1981.13
Up Against It
Artist
Robert Carston Arneson
(Benicia, CA, 9/4/1930 - 11/2/1992, California)
Title
Up Against It
Creation Date
1979
Century
20th century
Dimensions
41 7/16 in. x 29 11/16 in. (105.25 cm x 75.41 cm)
Object Type
watercolor
Creation Place
North America, United States
Medium and Support
watercolor, pastel over graphite on white wove paper
Credit Line
Museum Purchase, Elizabeth B. G. Hamlin Fund
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
1981.13
San Francisco artist Robert Arneson drew this self-portrait as if his face were pushed up against the surface of the drawing. Known for his colorful persona and provocative style, Arneson renders his beard and balding head with explosions of colorful lines in pastel. In 1979, the year in which this work was created, the artist’s bladder cancer was particularly virulent. In depicting himself as if placed under glass, Arneson may be alluding to the terrifying medical procedures he was forced to undergo. He finished this drawing a year after the creation of a ceramic bust in which his face is similarly squeezed by an invisible surface. Manipulation of his own facial features in clay or on paper was one of his favorite subjects throughout his career.