Vagabondia
Artist
Duncan Hannah
CultureAmerican
Date1987
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 56 x 80 in. (142.2 x 203.2 cm)
InscribedOn verso: Duncan Hannah;
78 x 60 oc;
10 . 11. 87;
VAGABONDIA
Credit LineGift of the family of Joel B. Cooper, in memory of Mary and Dudley Cooper
Object number2002.26.7
Not on view
DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting. A man walks down a long dirt road, marked by tire-tracks, toward a white farmhouse with an orange roof. The scene is overwhelmingly green. The farmhouse, in the background, is bathed in the warmth of a late afternoon sun as well as the the right side of the canvas; trees cast a shadow over the the foreground and left side.Label TextDuncan Hannah American (b. 1952) Vagabondia, 1987 Oil on canvas In memory of Mary and Dudley Cooper from the family of Joel B. Cooper 2002.26.7 ~ As a boy, Duncan Hannah would plan imaginary trips with his parents on rainy afternoons to unseen places, using maps and train timetables to complete his itinerary. As an artist he has continued these imaginary travels, which he often renders in paint, as scenes from childhood, or of life in simpler times. Innocence, dreaminess, and displacement in time are all themes that are woven into his paintings and appear in Vagabondia, in which a young man walks down a long dirt road toward a white farmhouse. The mood of the painting is warm and inviting, as reflected in the late afternoon sunlight falling on the unspoiled landscape. The painting's title, Vagabondia, implies wanderlust. Has the young man just left his adolescent friends at the corner to arrive home in time for dinner? Is this a homecoming after many months? Or is it a spiritual journey of self-discovery the man has taken? Suspended in time, the story's ending remains elusive. While the artist captures a specific moment, he requires the viewer to complete the narrative. ProvenanceThe artist, 1987-1988; Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York, Ny., 1988; Joel B. Cooper, Norfolk, Va., 1988-2002; Gift in memory of Mary and Dudley Cooper from the family of Joel B. Cooper to Chrysler Museum of Art, 2002. Exhibition History"Duncan Hannah," Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York, Ny., March 12 - April 6, 1988. "Duncan Hannah: Mythic Times," University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal, Il., April 24 - May 27, 1990. "The Bold 1980s: A Collector's Vision," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., March 19 - October, 2003. Published ReferencesTimothy Cohrs, "Duncan Hannah," _Arts Magazine_ 62, no. 9 (May 1988): 107. Suzaan Boettger, "Duncan Hannah at Phyllis Kind," _Art in America_ 76, no. 9 (September 1988): 185-186. Laurie Dahlberg, with foreword by Barry Blinderman, _Duncan Hannah: Mythic Times_, exh. cat., University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal, Il., 1990, 32.
