Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2015.

Still Life

Artist Arshile Gorky (American (born Armenia), 1904 - 1948)

CultureAmerican

Dateca. 1930-31

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 38 1/2 x 50 3/8 in. (97.8 x 128 cm)
Overall, Frame: 47 3/4 x 59 3/4 x 2 1/4 in. (121.3 x 151.8 x 5.7 cm)

InscribedSigned on the back: "Gorky"

Credit LineBequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number89.51

Collections

American Art before 1945

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 219

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting. Bright primary colors in addition to white, black and brown make up the palette. Numerous organic shapes summarize the content. The color sharply delineates the boundary of each shape. The partially hidden background shapes are striped, as well as a brown kidney shape in the foreground. There is also a touch of texture hidden in the black shape at the center. On some of the shapes the brush strokes are visible. The yellow shape was painted over a darker color in one layer with wide brush strokes; the darker color is peeking through from beneath.

Label TextArshile Gorky American, 1904–1948 Still Life, ca. 1930–31 Oil on canvas What shapes and patterns do you see in this painting? Arshile Gorky’s title, Still Life, suggests that this is a group of everyday objects. Perhaps you see a chair, a figure, or an artist’s palette. Abstraction allowed Gorky to share his personal experience of the surrounding world, but he did not explain the contents or meanings of his images. Working in New York, the Armenian-born painter produced countless works like this one, which pushed the boundaries of Cubism and Surrealism. Puzzle through his lines and layers to construct your own interpretation. Bequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 89.51 ProvenancePurchased from the artist by Mrs. Charles Mergentime, new York; Gift of Charles Mergentime to the Museum of Modern Art, 1953; Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1953 - 1976; Jeffrey H. Loria, New York, March 1976; M. Knoedler and Co., May 1976; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., May 7, 1976; Bequest of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. to the Chrysler Museum of Art, 1989. Exhibition History"Treasures from The Chrysler Museum at Norfolk and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville, Tenn., June 12 - September 5, 1977. (Exh. cat. no. 56) "Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America, 1927-1944," Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa., November 5 - December 31, 1983; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Calif., January 26 - March 25, 1984; The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minn., April 15 - June 3, 1984; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, N.Y., June 28 - September 9, 1984. (Exh. cat. no. 55) "Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective," Philadelphia Museum of Art, October 21, 2009 - January 10, 2010; Tate Modern, London, February 10 - May 3, 2010; LA County Museum of Art, June 6 - September 20, 2010. "Remix: A Fresh Look At Our Modern And Contemporary Art Collections," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, November 2, 2011 - March 17, 2012. "American Vanguards: Graham, Davis, Gorky, de Kooning and Their Circle, 1927-1942," Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York, January 15 - April 15, 2012; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, June 9 - August 19, 2012; Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts, September 21 - December 30, 2012; San Jose Museum of Art, California, February 1 - June 2, 2013. "Collection Conversations: Arshile Gorky: Between Worlds," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, July 1 - October 18, 2015.Published ReferencesMartha Hutson, editor, "Stuart Davis, 1931," _The Artist's Viewpoint: Documentary Sources in American Art_ Vol. II, no. 3 (May/June 1975): 124-126. Eric M. Zafran and Mario Amaya, _Treasures from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr._, exh. cat., Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville, Tenn., 1977. (Exh. cat. no. 56) Jim M. Jordan and Robert Goldwater, _The Paintings of Arshile Gorky: A Critical Catalogue_ (New York: New York University Press, 1982), 38-43, 214, fig. 86. ISBN: 0814741606 John R. Lane and Susan C. Larsen, _Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America, 1927-1944_, exh. cat., Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1983, 106, 151, no. 55. ISBN: 0880390069 "La Chronique des Arts: Principales Acquisitions des Musées en 1989," _Gazette des Beaux-Arts: Supplementary_ no. 1454 (March 1990), 62, no. 311. Jefferson C. Harrison, _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_ (Norfolk: The Chrysler Museum, 1991), 180, no. 136. ISBN: 0940744597, 0940744627 Hayden Herrera, _Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work_ (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003), 186, 760, Fig. 14. ISBN: 0374113238 Martha N. Hagood and Jefferson C. Harrison, _American Art at the Chrysler Museum: Selected Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings_ (Norfolk, Va.: Chrysler Museum of Art, 2005), 174-175, no. 108. ISBN: 0-940744-71-6 Agee, William C., Irving Sandler, and Karen Wilkin. _American Vanguards: Graham, Davis, Gorky, de Kooning, and Their Circle, 1927-1942._ Addison Gallery of American Art. New Haven, CT and London: Yale University Press. 2011. Plate 22. ISBN: 978-0-300-12167-4. Alexandre Beredjiklian, _Arshile Gorky: Sept Thèmes Majeurs (Seven Major Themes)_ (Suresnes, Paris, France: Alphamédian & Johanet, 2007) pp. 24-27, 29, 34, 71, Fig. 10. ISBN: 9-782915-483208 Ethel Schwabacher, with preface by Lloyd Goodrich and introduction by Meyer Schapiro, _Arshile Gorky_ (New York: The Macmillan Company for the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1957). Michael R. Taylor, ed., _Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective_, exh. cat., (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2009), 177.