Pat Steir

The Burial Mound at Stonehenge

Maker

Pat Steir (American, b. 1938 in Newark, NJ)

Title

The Burial Mound at Stonehenge

Year

1973

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, watercolor, graphite

Supports

Dimensions

48.3 x 61 cm (19 x 24 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Purchased in honor of Hope Alswang, Director of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 2005-2009; accessioned by the 2009-2010 Fine Arts Committee; Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund

Object Number

2009.83

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Fantasy, Myth, Legend
Imagining the Past in Works on Paper since 1750
Dec 16, 2023 – Jun 02, 2024

Label copy

In this drawing, scribbled marks are reminiscent of lines of text, and an ethereal landscape is suggested by pink and gray washes. The resulting work hovers between representation and abstraction, history and the eternal present. For artist Pat Steir, the act of drawing comes down to the basic desire for communication—an impulse shared by both ancient and contemporary peoples. Though the title of this work mentions the prehistoric stone structure of Stonehenge, Steir doesn’t offer a representation of that site, but rather an exploration of the shared origins of artistic creation across time. 

–SM

Pat Steir
Drawing Out of Line
Feb 19, 2010 – Jul 03, 2010

Image use

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In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Pat Steir (American, b. 1938 in Newark, NJ)
The Burial Mound at Stonehenge, 1973
Graphite, ink and watercolor on paper
48.3 x 61 cm (19 x 24 inches)
Purchased in honor of Hope Alswang, Director of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 2005-2009; accessioned by the 2009-2010 Fine Arts Committee; Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund 2009.83

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