Moraine

1959

American, 1919 - 2013

As a painter and draftsman, Mason enjoys experimentation, intent on expanding the boundaries of his visual language. In this collage, he uses paper to build the form and texture of the moraine, a treatment of the image which uncannily recalls the 1950s collage work of another Northwest artist, Paul Horiuchi, who perhaps inspired Mason. However, given collage's historical legacy at that time-Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque developed the process in the early 20th century-Mason may have independently pursued this line of inquiry, which those two important European artists had made possible.

Acrylic and watercolor collage on board

24 x 31 3/4 in. (61 x 80.7 cm)

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

59.163

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Henry Art Gallery, What It Meant to Be Modern: Seattle Art at Mid-Century, Oct. 15, 1999 - Jan. 23, 2000.

Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue Arts Museum, Alden Mason: Fly Your Own Thing, May 14 - Oct. 10, 2021.

Published ReferencesHull, Roger, et al. Alden Mason Paintings. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2021; p. 70, reproduced pl. 6.

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