Untitled

Theodore Roszak, Untitled, 1959, pen and ink and ink wash on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Adelyn D. Breeskin, 1968.13.14
Theodore Roszak, Untitled, 1959, pen and ink and ink wash on paper, sheet and image: 11 x 8 3⁄8 in. (27.8 x 21.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Adelyn D. Breeskin, 1968.13.14

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Artist
Date
1959
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet and image: 11 x 8 3⁄8 in. (27.8 x 21.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Adelyn D. Breeskin
Mediums
Mediums Description
pen and ink and ink wash on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1968.13.14
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.13.14

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.

Works by this artist (314 items)

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Henry Wolf, Portrait of a Lady, 1906, wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.228
Portrait of a Lady
Artist
Date1906
wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Henry Wolf, Josephine as Empress, 1895, photomechanical wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.114
Josephine as Empress
Artist
Date1895
photomechanical wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Henry Wolf, Mrs. Robert Morris (Mary White), 1899, wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.173
Mrs. Robert Morris (Mary White)
Artist
Date1899
wood engraving on paper
Not on view
Henry Wolf, Mrs. Alexander Campbell, 1913, photomechanical wood engraving on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1973.130.282
Mrs. Alexander Campbell
Artist
Date1913
photomechanical wood engraving on paper
Not on view

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Fabric Fragment
Artist
Date1887-1968
silk
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Marguerite Zorach, Shawl, 1887-1968, silk, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of Tessim Zorach, 1968.87.22
Shawl
Artist
Date1887-1968
silk
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Residents of Bourbon County, Kentucky, Fan Quilt, Mt. Carmel, 1893, cotton, wool, silk, velvet, lace, ribbon, silk thread, paint, chromolithographic paper decals, and canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1987.80
Fan Quilt, Mt. Carmel
Artist
Date1893
cotton, wool, silk, velvet, lace, ribbon, silk thread, paint, chromolithographic paper decals, and canvas
Not on view