Object photographed by Scott Wolff. Scanned from a slide by Bill Prochazka. Image color corre…

No Space Left

Artist Mark Tobey (American, 1890-1976)

Date1965

MediumTempera on paper

DimensionsOverall: 34 1/2 x 22 in. (87.6 x 55.9 cm)

ClassificationsModern art

Credit LineBequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number89.50

Terms

Abstract
White
Cream
Black
Brown
Red
Yellow
Blue
Abstract
Switzerland

Collections

Modern and Contemporary

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is a tempera on paper painting. The colors are primarily black, gray, brown, red, orange, yellow, white and a bit of purple. The colors repeat, and are layered over the entire paper. The white marks are made on the surface, yet the multitude of colors below appear through the white. A brownish gray paint also fills in some gaps where layering may be less.

Label TextMark Tobey American, 1890–1976 No Space Left, 1965 Tempera on paper In No Space Left, Mark Tobey fills every single inch of canvas with rhythmic and repetitive strokes. The delicate lines draw on the artist’s study of Eastern philosophies and his experiments with Asian calligraphy. By covering the entire surface with a make-believe script in a technique he called “white writing,” Tobey suggests you shouldn’t try to read his painting like a words on a page. Instead, its mystical meaning must be seen and sensed. Bequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 89.50