Crossing the Desert

Work on Paper

-

di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art

Name/Title

Crossing the Desert

Entry/Object ID

25

Description

Skeletal travelers riding in 'train' across desert at high speed

Artwork Details

Medium

Watercolor and pencil on paper

Category

Work on Paper

Acquisition

Accession

AR0025

Source or Donor

Simon Lowinsky Gallery

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Made/Created

Artist

Irving Norman

Date made

1948

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Title, Signature, Date

Location

Recto, lower left

Transcription

Crossing the Desert I. Norman - 1948

Material/Technique

Graphite

Lexicon

LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials

Trains

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Object

Height

30 in

Width

40 in

Dimension Description

Frame

Height

37-1/2 in

Width

47 in

Depth

2 in

Exhibitions

Exhibition

Be Not Still: Living in Uncertain Times (Part 1)

Notes

January 27 - Sunday, May 27, 2018, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa

Research Notes

Research Type

Curator

Date

2018

Notes

Irving Norman (1906-1989) used his paintbrush as a tool to portray his visions of modern society, engaging both social and political concerns from a metaphorical, critical, and spirited perspective. This painting was completed after Norman traveled to Mexico to view the work of prominent muralists working there at the time, which had a pronounced impact on his own approach, though he always blended many artistic styles. Addressing the predicaments of human life on Earth, this teeming painting portray rush-hour commuters, the horrors of poverty, and the excesses of capitalism and urban life