Cross/Plus

Maker and role
Artist: Madeline O'Connor, American, 1931-2002
Year
1998
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Object detail

Media/Materials
Acrylic and sand on canvas
Measurements
overall, 66 1/8 x 234 1/2 x 3in (168 x 595.6 x 7.6cm)
each, 18 x 18 x 3in (45.7 x 45.7 x 7.6cm)
Credit line
Gift of Julianna Hawn Holt and Peter M. Holt
Accession number
2010.116
Object type
Department
Location
Further information
"My work is like peeling an artichoke, peeling back the leaves to get at the heart. I try to distill things down to their essence." - Madeline O'Connor

In repeating geometric forms, O'Connor treats the negative space (white wall) with the same importance as the object (black shaped canvases). Six inches separates each canvas vertically and horizontally, creating a dependent relationship between object and void, black and white.

A south Texas native, O'Connor drew inspiration from the coastal marshland around Refugio. Recalling a childhood practice of collecting and classifying species in jars, Cross/Plus balances a devout reverence for nature with the reduction of forms to their core.
Subject period

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