New River Watercolor, Series III, #17

Currently not on view

New River Watercolor, Series III, #17

1988

John Cage (American, 1912–1992)

John Cage was introduced to watercolor painting during a weeklong workshop in southwest Virginia in 1988. This piece was created on the third day of work. Consistent with Cage's commitment to chance operations, he used the I Ching (the Chinese "Book of Changes" system of divination) to select the materials from a large array of rag or mulberry papers, brushes, feathers, and watercolor paints, as well as to determine the variety and placement on the paper of rocks he collected from the nearby New River. He traced the contours of the rocks, which became the principal element of each work in the series.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

New River Watercolor, Series III, #17

Date:

1988

Artist:

John Cage (American, 1912–1992)

Medium:

Watercolor on heavy-weight cream wove paper

Dimensions:

Sheet: 36 x 15 inches (91.4 x 38.1 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

Gift of Laura Kuhn in the name of the John Cage Trust in memory of Anne d'Harnoncourt, 2009

Accession Number:

2009-219-1

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Currently not on view