A Drawing While Waiting for an Idea
INV-9821Pop Artlithographprint
Date
1966
Medium
Color lithograph on tan paper towel
Dimensions
Image: 13.9 × 16.9 cm (5 1/2 × 6 11/16 in.); Sheet: 37.8 × 23.9 cm (14 15/16 × 9 7/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
U.L.A.E. Collection acquired through a challenge grant of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dittmer; purchased with funds provided by supporters of the Department of Prints and Drawings; Centennial Endowment; Margaret Fisher Endowment Fund
This small print is an excellent example of the mystical turn of Rosenquist's thought. The cigarette burns, made with an airbrush, stand for the stars on the edge of the universe, thus contrasting the insignificant with the infinite.
He chose to print on a paper towel, explaining, "It's really Eastern philosophy. After a day's work, you march in and wipe your hands off on a paper towel. You are wiping off the things you did all day, never knowing when your best gesture is made, when your creative ability might be showing."
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