Richard Pousette-Dart (American, 1916–1992). <em>Amaranth</em>, 1958. Oil on canvas, Historic dimensions: 75 3/4 × 64 3/4 in. (192.4 × 164.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Kahn, 87.239. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 87.239_SL3.jpg)

Why is this image so small?

This image is presented as a "thumbnail" because it is protected by copyright. The Brooklyn Museum respects the rights of artists who retain the copyright to their work.

Richard Pousette-Dart (American, 1916–1992). Amaranth, 1958. Oil on canvas, Historic dimensions: 75 3/4 × 64 3/4 in. (192.4 × 164.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Kahn, 87.239. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 87.239_SL3.jpg)

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What was he trying to represent?

This artist was inspired by Native American, African, and Oceanic art. He wanted to convey transcendent spiritual truths.

The title is "Amaranth."Amaranth is from an ancient crop originating in the Americas, can be used as a high-protein grain or as a leafy vegetable, and has potential as a forage crop. have been important in different parts of the world and at different times for several thousand years.

How did the artist get the paint to "come out" like that? Did the artist just dab large amounts of paint?

The effect you're noticing is called "impasto" coming from the Italian word for "mixture." It is a technique where paint is laid on an area of the surface very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Artists at the time were drawn to this technique because it recorded the "action" of painting itself.

Richard Pousette-Dart actually created these large canvases that were densely packed with details from various cultures. He was inspired by Native American, African, and Oceanic art and wanted to convey transcendent spiritual truths.

Interesting...

I personally like getting really close, and then slowly taking small steps backwards to see new details emerge.

What is Oceanic art? We are looking at Richard pousette-dart

That is a great question, Oceanic Art is considered to be art that comes from the native peoples of the Pacific Islands as well as Australia, for example, New Guinea, the Nicobar Islands and Indonesia are some countries that our collection of Arts of the Pacific Islands represents.

Who is a famous artist that would be representative of this style?

Hm, that's a tough question. Because Oceanic Art does not fall in the "typical" canon of Western Art History, I'm not sure I have a good answer for you. I don't know of any "famous" Oceanic artists, in the way that we know American or European artists. Does that make sense?

Yes, definitely, I just wanted something to look up later!

We do have a few works from our collection on view on the first floor in Connecting Cultures, if you would like to see some examples of what Pousette-Dart was looking to.

Great, thanks!

You're welcome!

What medium is this?

This is oil on canvas. I can see why you're wondering, the paint is so thickly applied!

That effect is called "impasto." We can see the strokes and application of the paint clearly because it's so thick!

Wow. Very cool. Thanks!

You're welcome! Once I noticed the name of that painting, I looked at it differently, "amaranth" is an ancient grain probably native to Central and South America. There are a few works in that area of the gallery that walk the line between representation (showing us something specific) and abstraction (just color and form), the Marsden Hartley painting on the opposite wall is another example. Keep an eye out for it!

Amaranth

Richard Pousette-Dart

Contemporary Art

On View:

A founding member of the Abstract Expressionist group known as the New York School, Richard Pousette-Dart began producing large, actively painted compositions of mystically symbolic shapes in the 1940s. Inspired by Native American, African, and Oceanic art, as well as the philosophy of Carl Jung, he strived toward a universal formal language through which to convey transcendent spiritual truths. His finest canvases are complexly constructed and have the effect of emitting light. The artist wrote in 1957, “A work of art for me is a window . . . or a doorway to every other human being. It is my contact and union with the universe.”

ARTIST Richard Pousette-Dart, American, 1916–1992

MEDIUM Oil on canvas

DATES 1958

DIMENSIONS Historic dimensions: 75 3/4 × 64 3/4 in. (192.4 × 164.5 cm) observed dims - canvas: 75 13/16 × 64 3/4 in. (192.5 × 164.5 cm) frame: 78 × 66 3/4 × 2 1/2 in. (198.1 × 169.5 × 6.4 cm) (show scale)

SIGNATURE Lower left verso: "R. Pousette-Dart '58"

COLLECTIONS Contemporary Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 87.239

CREDIT LINE Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Kahn

EXHIBITIONS

American Identities: A New Look

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Richard Pousette-Dart (American, 1916–1992). Amaranth, 1958. Oil on canvas, Historic dimensions: 75 3/4 × 64 3/4 in. (192.4 × 164.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Kahn, 87.239. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 87.239_SL3.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 87.239_SL3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2022

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RIGHTS STATEMENT © artist or artist's estate

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