Galaxy Series, 1967-1969

Galaxy Series, 1967–1969

Created under the influence of her China sojourn, the Galaxy series emerged after Isham’s return to Washington, D.C. Incorporating the bi symbol in a series of paintings that featured a centered depiction of form, these works feature bursts of light awash in prismatic atmospheres amid echoes of discs that glide and float around the central image. Totem I renders a shape not unlike an Oracle Bone, often an ox scapula, on which ancient script was written. Used for purposes of divination in ancient China, Isham was introduced to these mysteries by calligraphic master Feng Kanghou. She also considered them trajectories of energy, whether verticalities or dispersions. It is clear in these works that Isham is also responding to techniques of the Washington School in her all over color treatment and spray paint application (airbrush). The series of lithographs featuring the bi open disc continue, their roughened textural treatment contrasting with the bareness of the paper, placing her symbolic preoccupations to the fore.

Featured

Galaxy, 1967. Acrylic on canvas, 54 x 114 in. Estate of Sheila Isham, New York

Sun — Penetrating Wind, 1968. Acrylic on canvas, 89 3/4 x 113 in. (228 x 287 cm). Estate of Sheila Isham, New York. Image courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery, New York.

The Sky Hurts, 1969. Lithograph, 30 x 23 ½ in. (76.2 x 59.7 cm). Estate of Sheila Isham, New York

Lin – The Approach, 1969. Acrylic on canvas, 90 x 105 in. (228.6 x 266.7 cm). Collection of the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.

Cosmic Galaxy – Kuan / K'un – Contemplation, 1969. Acrylic on canvas, 113 x 87 in. (287 x 221 cm). Estate of Sheila Isham, New York. Image courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery, New York.

T'ui – The Joyous, 1968. Acrylic on canvas, 119 1/4 x 97 in. (302.9 x 246.4 cm). Estate of Sheila Isham, New York. Image courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery, New York.

Untitled, 1968. Acrylic on canvas, 53 x 42 in. (134.6 x 106.7 cm). Private Collection. Image courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery, New York.

Untitled, circa 1967–69. Acrylic on rice paper, 24 1/4 x 35 3/4 in. (61.6 x 90.8 cm). Estate of Sheila Isham, New York. Image courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery, New York.

Galaxy White, circa 1969. Acrylic on canvas, 54 x 42 in. Estate of Sheila Isham, New York. Image courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery, New York.

Chien, 1968. Acrylic on canvas, 55 x 42 in. (139.7 x 106.7 cm). Private Collection. Image courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery, New York.

Ch’ien – The Creative, 1969. Lithograph, 38 ½ x 25 in. (97.8 x 63.5 cm). Estate of Sheila Isham, New York

Sun — The Gentle — The Penetrating-Wind, circa 1968. Acrylic on canvas, 55 x 42 in. Estate of Sheila Isham, New York

Untitled, circa 1967–69. Acrylic on rice paper, 35 3/4 x 24 1/4 in. (90.8 x 61.6 cm). Estate of Sheila Isham, New York. Image courtesy of Hollis Taggart Gallery, New York.

Galaxy Series, 1967-1969

Galaxy Series, 1967–1969

Return to Merging Eastern Philosophy and Techniques and Western Modernist Practice, 1964-1974