Untitled (Watertower Series)
Untitled (Watertower Series), 1973, Serigraph
Allan D'Arcangelo (American, 1930 – 1998)
#0000.0294
Allan D’Arcangelo was born in 1930 in Buffalo, New York, where he grew up and went on to study history. When D’Arcangelo moved to New York after college he encountered the work of the Abstract Expressionist painters such as Jackson Pollock, which influenced his decision to study painting through the G.I. Bill after his time in the army. After his studies, D’Arcangelo returned to New York to continue painting and producing prints in a style that mixed Pop Art, Minimalism, Precisionism, and Hard-Edge painting. He became well-known for his works that depicted quintessentially American highways, road signs, and other structures. This work from D'Arcangelo's Watertower Series (1973) is emblematic of this style. Here, the underside of a watertower is depicted in bright, bold colors with sharp, clean lines. D’Arcangelo chose subject matter that he saw as important to the American experience, and the way he depicted these subjects reflects his somewhat cautious outlook on the future of his country, given the tumultuous time he was living in.
