Powder Plant

2013

Not on view

Powder Plant suggests both the dangers of industrial advancement and the possibility of rebirth out of destruction. The assemblage likely refers to the Hercules Powder plant, which supplied dynamite to mining operations north of Dial’s hometown of Bessemer from 1924 to 1986, when it closed. Two deadly nitroglycerin explosions at the plant in the 1970s were omens of the subsequent collapse of the steel and iron industry. This piece’s muted color palette gives it an archaeological quality, as if the object had been removed from a heap of rubble. The powder also recalls ash, conjuring the adapted biblical phrase: "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Thus, the word "plant" takes on double meaning, referring to both the factory and the natural regeneration of life from death and decay.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Powder Plant
Artist: Thornton Dial (American, Emelle, Alabama 1928–2016 McCalla, Alabama)
Date: 2013
Medium: Sheet metal, sawdust, commercial paint, and adhesive on canvas on wood
Dimensions: 66 × 60 × 3 in. (167.6 × 152.4 × 7.6 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2014
Object Number: 2014.548.3
Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Thornton Dial/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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By Thornton Dial

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History Refused to Die, Thornton Dial American, Okra stalks and roots, clothing, collaged drawings, tin, wire, steel, Masonite, steel chain, enamel, and spray paint — History Refused to Die
Thornton Dial
2004

Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American — Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907

Shadows of the Field, Thornton Dial American, String, twine, synthetic cotton batting, wood, burlap, sheet metal, cloth rags, nails, staples, and enamel on canvas on wood — Shadows of the Field
Thornton Dial
2008

Nesting, Thornton Dial American, Charcoal, graphite, and watercolor on paper — Nesting
Thornton Dial
1993

Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American — Necklace
Meta Overbeck
Louis C. Tiffany
Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1914–15

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