Object Details
Artist
Susan Rothenberg
Date
1979
Medium
Soft ground, aquatint, spit bite, and scraping
Dimensions
Image: 29 1/2 x 22 inches (74.9 x 55.9 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired through the generosity of Steven Ames and Friends of the Museum
Object
Number
98.126
Susan Rothenberg, Class of 1966, is most known for her images of horses. A key figure in the New Ima(…)
Susan Rothenberg, Class of 1966, is most known for her images of horses. A key figure in the New Image Painting movement, Rothenberg’s work reintroduced the recognizable figure into painting after a decade of heavy conceptualism and abstraction. This is not to say that the work is purely “figurative,” however; Rothenberg takes a recognizable sign and distorts it so that what is familiar becomes foreign. This work may present a frontal view of a horse, but at the same time it shows an abstracted ovoid form. Like the work of Jasper Johns, an artist Rothenberg cites as an influence, Untitled (May #2) occupies an uneasy space, teetering between notions of figuration and abstraction, questioning if there really is a distinction between the two. (“Imprint/ In Print,” curated by Nancy E. Green with assistance from Christian Waibel ’17 and presented at the Johnson Museum August 8 – December 20, 2015)
Discover More
Page from the portfolio Flowers
Andy Warhol, Aetna Silkscreen Products, Inc./Du-Art Displays, New York, Factory Additions, New York