Label Text:
Cumberland exemplifies Jack Youngerman’s large-scale, sophisticated, and elegant abstract style, which synthesized Eastern and Western artistic influences and left a deep mark in mid-20th-century color field painting. The composition is dominated by blue and green organic forms reminiscent of, among other sources, Georgia O’Keeffe’s nature-based abstraction, which Youngerman admired. Starkly graphic, but also surprisingly lush, these shapes suggest water and land. White, too, imparts a distinct presence by surrounding and slicing into the composition’s more conspicuous, colorful elements. The painting’s title likely refers to the Cumberland Gap in the Appalachian Mountains, which has figured prominently in American folklore following Daniel Boone’s legendary westward journey. This historical and geographical allusion links to the artist’s personal history as a native of Louisville, Kentucky.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+1983.61 |
