Name/Title
Strange PlanetEntry/Object ID
5197Description
Planetary scene with colorful, rocky terrain and light blue sky dotted with colorful planets. Sharp peaks point down from all edges of the sky into the middle of the scene.Context
The 1960’s marked the last decade of Julia Thecla’s artistic career and somewhat of a restoration of her place in Chicago’s art world. Thecla thrived in the artistic community of Chicago in the 1930’s and 40’s, but fell to the margins in the 1950’s. She is considered a surrealist painter or a part of the “magic realism” group along with Gertrude Abercrombie and Ivan Albright. While her early work shows more human and animal figures, her later works such as this one, were focused on space. These space themed paintings are thought to have been either a reflection of America’s obsession with the “race for space” at the time, or an escape route for Thecla out of this dimension and into another.Acquisition
Notes
Collection of Depaul University, Gift of Helen T. FindlayEthnography
Notes
United States
North America, United States
ChicagoDimensions
Dimension Description
FrameWidth
50.165 cmDepth
3.81 cmLength
52.07 cmExhibition
Julia Thecla: Undiscovered WorldsInterpretative Labels
Label
Strange Planet
Thecla, Julia
1961