Light Blue Nursery

Alma Thomas, Light Blue Nursery, 1966, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.324
Alma Thomas, Light Blue Nursery, 1966, acrylic on canvas, 4947 78 in. (124.4121.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.324

Artwork Details

Title
Light Blue Nursery
Artist
Date
1966
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
4947 78 in. (124.4121.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
acrylic on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1970.324

Artwork Description

The chromatic impact of Light Blue Nursery is dramatic. Small blocks of irregularly configured primary colors dance across a bright white surface in horizontal rows that echo the ordered energy of a formal garden. Secondary and tertiary hues – pinks, purples, and greens – serve as borders and accents, reflecting Thomas’s conviction that she could play with perception and optical interaction in images drawn from her visual experience of the natural world. Although seemingly constructed of spontaneous strokes of the brush, the forms, like the colors, are thoughtfully calibrated.


African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012

Works by this artist (3 items)

Ray Strong, San Francisco from Russian Hill, ca. 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration, 1974.89.9
San Francisco from Russian Hill
Dateca. 1934
oil on canvas
On view
Ray Strong, San Francisco from Russian Hill, ca. 1933-1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.102
San Francisco from Russian Hill
Dateca. 1933-1934
oil on canvas
Not on view
Ray Strong, Golden Gate Bridge, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1965.18.50
Golden Gate Bridge
Date1934
oil on canvas
Not on view

Exhibitions

Alma Thomas, The Eclipse, 1970, acrylic on canvas
Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas
September 15, 2023August 4, 2024
The exhibition Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas provides an intimate view of Alma Thomas’ evolving artistic practices during her most prolific period from 1959 to her death in 1978.

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Picking Cotton with Boss Men
Date2007
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Date2015
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Date2022
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Date2015
canvas tarpaulin, velvet, Georgia clay, wood, rock, metal, thread, rum, and tobacco
On view