Amendment #8

Mark Bradford, Amendment #8, 2014, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Lohrfink Foundation and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2015.34, © 2014, Mark Bradford
Mark Bradford, Amendment #8, 2014, mixed media, 48 14 × 60 in. (122.6 × 152.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Lohrfink Foundation and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2015.34, © 2014, Mark Bradford

Artwork Details

Title
Amendment #8
Date
2014
Dimensions
48 14 × 60 in. (122.6 × 152.4 cm)
Copyright
© 2014, Mark Bradford
Credit Line
Gift of the Lohrfink Foundation and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
mixed media
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
2015.34

Artwork Description

What words or phrases can you make out on the surface of this painting? The text comes from the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution, which forbids the use of "cruel and unusual punishments."

This work is part of a series Mark Bradford made about the Bill of Rights. Inspired by the idea that a piece of paper could embody fundamental human liberties, Bradford used paper as his medium--wetting it, building it up, and scraping it down so that it became a dense cake of multicolored pulp.

The words are buried within the paper's layers. While some are visible, most float in and out of legibility, just as certain people and ideas have come into focus at different times in our history. Reflecting on the Constitution, Bradford marvels that "we will never understand the entire document. . . . Its meaning glimmers."

Works by this artist (1 item)

Mark Bradford, Amendment #8, 2014, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Lohrfink Foundation and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2015.34, © 2014, Mark Bradford
Amendment #8
Date2014
mixed media
On view

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      Artist Mark Bradford discusses his use of materials, his interest in abstraction, and his thoughts on having Amendment #8 in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

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