Red Green in Grey
Artist
Oscar Bluemner
(American, 1867-1938)
CultureAmerican
Date1934
MediumOil on board
DimensionsOverall: 29 1/4 x 39 1/2 in. (74.3 x 100.3 cm)
Overall, Frame: 34 1/2 x 45 in. (87.6 x 114.3 cm)
Overall, Frame: 34 1/2 x 45 in. (87.6 x 114.3 cm)
InscribedSigned lower left corner: "BLMR"
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.786
On View
On viewLabel TextOscar Bluemner American, 1867–1938 Red Green in Grey, 1934 Oil on board Oscar Bluemner designed his colorful and quasi-abstract landscapes like Red Green in Grey to evoke particular moods and feelings among viewers. Red, he explained, represented vigor, assertion, and the affirmation of life. Green symbolized the forces inherent in the earth. While other modernists painted cities and factories, Bluemner preferred “the intimate landscape,” believing that visual experiences of the natural world could more easily trigger or amplify strong emotions, thereby adding meaning to works of art. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.786 ProvenanceJames Graham & Son, New York, N.Y., 1971; Irvin Brenner, New York, N.Y, 1971; Chrysler Art Museum of Provincetown, May 27, 1971; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. to the Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., 1971. Exhibition History"Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum," Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, Va., March 1 - July 4, 1976. "Inside 291," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., April 27 - June 17, 1984. "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. Published ReferencesDennis R. Anderson, _Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum_, exh. cat., Norfolk, Va., 1975, 186.
