Koethe
Artist
Robert Dash
(American, 1931 - 2013)
Date2003
MediumOil and oil stump bar on canvas
DimensionsUnframed: 70 × 60 inches (177.8 × 152.4 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation–Commerce Bank, Trustee
Object number2008.10
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThis painting depicts a large-scale black flower, with accents of bright pink and blue on a predominantly brown background. The flower fills almost all of the space, nearly touching the edges, and the much abbreviated stem extends from the lower center part of the flower to the bottom edge of the painting.Gallery LabelRobert Dash's Koethe was inspired by the nature-based poetry of philosopher John Koethe. It is an expressionistic celebration of nature and the imagined essence of a flower. It depicts a large-scale black flower, with highlights of hot pink and blue, set against a non-descript brown background. The expressionistic quality of the painting is heightened through the single, centered form which fills the canvas and pushes at the boundaries of the work, all rendered with dashing brushwork. While Koethe has all the requisite components of a flower-pistil, stamens, petals and stem-this flower does not exist in nature. It is pure fantasy.
Copyright© Estate of Robert Dash
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