Pyramid Variations VI
Artist
Allen Harrison
(American)
Date1989
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions44 × 84 × 5 in. (111.8 × 213.4 × 12.7 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Object numberUAC2728
DescriptionThis massive canvas, seven feet long by nearly four feet high, is a pyramidal shape in both the shape of the unusually geometric canvas as well as in the subject matter. Across the canvas, the clearly delineated colors change subtly as one’s eye follows along the canvas starting from the middle, down the right, and circling back around to the start.Early in his career, Allen Harrison was known for his interest in color blocks, as well as in creating the feeling of movement in static canvas. With Pyramid Variations VI, this interest plays out both on the 2D plane of the painted canvas but also in the 3D plane of the unusual depth of the canvas and support structure underneath. In many ways, this piece exemplifies the experimentalism of contemporary art as artists looked for new ways to make their pieces visually appealing without the use of representation.
Allen Harrison has worked in California for over four decades, over which his style has changed as he explores new techniques. Earlier in his career he was known for working with geometric patterns and creating the illusion of movement on his canvases, though he has since become known for his skyscapes that are made of a kind of subtle collage. His work has been shown over thirty times in his extensive career, and most notably at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and he works as an art professor as well at several California colleges.
Written by Alex Heath
