Summer near Waterville

1954

born 1910, Seattle, Washington; died 1997 Seattle

This oil painting, more representational than the earlier works Ascent and Descent, depicts layer upon rolling layer of golden wheat fields. The work recalls an actual place in central Washington, a part of the state the artist frequently visited before the war. Squares of color, in blue and red, yellow, orange and green punctuate the picture plane, their abstract forms just barely readable as structures. The trapezoidal shapes, floating unsupported, are suggestive of barn roofs, though they could just as well be interesting shapes with no intrinsic significance. Lateral blue, grey and white brushstrokes create a richly layered sky, its intense color a striking contrast to the ochre hills.

Oil on canvas

28 x 43 in. (71.12 x 109.22 cm)

Overall h.: 34 1/8 in.

Overall w.: 49 1/4 in.

Gift of Anne and Sidney Gerber

59.78

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistoryBellevue, Washington, Bellevue Art Museum, "Eternal Laughter: A Sixty-Year Retrospective of the Work of George Tsutakawa", September 15 - November 2, 1990 (9/15/1990 - 11/2/1990)

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Center, International Pavilion, 1963 (1963)

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