Abstract Heads

c. 1931

Alfred H. Maurer

Associated Names
Alfred H. Maurer

Painter, American, 1868 - 1932

This painting displays angular shapes and planes that give the abstract impression of two faces. Triangular and trapezoidal forms dominate the composition in shades of yellow, green, and tan, with some hints of rosy pink. Near the center of the painting, there are four eyes: one blue, one yellow, one green, and one red. They don't have irises and are solid color with black pupils. Lines run through the eyes, giving them a fractured appearance. Below the eyes, there are two triangles facing each other that could be the noses of the faces, and below those are thin red mouths. Both people appear to have short black hair and wear dark garments. The background is made of rectangles of teal, green, and gray. The brushstrokes in the painting are visible, with some thick and some thin. In many places, the paint is streaky, revealing some of the white canvas below.
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Artwork overview


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Bertha Schaefer Gallery, New York). Marshall Frankel [d. 1986], Chicago. (Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, New York); purchased 5 November 1979 by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; acquired 2014 by the National Gallery of Art.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1982

  • Acquisitions Since 1975, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 5 November 1982 - 16 January 1983, unpublished checklist.

2007

  • Modernism: Designing a New World, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2007.

2013

  • American Journeys: Visions of Place, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 21 September 2013 - 28 September 2014, unpublished checklist.

Bibliography

2011

  • Cash, Sarah, ed. Corcoran Gallery of Art: American Paintings to 1945. Washington, 2011: 184, 308, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q46634735

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