About this artwork
A pioneer of abstraction, Ilya Bolotowsky created numerous murals for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project. One of Bolotowsky’s early works, this study for a 1939 mural that was later destroyed shows his intent to create an ideal, balanced composition devoid of a dominant form. Strongly influenced by Joan Miró and later by Piet Mondrian, Bolotowsky sought to achieve compositional harmony in his works. Perhaps in response to the turmoil of the 1930s, American abstract artists looked to nonobjective art as a way to attain a sense of stability and equilibrium.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Artist
- Ilya Bolotowsky
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Title
- Study for the Hall of Medical Sciences Mural at the 1939 World's Fair in New York
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Place
- United States (Artist's nationality)
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Date
- c. 1938–1939
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Medium
- Oil on canvas
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Dimensions
- 76.2 × 121.9 cm (30 × 48 in.)
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Credit Line
- Wilson L. Mead Fund
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Reference Number
- 1977.1
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Copyright
- © Estate of Ilya Bolotowsky/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Extended information about this artwork
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