Description
The edges of Robert Motherwells Dublin 1916, with Black and Tan are emphasized by bold vertical bands of black, then tan on the right and red on the left. The red is repeated toward the center of the painting, where it encloses a blue flaglike shape supported by a light blue rectangle. Within the blue area, a form resembling an arrow pointing up (or perhaps a closed number 4, a motif that had been used without any specific meaning in Motherwell's earlier work) appears like an insignia on a pennant. The flatness of this form also counters the illusion of depth created by the blue area. The title of the painting refers to the uprising of the Irish against the British on Easter Monday in 1916. The black and tan colors are those of the British soldiers' uniforms. Reference is also made to William Butler Yeats, who memorialized the revolt in his poem "Easter 1916." The large mural scale of the painting suggests that Motherwell intended it as a monument to heroism in the tradition of Picasso's Guernica.
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Details
- Work Date:
- 1964
- Location:
- Corning Tower Concourse Lobby
- Dimensions:
- 7'-0" x 17'-0"
- Medium:
- oil and acrylic on canvas