1991.125.FA, James Surls, Through the Point Cloud, 1984, graphite on paper


GENERAL DESCRIPTION  
Sculptor James Surls affirms that drawing is not only closely related to his sculptures, but also is the essence of his art, the key to his thinking. His drawings, like his sculptures, are what he calls registered mental pictures or psychic images. This drawing, Through the Point Cloud , is reminiscent of surrealist automatism (a nonrational, uncontrolled method used to tap the subconscious), coupled with an array of rich symbolic and narrative imagery. Radiating heads and multiple eyes, hands, and needles are formed by energetic but elegant lines that vary from light to dark. Seer, shaman, and storyteller, Surls threads a layered tale of quiet, pulsating power that rhythmically combines the real and imagined, the visible and invisible, the physical and spiritual.

Adapted from
Suzanne Weaver, "Through the Point Cloud," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Charles Venable (New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 1997), 293.

NOTES
  • updated provenance and geo x refs

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PROVENANCE 
Before 1991: Private Collection, Dallas, Texas [1]

From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, anonymous gift.

[1] See object receipt, Collections Records Object File 1991.125.FA

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General Description
 
Sculptor James Surls affirms that drawing is not only closely related to his sculptures, but also is the essence of his art, the key to his thinking. His drawings, like his sculptures, are what he calls registered mental pictures or psychic images. This drawing, Through the Point Cloud , is reminiscent of surrealist automatism (a nonrational, uncontrolled method used to tap the subconscious), coupled with an array of rich symbolic and narrative imagery. Radiating heads and multiple eyes, hands, and needles are formed by energetic but elegant lines that vary from light to dark. Seer, shaman, and storyteller, Surls threads a layered tale of quiet, pulsating power that rhythmically combines the real and imagined, the visible and invisible, the physical and spiritual.

Adapted from
Suzanne Weaver, "Through the Point Cloud," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Charles Venable (New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 1997), 293.

Fun Facts

Archival Resources

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Notes
  • updated provenance and geo x refs

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
Before 1991: Private Collection, Dallas, Texas [1]

From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, anonymous gift.

[1] See object receipt, Collections Records Object File 1991.125.FA

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*Contemporary Art
Texas (state/United States): TGN: 7007826
wood (plant material): AAT: 300011914
hands (animal or human components): AAT: 300310193
clouds: AAT: 300343840
profiles (vantage point for figure): AAT: 300123319
drawing (visual works): AAT: 300033973
automatism: AAT: 300055958
graphite pencils: AAT: 300022443
curvilinear (shape): AAT: 300154222
Surls_James: ULAN: 500098007
source file
object_notes_2_d-0336.xml.nores