The Spinning, Spinning, Turning, Directing

Bob Thompson, The Spinning, Spinning, Turning, Directing, 1963, oil on canvas, 62 ⁷⁄₈ x 86 ⁷⁄₈ in. (159.7 x 220.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1980.137.104

Artwork Details

Title: The Spinning, Spinning, Turning, Directing
Artist: Bob Thompson
Date: 1963
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
3rd Floor
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North Wing
Dimensions: 62 ⁷⁄₈ x 86 ⁷⁄₈ in. (159.7 x 220.6 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Abstract
Figure group
Object Number: 1980.137.104
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1980.137.104

Artwork Description

Figures often appear in a precarious state in Bob Thompson's art. Here, our attention is immediately drawn to a pale body in dangerous free fall. Behind the body, a winged figure rises, while characters on the ground seem unmoved by the action. The exact narrative remains elusive--is this a nightmare, an allegory, a myth?

Thompson developed his distinct style, combining figuration and expressive color, in the late 1950s. A Black American, he established his career in New York City but spent extended periods in Spain and Italy. Some of the figures in this painting were adapted from prints by the late eighteenth-century Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, reflecting Thompson's prolonged engagement with historical European art.