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River View by Betty Woodman
Photo CreditAaron Dougherty Photography
River View
Photo CreditAaron Dougherty Photography

River View

Artist
Year2012
Classification painting
Medium painted wood, glazed and unglazed earthenware clay, and acrylic paint on canvas
DimensionsSunshine: 131 1/8 × 101 15/16 × 11 in. (10.93 × 8.5 × 0.92 ft.)
Day Dreaming: 131 1/8 × 98 in. (10.93 × 8.17 ft.)
Vases at Dusk: 131 15/16 × 101 15/16 × 11 in. (11 × 8.5 × 0.92 ft.)
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
CollectionCollection Highlights

  • Betty Woodman has explored the vase as her primary subject, motif, and muse for more than four decades.  Her extensive travels and knowledge of ceramic sculpture have informed a body of work that freely combines two- and three-dimensional media in compositions that allude to the past while presenting forms and images that are resolutely contemporary.


    For the Christopher S. Bond U.S. Courthouse, Woodman created a three-part project—River View: Sunshine, River View: Day Dreaming, and River View: Vases at Dusk.  Inspired by the elegance of the lobby and the celebrated history of the Missouri River, each artwork features Woodman’s signature interpretations of the vase amidst expressive combinations of floral, architectural, and landscape imagery.  Rich in metaphor and formal invention, the murals provide an animated counterpoint to the august setting of the courthouse.