4x5 transparency scanned on Hasselblad Flextight X1 by Ed Pollard-2010.

The Golden Fleece

Artist Robert Motherwell (American, 1915-1991)

Date1961-1974

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 68 x 204 in. (172.7 x 518.2 cm)

ClassificationsModern art

Credit LineBequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number89.49

Terms

Abstract
White
Ochre
Mustard yellow
Pink
Blue
Abstract Expressionist

Collections

Modern and Contemporary

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting. It is an abstract painting in four colors: ochre, white, pink and blue. The title refers to the adventure of Jason and the Argonauts across the sun-filled Mediterranean and Black Seas. From the left, a field of ochre is intercepted by a explosive application of the paint; the free-form takes the viewer into a white area of the canvas, which ends with another ochre field. A small section of white opens the ochre field again, and a few brushes of blue paint are added. The last section is a pink field, with two blue lines at the top.

Label TextRobert Motherwell American, 1915–1991 The Golden Fleece, 1961–1974 Oil on canvas This monumental canvas traces the journey of Jason and the Argonauts, a mythic band of heroes who sailed the Mediterranean searching for the gold-haired coat of a magical winged ram. Scan the painting from left to right to get a sense of their epic adventure. Moving your eyes from the ochre field to the surge of pink and blue provides the sense of crossing a vast expanse of earth, sea, and sky. The golden burst at the center, created by splashing paint onto the canvas, reminds us that every journey—artistic and heroic alike—is subject to chance. Bequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 89.49