Underwater

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While abstraction dominated American art in the 1950s and ‘60s, a generation of Chicago artists went in a very different direction by pursuing representational yet fantastical imagery. As a leading member of this group, Seymour Rosofsky explained that he and his peers wanted to “portray a more humanistic quality—including the mystical, social and emotional aspects of life.” Rosofsky often illustrated different stages of life in his paintings, and so the strange scene in Underwater might represent death, with the descending head symbolizing a journeying soul on its way to a resting place. Alternatively, the face’s peaceful expression and flowing movement might suggest a state of sleep or dreaming. No matter how it is interpreted, Rosofsky’s picture is distinctly mysterious and gently serene.

Keywords

Modern Art
Water
Surreal
Painting
American
Fish