File:John Wesley Untitled(HorsesAndClouds).jpg

Painting by John Wesley, Untitled (Horses and Clouds) (acrylic on canvas, 65" x 71", 1988). The image illustrates a mid-career body of work by John Wesley in the 1980s when his painting began to borrow widely from art-historical sources ranging from the decorative to Japanese art, Art Nouveau and Matisse to Minimalism. In this work, he juxtaposed repetitions of a leaping horse and clouds, creating a pattern that suggested contemporary wallpaper as well as ancient friezes or vases. Works from this body of work was publicly exhibited in prominent exhibitions, discussed in major art journals and daily press publications and acquired major art institutions.

Artist John Wesley. Copyright held by the artist.

John Wesley (artist)

Entire artwork

Yes

The image serves an informational and educational purpose as the primary means of illustrating a key mid-career body of work by John Wesley in the 1980s: his paintings which referenced a wide range of sources beyond Pop art, including ancient friezes and vase painting, Japanese art, Art Nouveau, Matisse, and contemporary wallpaper patterns. These works foregrounded formal concerns through Minimalist-like repetitions of animals or nude figures, repositioned and manipulated in paper-doll fashion in rows or patterns that suggested elusive narratives, personal, mysterious meanings and irreverent social content. Because the article is about an artist and his work, the omission of the image would significantly limit a reader's understanding and ability to understand this stage and body of work, which brought Wesley ongoing recognition through exhibitions, coverage by major critics and publications, and museum acquiaitions. Wesley's work of this type and this series is discussed in the article and by critics cited in the article.

There is no free equivalent of this or any other of this series by John Wesley, so the image cannot be replaced by a free image.

The image will not affect the value of the original work or limit the copyright holder's rights or ability to distribute the original due to its low resolution and the general workings of the art market, which values the actual work of art. Because of the low resolution, illegal copies could not be made.