#125
Artist
Bruce Conner
(Born in McPherson, Kansas, 1933–2008)
Date1971
MediumOffset lithograph on paper, artist's proof
DimensionsSheet: 14 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches (36.2 x 36.2 cm)
ClassificationsPrint
Credit LineGift of Kristine Stiles
Object number2018.18.11
Collections
- ART OF THE UNITED STATES
- MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
- WORKS ON PAPER
StateAP
Label TextAlthough not a mandala, this work is strikingly similar to Bruce Conner’s mandala series: black and white, executed with extreme detail and precision, and containing countless methodical black ink marks on the page. Nonetheless, the work lacks the circular forms that also characterize his mandala works. Instead, it includes black and white forms that resemble an exotic pattern or abstract zebra print. In creating the drawing upon which this lithograph is based, Conner used the felt-tip pen that had reached the market in the 1960s. Conner found the felt-tip pen an ideal tool for his process, as it never needed to be lifted from the paper, and he could work methodically, uninterrupted for hours. Despite his preference, Conner warned: “Felt-tip marker pens, which are labeled permanent, are not. They fade and disappear in sunlight.” KH
ProvenanceRental Gallery Baltimore Museum of Art Baltimore, MD, in September 1973.