Extemporaneous

Description

Helen Torr made this highly experimental work while living aboard a sailboat with her husband, painter Arthur Dove (see his work on view nearby). The forms here were probably informed by some part of the boat’s structure. The narrow bands of silvery gray recall shaped metal fit- tings, complete with small circles that are reminiscent of rivets or nails. But the artist deliberately abstracted any recognizable motifs, leaving an exploration of pure form and color.

Provenance

The artist; estate of the artist [Graham Gallery, New York]; Willliam Edward O'Reilly, Inc., New York; sold to a private collection, Dallas, Texas, by 1985; with Menconi & Schoelkopf Fine Art, New York, by 2010; sold to The Art Instititute, 2010.

Extemporaneous

Helen Torr

1927

Accession Number

204041

Medium

Egg tempera on metal, mounted on board

Dimensions

40.6 × 36.8 cm (16 × 14 1/2 in.)

Classification

painting

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Through prior acquisition of Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson; through prior bequest of George F. Porter; Mr. and Mrs. Frederick G. Wacker Jr. Endowment Fund; through prior acquisitions of Friends of American Art and Charles H. and Mary F.S. Worcester; Robert McCormick Fund; purchased with funds provided by Elizabeth Souder Louis