The Tomb of Captain Ahab
Artist
Robert Motherwell
(American, 1915 - 1991)
Date1953
MediumOil on canvas board
DimensionsFramed: 8 x 10 3/16in. (20.3 x 25.9cm)
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number59.14
Description On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright© The Dedalus Foundation / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.
Label TextRobert Motherwell's small study, The Tomb of Captain Ahab, refers to Herman Melville's epic novel Moby Dick. Motherwell, however, was an avowed abstract painter and used this literary subject merely as the starting point for his painterly concerns. He wrote: "There is a chapter in Moby Dick that evokes white's qualities as no painter could, except in his medium."
Motherwell painted with black and white for much of his life; he was very sensitive to the physical and symbolic properties of these two polarities. He stated: "Black does not reflect, but absorbs all light; that is its essential nature; while that of white is to reflect all light." He further described black as "death" and white as "éclat" or life. Motherwell juxtaposed black and white in his work to create tension and balance of absolutes, such as male/female or positive/negative.
MEM
