Michelle Stuart

Strata Series: Jocotan
Recent Acquisition

Maker

Michelle Stuart (American, b. 1933 in Los Angeles, CA)

Title

Strata Series: Jocotan

Year

1979

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

68.2 x 44.4 cm (26 7/8 x 17 1/2 inches) (Sight, Irregular)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum purchase: Paula and Leonard Granoff fund, gift of Ambassador J. W. Middendorf II and Frances Middendorf, and Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2022.62

Type

Exhibition History

On Paper
Gifts from Paula and Leonard Granoff
Oct 29, 2022 – Apr 16, 2023

Label copy

This drawing, with its pitted and velvety surface, was created by laboriously pounding soil from Guatemala into heavy paper lined with muslin, literally impressing the landscape onto it. The color of each sheet—rich gradients of brown tinged with reds and yellows—reflects the various locations from which the earth was taken.

The drawing’s materiality and its layered structure reveal Michelle Stuart’s appreciation for geology and geologic time. She has said, “It is the depiction of the passage of time that is the most salient characteristic of my vision. That idea started with interest in what was visual about time in nature.”

–Jan Howard, Houghton P. Metcalf Jr. Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs

Image use

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Tombstone

Michelle Stuart (American, b. 1933 in Los Angeles, CA)
Strata Series: Jocotan, 1979
Earth from site in Guatemala on paper, mounted to muslin
68.2 x 44.4 cm (26 7/8 x 17 1/2 inches) (Sight, Irregular)
Museum purchase: Paula and Leonard Granoff fund, gift of Ambassador J. W. Middendorf II and Frances Middendorf, and Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 2022.62

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