Panel 10. Totem Poles - The Epic of American Civilization 1934

Jose Clemente Orozco made this painting of totem poles, part of his 'Epic of American Civilization', with oils on canvas. I love the verticality and those deep blues that are a little bit somber – or is it just the way it's lit? – as well as the ochres, reds, and blues of the poles themselves. I can picture Orozco, in the process of making this, having to decide how much detail to include. There's so much potential for ornate carving in the source material of totem poles, but Orozco simplifies, choosing instead to express the monumentality of these pillars through color and gesture. It kind of reminds me of Marsden Hartley's paintings of mountains. You can see how one artist might look at the work of another and extract certain qualities, like a sense of drama or weight. I imagine Orozco thinking, "How can I translate this three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional plane while still conveying its power?" I love how painters are always riffing on each other across time, in one big ongoing conversation.