Stillwater, Oklahoma, recently opened the Oklahoma State University Art Museum. This museum has had various exhibitions since it’s opening, including the James Rosenquist Exhibition. One of the most talked about pieces of the exhibition is Geometry of Fire.
Geometry of Fire is an oil painting on canvas that measures 128 inches by 300 inches. The painting itself takes up a whole wall in the museum, which forces the view to stand at the opposite wall of the room if they would like to see the whole painting at the same time. Star-like shapes, rocks, stars, and flames are all objects present in the subject of the painting. The painting is landscape, however it appears somewhat segmented into three parts, with each segment looking like they would be portrait if they were separated. The left and right segments of the painting have very fluid lines, while the center segment has straight and harsh lines. The right side of the painting has thick lines with varying thicknesses, the center and the left side of the painting has very indistinct lines, or just the changing of design and color. Everything in the painting overlaps another object or scene, and each object takes up a lot of area. The palette of the piece is very vibrant, with mostly reds flowing to pinks, oranges, and blues, …show more content…
The meaning of the work, however, is unclear at first glance. Rosenquist, being a pop artist from the 1960’s, probably designed this piece so it would have no meaning, and therefore giving it meaning. Geometry of Fire is about breaking away from the cultural norms, and just creating something, even if it doesn’t have an obvious meaning or symbolic reference. When compared to other pop artist, such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, a parallel are easily drawn, and supports my interpretation of the artwork. The artwork might have a personal meaning to Rosenquist, however there is no obvious meaning in the subject matter for the
Geometry of Fire is an oil painting on canvas that measures 128 inches by 300 inches. The painting itself takes up a whole wall in the museum, which forces the view to stand at the opposite wall of the room if they would like to see the whole painting at the same time. Star-like shapes, rocks, stars, and flames are all objects present in the subject of the painting. The painting is landscape, however it appears somewhat segmented into three parts, with each segment looking like they would be portrait if they were separated. The left and right segments of the painting have very fluid lines, while the center segment has straight and harsh lines. The right side of the painting has thick lines with varying thicknesses, the center and the left side of the painting has very indistinct lines, or just the changing of design and color. Everything in the painting overlaps another object or scene, and each object takes up a lot of area. The palette of the piece is very vibrant, with mostly reds flowing to pinks, oranges, and blues, …show more content…
The meaning of the work, however, is unclear at first glance. Rosenquist, being a pop artist from the 1960’s, probably designed this piece so it would have no meaning, and therefore giving it meaning. Geometry of Fire is about breaking away from the cultural norms, and just creating something, even if it doesn’t have an obvious meaning or symbolic reference. When compared to other pop artist, such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, a parallel are easily drawn, and supports my interpretation of the artwork. The artwork might have a personal meaning to Rosenquist, however there is no obvious meaning in the subject matter for the