Seventeen Drawings by Thoreau

1978

John Cage

Associated Names
John Cage

Artist, American, 1912 - 1992

Crown Point Press

Publisher

The image features a collection of lines and shapes in an abstract form, with swirling curves and elongated strokes dominating the composition. Among these abstract elements, hints of familiar objects can be discerned. A structure resembling a simplified musical keyboard slants across the middle, while organic lines with a red hue mimic the outline of coral. Towards the upper left, a black, jagged line curves in a manner reminiscent of a drifting piece of thread. To the upper right, lines in blue follow an arc pattern similar to a sunburst or a set of radiating spokes. Splashes of color, including yellow, brown, and green ovals, are scattered across the image.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    uniquely inked color photo-etching on Japanese paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Kathan Brown

  • Dimensions

    image: 55.9 x 71.1 cm (22 x 28 in.)
    sheet: 62.2 x 92.7 cm (24 1/2 x 36 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1996.93.34

  • Copyright

    © John Cage Trust


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

2013

  • Yes, No, Maybe: Artists Working at Crown Point Press, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1 Sep 2013 - 5 Jan 2014.

Bibliography

2013

  • Brodie, Judith, and Adam Greenhalgh. Yes, No, Maybe: Artists Working at Crown Point Press. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 2013, p. 79, pl. 10.1.

Inscriptions

lower left below image in graphite: 17 Drawings by Thoreau OK. to Print John Cage 1972

Wikidata ID

Q75400634

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