Sisyphus

Sisyphus, by Guy Anderson: Sisyphus, by Guy Anderson, Photo credit: ©Joseph Allen Freeman Jr.
Sisyphus, by Guy Anderson

Sisyphus, by Guy Anderson, Photo credit: ©Joseph Allen Freeman Jr.

Name/Title

Sisyphus

Entry/Object ID

L2002.2.1

Description

Diptych, oil painting on roofing paper, depicting the ancient Greek myth of Sisyphus. The artist worked on large sheets of paper on the floor in the studio, using thinned oil paint and large brushes.

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Made/Created

Artist

Guy Anderson

Date made

1987

Notes

In 1959 Anderson left Seattle for good. He rented a house on the edge of La Conner, where he found inspiration from the vast skies and natural settings of the surrounding area. He gathered rocks and driftwood, which he composed around his rustic home in various assemblages. For a time, he rented a studio on the main street of La Conner. Later, he bought property at 415 Caledonia Street, building a house and studio there. He began painting large works on roofing paper purchased from a local lumber company. Working with large sheets of paper on the floor in the studio above his living room, Anderson used thinned oil paint and large brushes. The scale of the format enabled his brushstrokes to become expansive and expressive, while its texture gave unexpected complexities which he valued.

Dimensions

Height

8 ft

Width

24 ft

Interpretative Labels

Label

In the Greek myth of Sisyphus, a greedy king is forever doomed to roll a stone up a hill in Hades (the underground realm of the dead in Greek mythology), only for it to roll back down again. As in this painting on two panels, internationally known painter Guy Anderson depicted a human figure alongside symbols drawn from his studies of myth, religion, and philosophy. Sisyphus reflects his persistent exploration of the human struggle on an epic scale. Courtesy of the King County Public Art Collection Honors Program and 4Culture