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Accent Black

1949
Not on view
Smith’s composition inventively blends aspects of American Indian design and geometric abstraction. Born in the Oklahoma Territory, Smith grew up among the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. The colors and forms in this work evoke traditional Pueblo design, including zigzag patterns on pottery (often symbolizing rain clouds), and stepped ceremonial architecture, called "kivas." The grid in Accent Black also shows the influence of Piet Mondrian, whose work Smith initially saw at Albert E. Gallatin’s Gallery of Living Art at New York University.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Accent Black
  • Artist: Leon Polk Smith (American, Chickasha, Oklahoma 1906–1996 New York, New York)
  • Date: 1949
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 42 in. × 30 7/8 in. (106.7 × 78.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Lejwa, 1971
  • Object Number: 1971.166
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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