Northern Image: The Muse III
Date1948
Label TextKenney claimed that this fantasy picture depicted broken symbols of some world of the past, but it evolved unconsciously he said, the selection of objects being purely arbitrary. He started with one object in isolation—the head of the Muse, perhaps—and then slowly worked around that. “What I’m going to do is invent a world to go around her, for her to inhabit,” Kenney explained to a friend who was skeptical about his approach to composition. Having consumed the writings of Sigmund Freud, Kenney was coming to understand the unconscious as the realm of inspiration, the home of the Muse.
Object number49.129
Photo CreditPhoto: Scott Leen
Exhibition HistoryLa Conner, Washington, Museum of Northwest Art, "Leo Kenney - Celebrating the Mysteries: A Retrospective", June 2, 2000 - October 1, 2000
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Leo Kenney Retrospective", 1973 (1973)
Seattle, Washington, Bumbershoot 1986, "Eccentis Satellites Exhibition", Seattle, Washington, August 29 - September 1, 1986, (08/29/1986 - 09/01/1986)
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Views and Visions In The Pacific Northwest", June 7 - September 2, 1990, (06/07/1990 - 09/02/1990)Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection
Dimensions29 5/8 x 19 1/2 in. (75.3 x 49.5 cm)
Overall: 35 1/2 × 25 1/2 in. (90.2 × 64.8 cm)
MediumOil on canvas
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