Monument to Sound

Raymond Jonson, Monument to Sound, 1936, pencil on paper mounted on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1985.65.21
Raymond Jonson, Monument to Sound, 1936, pencil on paper mounted on fiberboard, sheet: 20 5⁄8 x 26 1⁄8 in. (52.4 x 66.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1985.65.21

Artwork Details

Title
Monument to Sound
Artist
Date
1936
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 20 5⁄8 x 26 1⁄8 in. (52.4 x 66.4 cm)
Credit Line
Transfer from the General Services Administration
Mediums
Mediums Description
pencil on paper mounted on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
  • New Deal — Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project
Object Number
1985.65.21
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.65.21

Artwork Description

The lines and shapes of Monument to Sound suggest an interior space where sound waves take visible form, a sanctuary for the imagination. The artist explained his dedication to abstraction based on science and spiritual values: “Around us we have realism, strife, pain, and greed. I wish to present the other side of life, namely the feeling of order, joy, and freedom. By setting up my own plastic means I can at least thrill to the attempt of establishing some fundamental principles that are universal and enduring.”

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

Works by this artist (5 items)

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Raymond Jonson, Josephine White, 1921, charcoal on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Robert Tyler Davis Memorial Fund, 1985.3
Josephine White
Artist
Date1921
charcoal on paper
Not on view
Raymond Jonson, Composition Four--Melancholia, 1925, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by Mrs. E. C. Hobson and Mrs. Claxton Collins, 1988.40
Composition Four – Melancholia
Artist
Date1925
oil on canvas
Not on view
Raymond Jonson, Arroyo (2), 1922, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Arvin Gottlieb, 1993.48.6
Arroyo (2)
Artist
Date1922
oil on paperboard
Not on view
Raymond Jonson, Variations on a Rhythm-H, 1931, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.61
Variations on a Rhythm‑H
Artist
Date1931
oil on canvas
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Joseph Hardin, Untitled (figure at Table, View of Legs), ca. 1978, colored pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1997.124.111
Untitled (figure at Table, View of Legs)
Artist
Dateca. 1978
colored pencil on paper
Not on view
William Zorach, (Untitled--Child's Head), 1925, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of the Zorach children, 1976.145.8
(Untitled – Child’s Head)
Artist
Date1925
pencil on paper
Not on view
Michael Clark, Classic Series, 1970, pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fendrick, 1980.131.3
Classic Series
Artist
Date1970
pencil on paper
Not on view
Image Not Available
Study for the Pushover
Artist
Date1981
pencil on paper
Not on view