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Imi I
1989
50 x 42 in. (127 x 106.68 cm)
Nathan Oliveira (Oakland, California, 1928 - 2010, Palo Alto, California)
Breaking Ground: Gifts from Katie and Drew Gibson (2013)
Nathan Oliveira returned to painting the human figure in the late 1980s. Many of these images were sculptural and generalized to the point of being unidentifiable. Called “Stelae,” these paintings engaged Oliveira for almost a decade and reflect his interest in monoliths created by various cultures throughout the world.
Imi I follows in the tradition of the “Stelae” series, but the identity of the figure is known. Imi was Oliveira’s graduate student at Stanford University. She modeled for him once or twice a week for almost three months. Oliveira made more than one hundred wash drawings of her, many done rapidly in response to the model’s changing positions. In the painting, however, Oliveira carefully outlined and defined several areas of Imi’s body using light and dark shades in order to separate her from the ambiguous space that surrounds her.
It's About Time: Celebrating 35 Years (2004-2005)
The richly textured surfaces of Nathan Oliveira’s paintings reveal traces of his hand as he works and reworks the canvas in order to achieve a balance of beauty and anguish. Consistent throughout his imagery are haunting forms and ambiguous spaces; his subjects are often estranged from their surroundings. In Imi I, Oliveira’s woman appears secluded within the frame, yet she engages her viewers in a mysterious dialogue.
Breaking Ground: Gifts from Katie and Drew Gibson, July 18, 2013 - October 20, 2013, New Wing, Second Floor, North Gallery, San José Museum of Art.
It's About Time: Celebrating 35 Years, October 3, 2004 - February 13, 2005, New Wing, Gibson Family Gallery and Plaza Gallery, First Floor, San José Museum of Art.
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Imi I
Painting
198950 x 42 in. (127 x 106.68 cm)
Nathan Oliveira (Oakland, California, 1928 - 2010, Palo Alto, California)
Object Type: Painting
Medium and Support: Oil on canvas
Credit Line: Gift of Katie and Drew Gibson, in honor of the San Jose Museum of Art's 35th anniversary.
Accession Number: 2011.12.01
SJMA Label Text
Breaking Ground: Gifts from Katie and Drew Gibson (2013)
Nathan Oliveira returned to painting the human figure in the late 1980s. Many of these images were sculptural and generalized to the point of being unidentifiable. Called “Stelae,” these paintings engaged Oliveira for almost a decade and reflect his interest in monoliths created by various cultures throughout the world.
Imi I follows in the tradition of the “Stelae” series, but the identity of the figure is known. Imi was Oliveira’s graduate student at Stanford University. She modeled for him once or twice a week for almost three months. Oliveira made more than one hundred wash drawings of her, many done rapidly in response to the model’s changing positions. In the painting, however, Oliveira carefully outlined and defined several areas of Imi’s body using light and dark shades in order to separate her from the ambiguous space that surrounds her.
It's About Time: Celebrating 35 Years (2004-2005)
The richly textured surfaces of Nathan Oliveira’s paintings reveal traces of his hand as he works and reworks the canvas in order to achieve a balance of beauty and anguish. Consistent throughout his imagery are haunting forms and ambiguous spaces; his subjects are often estranged from their surroundings. In Imi I, Oliveira’s woman appears secluded within the frame, yet she engages her viewers in a mysterious dialogue.
Exhibition
Our whole, unruly selves, November 19, 2021 - June 25, 2022, North, South and Central Skylight Galleries, San José Museum of Art. Breaking Ground: Gifts from Katie and Drew Gibson, July 18, 2013 - October 20, 2013, New Wing, Second Floor, North Gallery, San José Museum of Art.
It's About Time: Celebrating 35 Years, October 3, 2004 - February 13, 2005, New Wing, Gibson Family Gallery and Plaza Gallery, First Floor, San José Museum of Art.
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