The Mausoleum of Augustus Hosts the Primaries, 1969

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Morris Blackman's painting presents a mystery. What exactly do we see' A wheel or clockwork device is depicted on the left side of this painting. On the right, three vertical columns counterbalance it, and are painted with red, yellow and blue grounds. The circular device is composed of concentric rings that descrease in size towards the center. An arm or pathway radiates out at the right, bisecting the composition. Bimorphic shapes appear in the three vertical registers like microscopic life.

Is this a puzzle with invented clues and writing like personal heiroglyphs' Is it the diagram of a high precision motor or microchip' Blackman made numerous works like this working in Philadelphia. He loved everything from ancient Egyptian temple architecture to modernist industrial designs. They came through him as a new imaginative architecture in his paintings.

Details
Title
The Mausoleum of Augustus Hosts the Primaries
Artist Life
born 1930
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2022.91
Curator Approved

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