Object Details
Created by
Alma Thomas, American, 1891 - 1978
Caption
"I’ve never bothered painting the ugly things in life…. People struggling, having difficulty…. No, I wanted something beautiful that you could sit down and look at." - Alma Thomas
Although she worked as a painter and arts educator over the course of her career, Alma Thomas did not begin her celebrated abstracted mosaic style until 1964. That year she suffered an attack of arthritis so severe she believed that she would never paint again. Thomas eventually recovered and embarked on a journey to create an entirely new style of painting, something different from any she had ever seen. These new works, which she called Earth Paintings, were inspired by nature, in this case the circular flower beds on display at the Washington, D.C., National Arboretum.
Description
This is an abstract and colorful mosaic-style painting with concentric circles filling a square space with a light green background. Each circle is composed of rectangular shapes of similar color and size, but each circle varies in color and width.
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of William J. and Brenda L. Galloway and Family
Date
1967
Object number
2015.151
Restrictions & Rights
© Charles Thomas Lewis
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Type
oil paintings
Medium
acrylic paint on canvas
Dimensions
H x W x D (unframed): 36 × 36 in. (91.4 × 91.4 cm)
H x W x D (framed): 37 3/16 × 37 1/4 × 2 7/16 in. (94.5 × 94.6 × 6.2 cm)
Place made
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Visual Arts
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Topic
African American
Abstraction
Art
Local and regional
Nature
Resistance
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmaahc_2015.151