Beach of Silenus

Bob ThompsonWW-1964-138626

1964·Acrylic on cream wove paper with commercially printed text·26.1 × 27.6 cm (10 5/16 × 10 7/8 in.)

<p>Robert Thompson appropriated compositions from Old European Masters, rearranging and integrating them with his own symbolic language and figural style. In his reconfiguration of established themes, he eliminated narrative content and instead created abstract patterns that loosely convey a feeling or an idea. The thick acrylic paint produces a dynamic, textured surface; flat, overlapping fields of color create linear and chromatic rhythms and planes advance and recede in space. Despite deriving inspiration from canonical works of art, Thompson's improvisatoinsal working method demonstrates affinities with the post-bebop jazz of the 1960s.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1964
Medium: Acrylic on cream wove paper with commercially printed text
Dimensions: 26.1 × 27.6 cm (10 5/16 × 10 7/8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Bob Thompson

Artist

Bob Thompson

Mixed Media

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Bob Thompson (1937–1966) earned critical acclaim in the late 1950s the figurative complexity and chromatic intensity of his paintings. Over his short yet prolific career, he developed a unique figurative style in reaction to the dominance of abstract art while incorporating its spontaneity, scale, and expressive use of color.

Louisville, KY, USA

Full artist profile →