Mud Flow (1000 Tons of Yellow Mud)

1969

Robert Smithson

Associated Names
Robert Smithson

Artist, American, 1938 - 1973

The image shows a drawing with a conical mound in the center against a background of an eroded cliff. The horizon line runs across the image at the level of the mound's peak. The cliff is depicted with textured lines in brown and reddish hues. The mound is outlined with grid-like patterns and colored in yellow and ochre, resembling loose soil or sand. The drawing uses clear outlines and minimal shading, creating a schematic appearance. The color palette includes warm earth tones like browns, yellows, and subdued reds, giving a sense of a barren landscape. The simplicity and earthy colors emphasize the architectural and sculptural aspects of the forms depicted.
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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1989

  • Robert Smithson: Zeichnungen aus dem Nachlaß (Drawings from the Estate), Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Münster; Vestjaellands Kunstmuseum, Sorø; and Kunstraum, Munich, 1989-1990, no. 111, repro. p. 97.

1999

  • Robert Smithson: Retrospective-Works 1955-1973, Museet for Samtidskunst, Oslo; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, 1999, no. 126, repro.

2005

  • Robert Smithson, Dallas Museum of Art; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 2005, (unnumbered catalogue reproduction).

Bibliography

1999

  • Robert Smithson Retrospective: works 1995-1973. Exh. cat. Museet for Samtidskunst, Oslo; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, 1999: 214, no. 126.

Inscriptions

lower right in felt-tip marker: Mud Flow / R Smithson / 69; lower right in graphite: 1000 tons of / yellow mud; center right in felt-tip marker: Eroded Cliff

Wikidata ID

Q64629091

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