Argyle Diamonds

Name/Title

Argyle Diamonds

Entry/Object ID

2019.16

Description

Impasto technique of multicolored lines in the shape of diamonds interwoven across canvas.

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil on linen

Context

Chicago artist Todd Chilton builds up his works through the layering of hand-drawn patterns in paint. Rejecting the precision of lines found in optical art from the 1960’s, Chilton is instead interested in creating an optical playground of imprecise borders, contrasting color patterns, and the undulation between a sense of balance and uneasiness. Although his works often begin as small thumbnail sketches on paper, once moving to the canvas, the geometric shapes begin to take on a pattern of their own, often completely diverging from Chilton’s original plan. This constant reworking of the work’s surface creates a physical experience for the viewer in addition to its visual one.

Acquisition

Accession

2019.16

Source or Donor

Robert Mollers, Nancy Mollers

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Nancy and Robert Mollers

Made/Created

Artist

Todd Chilton

Date made

2011

Ethnography

Notes

American

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Signature

Transcription

Todd Chilton

Type

Inscription

Transcription

Argyle Diamonds

Type

Date

Transcription

2011

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Painting

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Getty AAT

Concept

geometric abstraction, abstraction, forms of expression (artistic concept), artistic concepts, hand-painted, fabrication attributes

Hierarchy Name

Associated Concepts (hierarchy name), Attributes and Properties (hierarchy name)

Facet

Associated Concepts Facet, Physical Attributes Facet

LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials

Illusions, Optical

Dimensions

Height

26-1/8 in

Width

22 in

Depth

1-1/2 in

Dimension Notes

66.35 cm. x 55.88 cm. x 3.81 cm.