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Study for Ice

A work made of oil and pencil on off-white wove paper.

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  • A work made of oil and pencil on off-white wove paper.

Date:

1961

Artist:

Ed Ruscha
American, born 1937

About this artwork

The drawing Study for Ice is one of the artist’s early iterations of a single-word composition, which has become a mainstay throughout his career. The articulation of the melting word is directly related to a photograph Ruscha made of an ice truck. The piece can clearly be understood as a precursor to his famous “liquid word” paintings, such as City from 1968.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Ed Ruscha

Title

Study for Ice

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1961

Medium

Oil and pencil on off-white wove paper

Inscriptions

Signed and dated recto, lower right: "Ed Ruscha 1961"

Dimensions

27 × 30.4 cm (10 11/16 × 12 in.)

Credit Line

Promised gift of Edward and Danna Ruscha

Reference Number

603.2010

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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