Esphyr Slobodkina (Rus. 1908-2002) Levitator 1950 oil on masonite 25″ x 35″ Actually, most of Esphyr Slobodkina’s paintings make me swoon. For mid-century abstracts, her paintings are geometric while still being loose and free. If you think of other geometric abstracts, say Mondrian’s boxes, there is rigidity that cannot be loosened every by the addition of bright colors. Slobodkina’s paintings feel more organic because of the use of muted colors and her creation of depth by layering shapes and colors is fantastic.
I love this particular piece for the strong diagonal lines. She uses an interesting trick here. T shapes usually imply stability, diagonals imply movement. Slobodkina takes a T shape and twists it into a diagonal so you have movement to each corner of the painting with a firmly anchored center.
All the edges are grooved and bumpy.
you can click on the image to get a better view- but unfortunately the electronic media will never be as good as the original.
So is this a commentary on contemporary mores or thinly veiled criticism of Jungian psychotherapy? The central figure is shaped a little like Texas, maybe it’s a prediction of how the oil industry will shape our lives in the future?
Actually- I think it’s an airplane because 1) the title- Levitator and 2) she used other transportation objects in paintings before this (Ancient Sea Song has a giant viking ship).
For a middle class Russian girl- she got to travel alot- from Siberia to China to Japan to New York.
airplane – shmairplane. it’s totally batman, on a crucifix, flying over an office hallway. duh.
Oh the impertinance– Batman, ugh.
It is so obviously a plane flying over a landscape that includes telephone wires and water and a bridge. There’s even a ship in the backgound.