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

Object Information

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, gouache, and pen and black ink on paper (recto); pen and black ink with graphite on paper (verso)
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

More Artwork

By Steve Wheeler

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Young Man Not Afraid to Talk to His Mother-in-Law, Steve Wheeler American, born Slovakia, Oil on canvas — Young Man Not Afraid to Talk to His Mother-in-Law
Steve Wheeler
1950

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

Suggestion of window for Mr. C. J. Baker, First Presbyterian Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Louis C. Tiffany American, Watercolor, graphite, gouache and black ink on paper mounted on board in original double matt, American — Suggestion of window for Mr. C. J. Baker, First Presbyterian Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Louis C. Tiffany
Tiffany Studios
ca. 1919

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

The Grand Canyon: Head of the Old Hance Trail, Thomas Moran American, born England, Watercolor, pen and black ink, gouache, and graphite underdrawing on light gray wove paper, American — The Grand Canyon: Head of the Old Hance Trail
Thomas Moran
ca. 1892

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.