of the Pacific Northwest. Graves had studied Zen Buddhism in the early 1930s and for much of his life drew on East Asian philosophies as a way to understand man’s relationship with the world of nature. In Hibernation, a mink curls up within glowing concentric orbs that resemble mandalas, the form that represents the universe and the sacred spaces of the Hindu and Buddhist religions.


Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014

Works by this artist (4 items)

Charles White, The Children, 1950, ink and graphite on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Julie Seitzman and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2009.13
The Children
Date1950
ink and graphite on paper
Not on view
Charles White, Love Letter, 1971, color lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of June Wayne, 1991.179.14, © 1971, Heritage Gallery, Los Angeles
Love Letter
Date1971
color lithograph on paper
Not on view
Charles White, Love Letter, 1971, color lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of June Wayne, 1991.179.15, © 1971, Heritage Gallery, Los Angeles
Love Letter
Date1971
color lithograph on paper
Not on view
Charles White, Hasty B, 1970, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1979.155.1
Hasty B
Date1970
lithograph on paper
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 1986.6.100 - SAAM-1986.6.100_2 - 135134
Modern American Realism: Highlights from the Sara Roby Foundation Collection
This exhibition presents some of the most treasured paintings and sculpture from SAAM’s permanent collection, including artworks by Will Barnet, Isabel Bishop, Paul Cadmus, Edward Hopper, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Jacob Lawrence, George Tooker, among others.

More Artworks from the Collection

Lee Godie, To the Dynamic Sarlo (Woman in Red with Decorated Hat), 1960s, oil and acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.22
To the Dynamic Sarlo (Woman in Red with Decorated Hat)
Date1960s
oil and acrylic on canvas
Not on view
Barry Dalgleish, Interior with Trunk, 1984, acrylic and oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.84.2
Interior with Trunk
Date1984
acrylic and oil on canvas
Not on view
Stanley Edwards, Infant in Altar IV, 1965, oil and acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.24
Infant in Altar IV
Date1965
oil and acrylic on canvas
Not on view