The Third Mystery
Date1990
MediumLithograph on BFK Rives paper
DimensionsSheet: 15 × 25 inches (38.1 × 63.5 cm)
Matted: 32 × 40 inches (81.3 × 101.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson.
Object number2022.87.3
Copyright© The Mildred Thompson Estate, Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.
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 TextAmerican artist Mildred Thompson’s 1990s print series, The Five Mystery Series, contemplates the unknowns of the natural world. Grounding her artistic practices in months of preliminary scientific research, Thompson’s printworks consider physics, geology, and cosmology. With delicate and loose line work, The Five Mystery Series seeks to uncover the earth, dirt, land, sky, and stars–showing what the eye cannot see.
Stratification is a repeated motif within her series, as she depicts the complexity of the earth and atmosphere’s layers. The dense, dark line work representing land at the bottom of the compositions opposes the often light and airy cosmic scenes taking place in the upper half of the works. With this contrast, Thompson’s prints ground themselves in the often-overlooked balance of the natural world.
