The Power of Memory

Steve Wheeler American, born Slovakia

ca. 1943

Not on view

The Power of Memory is an abstract watercolor composed of flat forms that fill the picture plane like intricate puzzle pieces. They are more densely concentrated in the center of the composition, while the perimeter of the picture consists of broader planes of color. Blue, brown, and bright orange tones predominate the palette. Most of the forms are unrecognizable, though what seem to be houses or generic buildings appear in a circular window near the right-hand side. Steve Wheeler was an interesting abstract painter remembered primarily for his association with Indian Space Painting, a group at midcentury that borrowed forms freely from North and South American art and design to create a "native" style of abstract painting.

Artwork Details

Overview

Inscriptions and Markings

Provenance

Title: The Power of Memory
Artist: Steve Wheeler (American (born Slovakia), 1912–1992 New York)
Date: ca. 1943
Medium: Watercolor, opaque watercolor, and pen and black ink on paper
Dimensions: 12 7/8 in. × 11 in. (32.7 × 27.9 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, 2020
Object Number: 2021.54.54a, b
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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