Light Blue Nursery

Alma Thomas, Light Blue Nursery, 1966, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.324
Alma Thomas, Light Blue Nursery, 1966, acrylic on canvas, 49 x 47 7⁄8 in. (124.4 x 121.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.324

Artwork Details

Title
Light Blue Nursery
Artist
Date
1966
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
49 x 47 7⁄8 in. (124.4 x 121.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
acrylic on canvas
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1970.324
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1970.324

Artwork Description

The chromatic impact of Light Blue Nursery is dramatic. Small blocks of irregularly configured primary colors dance across a bright white surface in horizontal rows that echo the ordered energy of a formal garden. Secondary and tertiary hues – pinks, purples, and greens – serve as borders and accents, reflecting Thomas’s conviction that she could play with perception and optical interaction in images drawn from her visual experience of the natural world. Although seemingly constructed of spontaneous strokes of the brush, the forms, like the colors, are thoughtfully calibrated.


African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012

Works by this artist (4 items)

C. Jac Young, Tranquility, 1935, etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.694
Tranquility
Artist
Date1935
etching
Not on view
C. Jac Young, Brooding Mystery, 1933, etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.404
Brooding Mystery
Artist
Date1933
etching
Not on view
C. Jac Young, Winter Magic, ca. 1933-1934, oil on linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Newark Museum, 1966.31.20
Winter Magic
Artist
Dateca. 1933-1934
oil on linen
Not on view
C. Jac Young, Pine Woods, 1915, etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.403
Pine Woods
Artist
Date1915
etching
Not on view

Exhibitions

Alma Thomas, The Eclipse, 1970, acrylic on canvas
Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas
September 15, 2023–August 4, 2024
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The exhibition Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas provides an intimate view of Alma Thomas’ evolving artistic practices during her most prolific period from 1959 to her death in 1978.

Related Posts

View of SAAM gallery.
ExhibitionsWomen Artists09/28/2023
What a Wonderful World: Seeing Beauty Through the Eyes of Alma Thomas
Go inside the galleries of Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas
A photograph of a woman.
Katie Hondorf
Public Affairs Specialist
Detail of abstract painting showing different bands of different colors.
ExhibitionsFrom the Collection02/06/2024
In Focus: Light Blue Nursery
A garden blooms in Alma Thomas's exuberant painting.
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Public Affairs Specialist

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