Accession Number
2002/2.232

Title
Lucifer

Artist(s)
Theo Hios

Object Creation Date
circa 1975

Medium & Support
oil on canvas

Dimensions
30 11/16 x 24 11/16 in. (77.79 x 62.6 cm);30 11/16 x 24 11/16 in. (77.79 x 62.55 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Christopher and Heather Millio and Family

Label copy
Theo Hios and his family immigrated to America from Greece in 1929. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and gained recognition as a combat photographer. Early in his painting career, Hios was involved with the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Arts and Easel Painting Project. He studied and worked in New York City, completing many works related to the city in which he lived, as well as landscapes inspired by where he grew up in Greece.
In his later career, Hios moved toward a more abstract style of painting. The circular and elliptical shapes that appear in Lucifer are a recurring element in these later works. Here the artist employed a mix of bright colors, which, with the spiraling shapes, create a sense of movement and energy. The shapes overlap in irregular ways and move off the edges of the canvas encouraging the viewer to wonder about what is beyond their view.
Regina DiBella
Modern and Contemporary Art Intern
Summer 2003

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
abstract

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
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Keywords
Lucifer
abstraction