Helen Torr (American, 1886–1967)
Extemporaneous
INV-2040
Helen Torr (American, 1886–1967)1927
Extemporaneous
Helen Torr (American, 1886–1967) →Modernismpainting
Date
1927
Medium
Egg tempera on metal
Dimensions
40.7 × 38.5 cm (16 × 15 1/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
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
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.
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