Jay DeFeo
b. 1929; Hanover, NH, d. 1989; Oakland, CA
The Rose, 1958–66
Oil with wood and mica on canvas
Jay DeFeo described this monumental work as “a marriage between painting and sculpture.” Built almost entirely from thick layers of paint supported in some areas by wooden dowels, the work weighs more than 1,500 pounds. DeFeo worked on it for nearly eight years using a laborious process of building up, carving back, and repainting. Her original idea was simply to produce a painting that had “a center.” As she worked and reworked the painting she extended its length and width. In the end, The Rose had to be removed from her second-story studio through a partially dismantled window using a forklift.
