Untitled
Date1994
MediumOil and alkyd on gessoed paper adhered with acrylic gel to linen and birch-veneer plywood
DimensionsPanel: 13 1/4 × 10 1/2 inches (33.7 × 26.7 cm)
Framed: 17 15/16 × 14 15/16 inches (45.6 × 37.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of Arthur Bennett Kouwenhoven, Jr.
Object number2009.12.18
Copyright© John Spurlock.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label Text"That painting was one of several I made not long after arriving in Savannah, acclimating to the new environment. They were painted in a studio on the second floor of a building at the corner of Congress St. and Barnard, next door to the Velvet Elvis, and shown in a basement gallery on Oglethorpe where the Book Lady is now. I mounted them on those panels to give the paintings a little wall to hang on, separated from the rough brick walls of the gallery."
–John Spurlock, 2022
John Spurlock studied printmaking in the Midwest before moving to Savannah, where he developed his art practice while supporting himself through a variety of jobs—including guest lecturing Foundations courses at SCAD, working as a preparator and registrar at Telfair Museums, restoring furniture, and screen printing at a sign shop. In this abstract work, made at the beginning of Spurlock’s career, he obscures intensely colored geometric shapes with layers of muted alkyds (a polyester resin) and oils. In later variations of this working techniques, the artist incorporated written words, encouraging viewers to excavate muddled messages.
