Robert Motherwell, American, 1915-1991, (B. 308; E & B. 356) 1985. New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts; abstract expressionism, painting and collage. Black Rumble lithograph is signed and editioned lower left in graphite 50/65. 35 x 27 in. image, 41.75 x 33 in. frame 

Private Collection, MN

After Robert Motherwell's trip to Mexico in 1941, he was inspired to become a full-time, professional painter. He symbolized the human tragedy and injustice of the Spanish Civil War through the color black. Like much of his oeuvre, Black Rumble utilizes a strong black form that dominates much of the composition. The color choice for the central form carried solemn implications to the particular event, yet the vigorous black form is a burst of emotion that may resonate universally. Mary Ann Caws (Robert Motherwell: With Pen and Brush, 109) interpreted the high contrast of red line to black mass in the series as intensifying the aesthetic force of the mass. The three-sided framing of red and black lines are set in such close proximity to the black mass, which successfully exacerbates and reinforces its heaviness in the composition.