Accession Number
2008/2.242

Title
What Is, Is

Artist(s)
Ronnie Landfield

Object Creation Date
1989

Medium & Support
acrylic on canvas

Dimensions
23 15/16 x 15 7/16 in. (60.7 x 39.2 cm);22 1/2 x 14 in. (57 x 35.5 cm)

Credit Line
The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States, a joint initiative of the Trustees of the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection and the Nation Gallery of Art, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute for Museum and Library Services

Label copy
Ronnie Landfield
United States, born 1947
What Is, Is
1989
Acrylic on canvas
2008/2.242

Subject matter
“Spirituality and feeling are the basic subjects of my work. They are depictions of intuitive expressions using color as language, and the landscape (God’s earth) as a metaphor for the arena of life. The revelation of a primal image that delivers an immediate response in the viewer is my goal. Hopefully my paintings convey a felt perception of life, an awareness of the history of art, and a clear expression of my passion and sense of spirituality. I sense a visual music that externalizes what I feel within me and in the air.” Artist’s statement on website (http://www.ronnielandfield.com/)

Physical Description
Abstract painting. Orange (left), red (right) and pink (bottom) bands painted with a zigzag pattern frame an abstract image in the center painted with vigorous upward strokes.

Primary Object Classification
Painting

Primary Object Type
abstract

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Abstract (fine arts style)
Lyrical Abstraction
Tachiste
landscapes (representations)