Robert Motherwell Paintings and Collages: A Catalogue Raisonné 1941 – 1991 Volume 2 - Flipbook - Page 29
references
Frankenstein 1946a, p. 7; Harper’s
Bazaar 1948, illus. p. 87 (in studio);
Seitz 1955, pp. 78–79, illus. n.p.
(fig. 151, in studio, in early state), illus.
n.p. (fig. 152); Bennington College
exh. cat. 1959, n.p. (erroneously dated
1947), as Black and Ochre Painting;
Davis 1965, p. 20, illus. p. 20; Lippard
1965, p. 34; Tillim 1965, illus. p. 35;
Arnason 1966a, illus. p. 27 (fig. 8);
Arnason 1966b, pp. 19, 20, 28;
Robertson 1966a, p. 89, illus. p. 92;
Cooney 1968, pp. 36, 37, 38, 56, illus.
n.p. (pl. 12); Arnason 1969, pp. 51, 52;
Simon 1969, p. 35; Boehs 1971, p. 31;
Galerie im Erker exh. cat. 1971, illus.
p. 9 (in studio, in early state); Art
Museum, Princeton University, exh.
cat. 1973, illus. p. 18 (in studio, in early
state); Hobbs 1975b, p. 214; Arnason
1976, p. 13; Arnason 1977b, pp. 26,
36, 73, illus. n.p. (pls. 62, in studio, in
early state, 179); Herbert F. Johnson
Museum of Art, Cornell University,
exh. cat. 1978, Ithaca and New York,
illus. p. 89 (fig. 90, in studio, in early
state), Tokyo, illus. n.p. (in studio,
in early state); Museo de Arte
Contemporaneo de Caracas exh. cat.
1979, illus. n.p. (in studio, in early
state); Arnason 1982, pp. 26, 36, 73,
illus. p. 29 (pl. 18, in studio, in early
state), illus. p. 158 (pl. 219); Motherwell
in Arnason 1982, p. 158; Albright-Knox
Art Gallery exh. cat. 1983, illus. p. 130
(in studio, in early state); Seitz 1983,
pp. 28, 51, illus. n.p. (fig. 163, in studio,
in early state), color illus. n.p. (fig. 164);
Van Hook 1983, pp. 104, 106; Bannon
1984a, illus. p. 100 (in studio, in
early state); Glueck 1984b, illus. sec.
Magazine, p. 72 (in studio, in early
state); Mattison 1985b, pp. 61, 81, 122,
142–46, 149, 227, 243, 250, illus. n.p.
(fig. 104); Mattison 1987, pp. 42, 68,
98, 115–16, 123–24, 205, 218–19, illus.
p. 91 (fig. 31, in studio, in early state),
illus. p. 120 (fig. 44); American Art
1991, illus. p. 70 (in studio, in early
state); Danto 1991, illus. p. 111 (in
studio, in early state); Flam 1991, illus.
p. 30 (in studio, in early state); Rose
1991, illus. p. 8 (in studio, in early
state); Terenzio 1992b, cover illus. (in
studio, in early state); Huntington 1993,
illus. p. 8 (in studio, in early state);
Dortch 1994, illus. p. 134 (fig. 60, in
studio, in early state); Fineberg 1995,
illus. p. 69 (fig. 3.31, in studio, in early
state); Craven 1996, illus. p. 27 (in
studio, in early state); Artner 1997, sec.
1, p. 18, illus. sec. 1, p. 18; Chalumeau
1998, illus. p. 8 (fig. j, in studio, in
early state); Schulman 1999, p. 12,
color illus. p. 13; Scott and Rutkoff
1999, illus. p. 304 (in studio, in early
state); Fineberg 2000, illus. p. 69
(fig. 3.31, in studio, in early state);
Gordon 2001, illus. p. 50 (in studio);
Smith 2009, sec. C, p. 5.
comments
An early composition on this canvas
was exhibited in October 1944 in
Motherwell’s solo exhibition at Art of
This Century as The Spanish Jailer’s
Wife. It was then repainted and shown
as Wall Painting with Stripes at the Arts
Club of Chicago in 1946. Photographs
of the verso taken prior to its relining
in 1985 reveal the inscription “The
Spanish Jailer’s Wife,” covered over but
still partially legible; another title, “Black
and White,” painted below this, was
never used publicly.
This painting was almost entirely
repainted after it was shown at Art of
This Century. An intermediary state
can be seen in a photograph taken of
the artist in his studio at 33 West Eighth
Street sometime in 1944 or 1945 (see
fig. 32 in volume 1). In that photograph
the painting is visible in a form similar
to the final state, but remnants of figurative forms can still be clearly discerned.
Pentimenti and heavy traces of previous
impasto forms on the surface of the
finished painting bear evidence of the
early state that depicted three stylized
figures, similar to those in another
large painting of about the same dimensions (p14), which was also shown in
Motherwell’s 1944 solo exhibition at
Art of This Century. That painting and
this one, then called The Spanish Jailer’s
Wife, were the largest paintings we know
to have been included in the 1944 exhibition, which indicates the importance
of the “three figures” motif to him at
the time. (In 1943–44, Motherwell had
developed the pictorial language of
these figurative works in a series of over
thirty drawings, including several that
depict three figures being shot, as in
fig. 9 in volume 1.)
p17
p17
{ Title unknown}
Ca. 1944
Oil on canvas (?)
36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm), approx.
inscriptions
Unknown
present owner
Unknown
provenance
The artist
references
Seitz 1955, illus. n.p. (fig. 151, in studio); Galerie im Erker exh. cat. 1971,
illus. p. 9 (in studio); Art Museum,
Princeton University, exh. cat. 1973,
illus. p. 18 (in studio); Arnason 1977b,
illus. n.p. (pl. 62, in studio); Herbert F.
Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell
University, exh. cat. 1978, Ithaca and
New York, illus. p. 89 (fig. 90, in studio), Tokyo, illus. n.p. (in studio);
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de
Caracas exh. cat. 1979, illus. n.p. (in
studio); Arnason 1982, illus. p. 29
(pl. 18, in studio); Albright-Knox Art
Gallery exh. cat. 1983, illus. p. 130 (in
studio); Seitz 1983, illus. n.p. (fig. 163,
in studio); Bannon 1984a, illus. p. 100
(in studio); Glueck 1984b, illus. sec.
Magazine, p. 72 (in studio); American
Art 1991, illus. p. 70 (in studio); Danto
1991, illus. p. 111 (in studio); Flam
1991, illus. p. 30 (in studio); Rose 1991,
illus. p. 8 (in studio); Terenzio 1992b,
cover illus. (in studio); Huntington
1993, illus. p. 8 (in studio); Dortch
1994, illus. p. 134 (fig. 60, in studio);
Fineberg 1995, illus. p. 69 (fig. 3.31,
in studio); Craven 1996, illus. p. 27
(in studio); Chalumeau 1998, illus. p. 8
(fig. j, in studio); Scott and Rutkoff
1999, illus. p. 304 (in studio); Fineberg
2000, illus. p. 69 (fig. 3.31, in studio).
comments
This painting is known only from a
photograph taken of Motherwell in his
studio, where it appears (here highlighted) on the wall above his head and
to his right (Juley photo no. j0004981;
this photograph is frequently misdated
1943, but it dates from late 1944 or
early 1945). The painting may have
been repainted or destroyed after the
photograph was taken.
pai ntin gs on c anvas and panel
17
