Wheeled Chrysalis
Item
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Title
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Wheeled Chrysalis
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Creator
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Alden Mason
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Artist ID
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101
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Date of Work
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1975
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Description
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Abstract shapes in white and various colors, outline in black with a gray background.
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Category of Media
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Painting/drawing/mixed media on paper
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Media
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oil pastel and pencil on paper
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Accession Number
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1977.009
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Location
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Display: Lab I, Floor 2, Offices
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Date Acquired
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6151977
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Acquisition Method
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Purchase
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Dimensions of Work
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35" x 41"
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Frame Dimensions
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40.75" x 46.25"
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Frame Type
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Steel
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Artist Bio
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Alden Mason (1919-2013) was born in Everett, Washington and grew up in a farm and fishing community. As a boy Mason enjoyed interacting with nature and wildlife. Even though he did take part in a mail-order cartoon course in middle school, it wasn’t until he enrolled at the University of Washington in 1940 that he started to actively engage in the arts and went on to get his BA degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree. In 1947 he was invited to teach at the university and it was a position that he held until his retirement in 1981 so Mason could work solely on his art.
Over the years his style and medium of choice changed. He started making highly abstract paintings, then moved onto more figurative work, and in the later years of his life he switched back to abstract. An allergic reaction to the toxic fumes forced Mason to switch from oil to acrylic paints. Mason is influenced by other artists and other cultures, such influences can be found in his artwork.
Mason’s paintings have been shown at over 100 exhibitions. They are housed in the Northwest, but also in institutions and private and corporate collections across the nation.
Source: https://www.monamuseum.org/alden-mason-biography
