Northern Image: The Muse III

Date1948

Maker Leo Kenney born 1925, Spokane, Washington; died Seattle, Washington, 2001

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