Clouds Over A Planetoid

Name/Title

Clouds Over A Planetoid

Entry/Object ID

5196

Description

Somewhat aerial view of a planet. Planet is on lower section of the image and is made up of colorful, abstract, curving human forms. The sky is light blue with white clouds at the very top and a few colorful planets scattered throughout.

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil collage on canvas

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. Findlay

Made/Created

Artist

Thecla, Julia

Date made

1962

Ethnography

Notes

America United States North America Chicago North America, United States

Lexicon

Legacy Lexicon

Object Name

Painting

Class

PAINTINGS

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Image

Width

26-1/4 in

Length

35-3/4 in

Dimension Description

frame

Width

27-1/4 in

Depth

1-1/2 in

Length

37-1/4 in

Dimension Description

Frame

Dimension Notes

Size: 36 x 26

Exhibition

Julia Thecla: Undiscovered Worlds

Interpretative Labels

Label

Clouds Over A Planetoid Thecla, Julia 1962