Act III: The Final Judgment: To await the return of Spring

1980

Arthur Tress

Associated Names
Arthur Tress

Artist, American, born 1940

An ornate theater-like frame labeled "OPERA" surrounds a scene showing abstract shapes and figures. A giant eyeball with a prominent iris and crimson outline is positioned above and behind a rooster. Floral elements, mainly in purple hues, weave around an egg-like object to the right. A cart in the setting holds an arrangement of flowers with intricate wrought iron-like wheels. The rooster and chicks on stage, set in a farmyard scenario, are complemented by the grandeur of the stage and the oversized eyeball, creating a theatrically unusual twist on a familiar pastoral scene.
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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

John V. and Laura M. Knaus, Northfield, IL; gift to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2001; acquired by NGA, 2015.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1994

  • Fantastic Voyage: The Photographs of Arthur Tress, United States Information Agency, Washington, DC, traveling exhibition developed and funded by the Arts America Program, 1994-1997. Venues in India, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

2001

  • Arthur Tress: Fantastic Voyage, 1956–2000, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, July 7 – September 23, 2001

Bibliography

1994

  • Fantastic Voyage: The Photographs of Arthur Tress. Exh. cat. United States Information Agency, Washington, DC, 1994: 76, no. 61.

Inscriptions

on verso, signed by artist, lower right in black ink: Arthur Tress; lower left: To await the return / of Spring; lower center: 3/50 / 1980

Wikidata ID

Q64145032

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