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Night Sky #19
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? Vija Celmins

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Night Sky #19 1998
  • Artist Rooms
Celmins's intense monochromatic images of the night sky, based on photographs, focus on small and individual marks in the context of vastness. The images seem fragile because they record a specific human glimpse through a telescope or camera which is ephemeral and frozen in time. Celmins's serial exploration of her subjects, including the night sky, allows the artist to exploit the distinct characteristics of the variety of media she uses. Celmins has explained that her galaxy drawings stem from a love of exploring "the blackness of the pencil". The charcoal ground has a dark opacity but contains endless variations. Celmins uses an eraser to bring out the stars in the night sky.

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Medium/ media

The material from which an artwork is made, e.g. oil paint, bronze, paper. 'Medium' is also used for the liquid element of paint in which a colouring agent is carried. 'Mixed media' is used when an artist combines several different materials in an artwork.

Monochrome

An image made with a single colour.

Medium/ media, Monochrome

Details

  • Acc. No. AR00163
  • Medium Charcoal on paper
  • Size 45.90 x 56.50 cm (paper 57.00 x 67.30 cm) (framed: 61.80 x 71.80 x 3.80 cm)
  • Credit ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008

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