James Rosenquist
Between Mind and Finger
1977-1981
Scroll
James Rosenquist
Between Mind and Finger
1977-1981
Physical Qualities
Brush and black ink and graphite on frosted Mylar, Sheet: 904 x 793 mm. (35 9/16 x 31 1/4 in.)
Image: 758 x 640 mm. (29 13/16 x 25 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Friends of Edward M. Benesch, for the Thomas E. Benesch Memorial Collection
Object Number
1982.90
A major figure in American Pop Art, James Rosenquist combines and juxtaposes images of mass-produced goods, unifying them with a sleek drawing style and exaggerated glossy surfaces. Allusions to commercial illustration are strong. In fact, Rosenquist earned his living for many years as a billboard painter. The ink on the surface of the frosted Mylar adds to the slick commercialism of the objects, which are so out of context that they are almost unrecognizable. The drawing is a study for a larger painting (illustrated below), which makes the objects more clear: a bowl, eggs, an eggshell, a razor blade, a can top and openers, and an incongruous white t-shirt.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1982; friends of Edward Benesch purchased work from Castelli, Feigen, Corcoran Gallery, October 1982
BMA, "Drawings from the Thomas E. Benesch Memorial Collection," 14 October - 12 December 1982.
BMA, "Selected Drawings from the Thomas E. Benesch Collection," 3 September - 1 December 1985.
BMA, "Contemporary Drawings from the BMA Collection," 9 December, 1986 - 15 February 1987.
BMA, "Drawing Now: Selections from the Museum Collection," 17 May - 17 July, 1988.
BMA, "Modern Master Drawings from the Museum's Thomas E. Benesch Memorial Collection," 21 February - 30 April 1989.
BMA, "Select Views: Drawings from the Benesch Collection," 21 May - 30 July 2006.
Ann Shafer, BMA, "On Paper: Drawings from the Benesch Collection," 18 November 2012 - 10 February 2013.
BMA, "Selected Drawings from the Thomas E. Benesch Collection," 3 September - 1 December 1985.
BMA, "Contemporary Drawings from the BMA Collection," 9 December, 1986 - 15 February 1987.
BMA, "Drawing Now: Selections from the Museum Collection," 17 May - 17 July, 1988.
BMA, "Modern Master Drawings from the Museum's Thomas E. Benesch Memorial Collection," 21 February - 30 April 1989.
BMA, "Select Views: Drawings from the Benesch Collection," 21 May - 30 July 2006.
Ann Shafer, BMA, "On Paper: Drawings from the Benesch Collection," 18 November 2012 - 10 February 2013.
Inscribed: lower right in black ink: "Between Mind and Finger"; lower center in black ink: "india ink"; lower right in black ink: James Rosenquist 1978-82"
