Name/Title
untitledEntry/Object ID
2023.2.10Description
Thornton Dial, Sr. gives greater dimension to a typically flat medium by arranging tin cutouts into this freestanding sculpture of a male figure riding a fish. The man is rendered in black and yellow, and the fish is painted in black, yellow, white, and red in a dotted pattern reminiscent of scales. The proportions of the male figure are significantly lengthened, or stretched, giving him a wiry frame. Attached to his hands are wavy yellow sheets of tin that may be leaves, feathers, or most likely, fins. He is seated “side-saddle” on the center of the fish’s back facing right, or towards the fish’s tail. Beneath him, the fish faces left and is suspended on a small cylindrical mount, which gives the appearance that the pair is in motion, swimming through water.Artwork Details
Medium
cut out tin on wood, paintAcquisition
Accession
2023.2Source or Donor
Lou and Calynne HillAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Dial, Thornton Sr.Role
ArtistDate made
n.d.Interpretative Labels
Label
Thornton Dial, Sr. (1928-2016) is the most famous Vernacular artist of the Southeast, and is known for shattering the art world's notion of "outsider" art. Dial's body of work exhibits formal variety through expressive, densely composed assemblages of found materials, often executed on a monumental scale. These found materials include rope, sticks, broken garden ornaments, mattress coils, old shoes, chicken wire, and discarded appliances. His large, bold works, which explore themes of race and class, captivated the art world through sophisticated content and an aesthetic that defied stereotypes of “folk.” Although Dial was born in rural Alabama and had little formal education or art training, his work touches meaningfully on issues of racial inequality, struggles in modern life, and relationships between men and women, which allowed him to resonate with audiences around the world. Dial's works belong to permanent museum collections across the nation.Created By
ashley.williams@gadsdenarts.orgCreate Date
March 21, 2024