Holding the Line

Artist Herb Jackson American, born 1945

Date1990

MediumAcrylic with pumice on canvas

Dimensionsoverall: 42 × 36 × 2 3/8 in. (106.7 × 91.4 × 6 cm)
frame: 43 × 37 in. (109.2 × 94 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineGift of Frances M. and William R. Roberson, Jr.

Object number98.4.13

On View

Not on view

Label TextA native of Raleigh and a former professor of art at Davidson College, Herb Jackson states his goal in painting is "to combine the flatness of the Pre-Renaissance with the gesture of Abstract Expressionism." Using a trowel or palette knife, Jackson spreads on layer after layer of acrylic mixed with ground pumice. (Pumice gives the acrylic a matte finish and makes it more pliable and easier to carve into.) Some of the top layers are scraped away to reveal underlying colors, and sometimes Jackson will "draw" in the paint with a paperclip or his fingernail. The artist equates digging into the surface of a work to delving into the subconscious mind: "I'm interested in the excavation of the subconscious. We go through life sifting and sifting, looking for clues."ProvenanceCreated North Carolina,1990; collection of the artist; [Peden Gallery, Raleigh, NC]; William R. Roberson Jr., Bath, NC; 1991; given to NCMA, 1998.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "A North Carolina Collection: Recent Acquisitions from the Gift of Frances M. and William R. Roberson, Jr.," October 18, 1998-February 14, 1999. Object Rights Statement

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