Space Ritual No. 6
Artist
Mark Tobey
(American, 1890 - 1976)
Date1957
MediumSumi ink on paper
DimensionsOverall: 44 1/2 x 35 inches (113.03 x 88.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Friends of Art
Object numberF59-62
Signedl.r.: "Tobey/ '57"
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionAll-over curvilinear pattern in two tones of wash on horizontally ribbed paper.Gallery LabelMark Tobey's exploration of dynamic line, light, space and motion developed in tandem with his Baha'i faith. In 1934 he visited Asia to study calligraphy and spend time in meditation at a Zen monastery. His newfound belief in each person's creative and spiritual inner life inspired him to create his first abstract painting. Tobey believed that the purity of abstract art best expressed the spiritual self. Space Ritual No. 6 is from a phase in Tobey's career when he was experimenting with sumi ink, a pigment made from the soot of burned plants mixed with glue, which is used especially in China, Japan and Korea.
Copyright© Estate of Mark Tobey / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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