Oranges on a Branch March 14, 1992

1992

Donald Sultan American, born 1951

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About the Artwork

The boldly silhouetted oranges bursting with vivid color are in direct contrast to the thick black surface, provoking a passionate and powerful visual response in the viewer. The sense of drama in Sultan's works comes from his early interest in the theater, which he combines with his inspiration from other art movements, such as Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, and minimalism. As part of the return to figuration in contemporary art in the 1980s, Sultan abstracts, simplifies, and stylizes this representation of painted oranges against a background made of tar and oil. His unorthodox use of these industrial materials symbolizes American industry, reinforced by his incorporation of vinyl tiles taken from office and factory floors. Looking at art from the past for inspiration, Sultan struck upon the traditional still life for his subject matter, with his choice of oranges as a twist on his trademark lemons, originally inspired by a painting by Édouard Manet that he saw in a retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Title Oranges on a Branch March 14, 1992

Artwork Date 1992

Artist Donald Sultan

Life Dates born 1951

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Tar, spackle , and oil on tile over masonite

Dimensions Overall: 97 1/2 × 96 3/4 × 5 1/8 inches (247.7 × 245.7 × 13 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department Contemporary Art after 1950

Credit Founders Society Purchase, Catherine Kresge Dewey Fund, and W. Hawkins Ferry Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 1994.19

Markings

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Provenance

the artist

Hill Gallery (Birmingham, Michigan, USA)

1994-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Courtesy of Donald Sultan

Donald Sultan, Oranges on a Branch March 14, 1992, 1992, tar, Spackle , and oil on tile over Masonite. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Catherine Kresge Dewey Fund, and W. Hawkins Ferry Fund, 1994.19.