Thornbush Blues Totem

Copied John Scott, Thornbush Blues Totem, 1990, painted steel, 97 3⁄4 x 63 1⁄2 x 37 1⁄2 in. (248.3 x 161.4 x 95.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1994.34

Artwork Details

Title
Thornbush Blues Totem
Artist
Date
1990
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
97 3⁄4 x 63 1⁄2 x 37 1⁄2 in. (248.3 x 161.4 x 95.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
painted steel
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1994.34
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1994.34

Artwork Description

Scott learned well the lessons of his blues and jazz sources. The brightly colored surfaces of Thornbush Blues Totem not only define the relationship among the cut and bent metal parts; the sequencing of color also echoes the way musicians modulate tempo and pace. Blue and orange establish structure; the varying distances between stripes and bands are intervals that quicken or slow the pulsing cadence. For him, interval, rhythm, and space are interdependent elements in a swirling dance of color and form.


African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012