Untitled

Painting

DePaul Art Museum

Name/Title

Untitled

Entry/Object ID

2018.14

Description

Ghostly skeleton figure isolated in front of hazy background in multicolored dress. Slim Shadow in background.

Artwork Details

Medium

oil acrylic on canvas

Context

Chris Vasell paints lush, yet indeterminable images ranging from large kaleidoscopic patterns to intimate, brooding portraits. His style is defined and unifed by the use of translucent layers of muted acrylics to create watercolor-like washes of color. His luminous paintings, both abstract and representational have drawn comparison to Morris Louis and Helen Frankenthaler’s explorations of color. Untitled repeats a motif used frequently in Vasell’s work from this period. The painting features a central figure, isolated in front of a hazy background. The figure is shroud in multicolored fringe or hair, and its face resembles a ghoul or skeleton, staring directly at the viewer. Though the figure’s body appears large and rounded, its shadow reveals a slender human form. This disconnect between two forms suggests a rupture between perception and reality. Vasell has cited spirituality and psychedelia as influences, particularly in later abstract work. In this early painting, however, the artist utilizes an avatar as a focal point, punctuating an ethereal landscape with an ambiguous yet haunting representation.

Acquisition

Accession

2018.14-17

Source or Donor

Shane Campbell, Julie Campbell

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Shane and Julie Campbell

Made/Created

Artist

Vasell, Chris

Date made

2003

Ethnography

Notes

Japan Tokyo American

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Notes

Inscription Type: none

Lexicon

Getty AAT

Concept

pale (color attribute), color-related attributes, color (perceived attribute), cool colors, color types, colors (hues or tints), shadows, light-related concepts, energy-related concepts, physics concepts, physical sciences concepts, scientific concepts, figurative art, art genres, perception, psychological concepts, social science concepts, spiritualism, philosophical concepts

Hierarchy Name

Color (hierarchy name), Associated Concepts (hierarchy name)

Facet

Physical Attributes Facet, Associated Concepts Facet

LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials

Skeletons, Spirits

Dimensions

Dimension Description

overall; canvas

Width

24 in

Length

18 in

Exhibition

Life Cycles