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Hard Grape

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Photography by Edward C. Robison III.
Hard Grape
Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

Hard Grape

Artist (born 1943)
Dateca. 1968
MediumAcrylic on canvas
Dimensions85 × 68 in. (215.9 × 172.7 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, Bequest of Dr. Francis V. O’Connor, 2020.112
Accession number 2020.112
On View
On view
ProvenanceFrancis V. O’Connor [1937-2017], New York, NY; by bequest to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2020
Label TextIn this work, a long, yellow form juts across the composition, casting shadows on a nebulous peach background. Meanwhile, a blue, window-like form in the top left corner features cubed sections that contradict one another. Susan Tessem’s geometric composition intentionally disrupts, contradicts, and breaks the established rules of depicting space. However, instead of falling apart at these moments of inconsistency, this tension helps the work achieve a rare grace and imperfect balance.

En esta obra, una forma amarilla y larga atraviesa la composición, echando sombras sobre un fondo nebuloso color durazno. Además, otra forma semejante a una ventana en la esquina superior izquierda presenta secciones cúbicas que se contradicen entre sí. Esta composición geométrica de Susan Tessem intencionalmente altera, contradice y rompe con las reglas establecidas del espacio representado. Sin embargo, en lugar de desarmarse en estos momentos de inconsistencia, la tensión contribuye a que la obra alcance un equilibrio imperfecto y una gracia poco habitual.
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