Xdx
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Manierre Dawson's education in civil engineering contributed to his early experiments with abstract visual language. Well versed in mathematics and trained to design two-dimensional plans that would translate into three-dimensional objects, Dawson here seems to use imaginary mathematical symbols (suggested by the title of the painting and by the grid of lines and the series of contained shapes) to arrive at a form of pure abstraction. Xdx is one of a series of small paintings executed by Dawson in 1910 that are probably the first completely abstract works created by an American artist.
Caption
Manierre Dawson (American, 1887–1969). Xdx, 1910. Oil on paperboard attached to particleboard, 19 1/8 x 14 7/16 in. (48.6 x 36.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by an anonymous donor and Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 88.122. © Obiarts, Inc.. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Xdx
Date
1910
Medium
Oil on paperboard attached to particleboard
Classification
Dimensions
19 1/8 x 14 7/16 in. (48.6 x 36.7 cm)
Signatures
Initialled lower center: "M.D."; dated lower left: " '10 "
Credit Line
Purchased with funds given by an anonymous donor and Dick S. Ramsay Fund
Accession Number
88.122
Rights
© Obiarts, Inc.
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