Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131

1974

Robert Motherwell American, 1915-1991

Not On View

Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131: 1 of Collection Gallery

Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131: 2 of Collection Gallery

Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131: 3 of Collection Gallery

Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131: 4 of Collection Gallery

Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131: 5 of Collection Gallery

Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131: 6 of Collection Gallery

Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131: 7 of Collection Gallery

Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131: 8 of Collection Gallery

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About the Artwork

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About the Artwork

Robert Motherwell's most acclaimed series of works is a group of more than 150 "Elegy to the Spanish Republic" paintings originally created in 1948 to accompany a poem by Harold Rosenberg titled "Elegy to the Spanish Republic I." The motif, alternating black vertical rectangles and suspended ovoid forms against a white or gray background, has had many symbolic translations, but it is meant to express the savage in the human soul. This painting was created during a dramatic revival period of the "Elegies" theme. It exemplifies Abstract Expressionist painting with its combination of primitive rawness and sophisticated elegance, and its effect of huge, spontaneous brushstrokes.

Title Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131

Artwork Date 1974

Artist Robert Motherwell

Life Dates 1915-1991

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Oil on canvas

Dimensions Overall: 96 × 120 inches (243.8 × 304.8 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department Contemporary Art after 1950

Credit Founders Society Purchase, W. Hawkins Ferry Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 77.48

Markings

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Provenance

1977-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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Published References

Bulletin of the DIA 56, no. 5 (1978): 286 (ill.).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Robert Motherwell, Elegy to the Spanish Republic #131, 1974, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, W. Hawkins Ferry Fund, 77.48.