Portrait

Name/Title

Portrait

Entry/Object ID

2021.28.6

Description

Thomas Kettner painting with chunky and short brush strokes of thick wet-on-wet paint. A concentration of orange hues is featured top left, and a concentration of beige hues forms the central abstract feature which continues in a thick grouping of these lighter shades down towards the bottom. The perimeter has darker hues that the center of the canvas, and bright red is featured tot he right of the beige abstract figure.

Collection

HCC Permanent Art Collection

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Thomas Kettner Jr.

Role

Artist

Date made

2012 - 2016

Place

City

Tampa

Continent

North America

Location

Category

Exhibit

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Object Label

Label

Kettner’s Portrait is a densely layered abstract painting. Brighter colors are shown centrally with darker hues surrounding the perimeter, emphasizing the separation between internal and external. 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. The mix of colors and brush stroke directions, forming the semblance of human structures, encourages a self-reflective observation. Thomas Kettner, a graduate of the University of South Florida, was an apprentice of the well-known Robert Rauschenberg, and a preparator at the Tampa Museum of Art. Kettner has had his works displayed nationally and locally in Tampa.