1989.25 John Sennhauser, Colorforms in Colorspace #1


GENERAL DESCRIPTION  
Fusing a large, vertical landscape with particulate geometrical forms, John Sennhauser's work demonstrates the artist's fondness for the tension between stable spaces and animated movement. The result is strikingly dynamic - robotic yet organic, structural yet spindly - and full of reverberating motion.

Though born and educated in Switzerland, Sennhauser is largely an American artist, having moved to New York, in 1928 and studied at the Cooper Union Art School. There, his progressive experimentation with non-objective forms garnered much attention. This painting from 1947, the first in the series Colorforms in Colorspace, is an iconic example of Sennhauser's mature works. Through such avant-garde geometric abstraction, the artist helped pave the way for the American abstract expressionist movement of the 1950s. He joined the Abstract American Artists in 1945 and held leadership positions in the organization until 1952. 

Excerpt from
DMA label copy (1989.25), n.d.

NOTES
Added artist geographies to TMS- see Artist biographical CC

Found hardcopy of the acquisition justification (undated and unsigned) in the Collections Records Object File. I will pull the text and send it to BMac to be added to the registration module in TMS. I do not have access to the proper fields to enter proposals.

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 
place of origin: NYC

Process/materials
oil paint
canvas

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms
verticality
orientation
landscape
geometric shape
red
yellow
black
white
gray
flat
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
Until 1989: Struve Gallery, Chicago, IL
From 1989: Dallas Museum of Art, gift from anonymous, purchased from the above

AUDIO ASSETS 

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES 

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1989.25

Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
 
Fusing a large, vertical landscape with particulate geometrical forms, John Sennhauser's work demonstrates the artist's fondness for the tension between stable spaces and animated movement. The result is strikingly dynamic - robotic yet organic, structural yet spindly - and full of reverberating motion.

Though born and educated in Switzerland, Sennhauser is largely an American artist, having moved to New York, in 1928 and studied at the Cooper Union Art School. There, his progressive experimentation with non-objective forms garnered much attention. This painting from 1947, the first in the series Colorforms in Colorspace, is an iconic example of Sennhauser's mature works. Through such avant-garde geometric abstraction, the artist helped pave the way for the American abstract expressionist movement of the 1950s. He joined the Abstract American Artists in 1945 and held leadership positions in the organization until 1952. 

Excerpt from
DMA label copy (1989.25), n.d.

Fun Facts

Archival Resources

Web Resources
 

Notes
Added artist geographies to TMS- see Artist biographical CC

Found hardcopy of the acquisition justification (undated and unsigned) in the Collections Records Object File. I will pull the text and send it to BMac to be added to the registration module in TMS. I do not have access to the proper fields to enter proposals.

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 
place of origin: NYC

Process/materials
oil paint
canvas

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms
verticality
orientation
landscape
geometric shape
red
yellow
black
white
gray
flat
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
Until 1989: Struve Gallery, Chicago, IL
From 1989: Dallas Museum of Art, gift from anonymous, purchased from the above

AUDIO ASSETS 

VIDEO ASSETS

rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1989.25
tags
#draft
#completed
canvas: AAT: 300014078
*Contemporary Art
oil paint: AAT: 300015050
landscapes (representations): AAT: 300015636
@Schiller
yellow (color): AAT: 300127794
red (color): AAT: 300126225
geometric shape: AAT: 300263819
verticality: AAT: 300056325
New York (New York/United States): TGN: 7007567
teachers (educators): AAT: 300025529
black (color): AAT: 300130920
geometric abstraction: AAT: 300056509
flat (form attributes): AAT: 300010345
avant-garde: AAT: 300055775
gray (color): AAT: 300130811
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art: ULAN: 500303899
Nonobjective (abstract/fine arts style): AAT: 300134149
Sennhauser_John: ULAN: 500333034
orientation: AAT: 300056297
source file
object_notes_4_a-0131.xml.nores