Label Type
DidacticLabel
Thomas Kettner, Jr. (b. 1948-2020)
Untitled (Concentric Circles)
print on paper
36 x 27.5 in.
Gift of Susan Kettner, Sister, 2021.28.8
In this untitled work, Thomas Kettner overlaps concentric circles of yellow, blue, red and green on top of small illustrations of insects, hurricanes, maps, and other scientific images. The center of the composition features a small diagram of a Victorian era safety coffin, an allusion to the phobia of being buried alive. The psychological dimension of Kettner’s work invites viewers to spend additional time contemplating the veiled imagery, an active exchange that the artist wrote as being necessary for the “ultimate completion” of all his abstract work. Though Kettner spent most of his life in Tampa, he called Ybor City his home. For many years, he kept an artist studio in the historic district, embracing the Ybor City community and becoming a fixture in the arts scene.
This work of art is a part of the HCC Permanent Art Collection. The HCC Art Galleries, through their Campus Loan Outreach Program, seek to share original art by collecting a diversity of works for the education and enjoyment of the HCC Community.