Gabriel
Artist
David Driskell
(American, 1931 – 2020)
Date1965
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFrame: 53 x 40 3/4 in. (134.6 x 103.5 cm)
Image: 48 x 36 in. (121.9 x 91.4 cm)
Image: 48 x 36 in. (121.9 x 91.4 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Art Acquisition Endowment Fund
Object number2023.4
InterpretationGabriel is a colorful, abstracted rendering of the archangel Gabriel painted by David Driskell in 1965. The flattened figure, with its brightly patterned garment and trumpet, stretches vertically to fill the entire canvas. Painted thickly with dynamic brushstrokes, Gabriel emerges from a dark, ambiguous background.
Created in 1965 when Driskell was teaching art at Howard University, the painting demonstrates his interest in abstraction and coloration. The influence of Abstract Expressionism, with its emphasis on spontaneity and emotional expression, is evident in his large-scale works from this decade, which often featured bold colors, geometric shapes, and expressive brushstrokes. Unlike the Abstract Expressionists, however, Driskell rooted his art in figuration, often focusing on a single subject such as a tree, person, or chair. During the 1960s, Driskell also experimented with a decorative, almost calligraphic use of color and line. In Gabriel, he painted dynamic, colorful patterns in rendering the angel’s garment.
A minister’s son, Driskell made several Christian-themed paintings over the course of his career. The archangel Gabriel, known as God’s messenger, is often depicted blowing a horn or trumpet. Driskell depicted Gabriel as both a mystical, ethereal being and an earthly, almost human figure. Hands and facial features have disappeared, but patterned wings take the form of hunched shoulders. By placing the trumpet’s circular bell in the center of the canvas, Driskell encouraged his viewer to imagine sound, perhaps not only the blare of an angel’s horn but also the powerful sound of an African American trumpeter.
More than fifty years after painting Gabriel, Driskell chose the work as the subject for an edition of serigraph prints on paper, commissioned by Raven Fine Print Editions.
Created in 1965 when Driskell was teaching art at Howard University, the painting demonstrates his interest in abstraction and coloration. The influence of Abstract Expressionism, with its emphasis on spontaneity and emotional expression, is evident in his large-scale works from this decade, which often featured bold colors, geometric shapes, and expressive brushstrokes. Unlike the Abstract Expressionists, however, Driskell rooted his art in figuration, often focusing on a single subject such as a tree, person, or chair. During the 1960s, Driskell also experimented with a decorative, almost calligraphic use of color and line. In Gabriel, he painted dynamic, colorful patterns in rendering the angel’s garment.
A minister’s son, Driskell made several Christian-themed paintings over the course of his career. The archangel Gabriel, known as God’s messenger, is often depicted blowing a horn or trumpet. Driskell depicted Gabriel as both a mystical, ethereal being and an earthly, almost human figure. Hands and facial features have disappeared, but patterned wings take the form of hunched shoulders. By placing the trumpet’s circular bell in the center of the canvas, Driskell encouraged his viewer to imagine sound, perhaps not only the blare of an angel’s horn but also the powerful sound of an African American trumpeter.
More than fifty years after painting Gabriel, Driskell chose the work as the subject for an edition of serigraph prints on paper, commissioned by Raven Fine Print Editions.
The Negro in American Art, University of California, Los Angeles, California (organizer), September 11–October 16, 1966. Venues: University of California, Los Angeles, California, September 11–October 16, 1966; University of California, Davis, California, November 1–December 15, 1966; Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, California, January 6–February 12, 1967; Oakland Art Museum, Oakland, California February 24–March 19, 1967. [exh. cat.]
David Driskell: One Decade of Painting, 1967–75, Bowie State College Gallery of Art, Bowie, Maryland, 1978.
David C. Driskell: A One Man Exhibition, Center for the Visual Arts Gallery, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, 1979.
David Driskell: A Survey, Art Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (organizer), October 21–December 5, 1980), no. 12. Venues: Christian A. Johnson Memorial Gallery, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, January 1981. [exh. cat.]
Creative Spirit: The Art of David C. Driskell, David C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (organizer), September 15–December 16, 2011. [exh. cat.]
David Driskell: Creative Spirit: Five Decades, DC Moore Gallery, New York, NY, January 6–February 4, 2012.
Art Matters II: 1940s–1980s, Katzen Arts Center, American University, Washington, DC, January 25–March 16, 2014.
David Driskell: Resonance, Paintings 1965-2002, DC Moore Gallery, New York, NY, April 11–June 8, 2019.
David Driskell: Icons of Nature and History, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, and Portland Museum of Art, ME (organizer). Venues: High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, February 6–May 9, 2021; Portland Museum of Art, ME, June 19–September 12, 2021; The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, October 16, 2021–January 9, 2022. [exh. cat.]
David Driskell: One Decade of Painting, 1967–75, Bowie State College Gallery of Art, Bowie, Maryland, 1978.
David C. Driskell: A One Man Exhibition, Center for the Visual Arts Gallery, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, 1979.
David Driskell: A Survey, Art Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (organizer), October 21–December 5, 1980), no. 12. Venues: Christian A. Johnson Memorial Gallery, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, January 1981. [exh. cat.]
Creative Spirit: The Art of David C. Driskell, David C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (organizer), September 15–December 16, 2011. [exh. cat.]
David Driskell: Creative Spirit: Five Decades, DC Moore Gallery, New York, NY, January 6–February 4, 2012.
Art Matters II: 1940s–1980s, Katzen Arts Center, American University, Washington, DC, January 25–March 16, 2014.
David Driskell: Resonance, Paintings 1965-2002, DC Moore Gallery, New York, NY, April 11–June 8, 2019.
David Driskell: Icons of Nature and History, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, and Portland Museum of Art, ME (organizer). Venues: High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, February 6–May 9, 2021; Portland Museum of Art, ME, June 19–September 12, 2021; The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, October 16, 2021–January 9, 2022. [exh. cat.]
Porter, James. The Negro in American Art. Los Angeles: UCLA Art Galleries, 1966. Ill. p. 20 (black and white).
Tonelli, Edith, ed. David Driskell: A Survey. Baltimore, Maryland: Reese Press, 1980. Text pp. 19, 22.
Lewis, Samella. African American Art and Artists. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003. Text p. 152; ill. p. 152 (color).
McGee, Julie L. David C Driskell: Artist and Scholar. Petaluma, CA: Pomegranate, 2006. Text pp. 65-66; ill. p. 68 (color).
Creative Spirit: The Art of David C. Driskell. College Park, MD: David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, 2011. Ill. p. 21 (color).
May, Jessica, ed. David Driskell. Icons of Nature and History. New York: Rizzoli in association with the Portland Museum of Art and the High Museum of Art, 2021. Text, pp. 23, 28-29; ill. p. 88 (color); catalogue p. 217.
Tonelli, Edith, ed. David Driskell: A Survey. Baltimore, Maryland: Reese Press, 1980. Text pp. 19, 22.
Lewis, Samella. African American Art and Artists. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003. Text p. 152; ill. p. 152 (color).
McGee, Julie L. David C Driskell: Artist and Scholar. Petaluma, CA: Pomegranate, 2006. Text pp. 65-66; ill. p. 68 (color).
Creative Spirit: The Art of David C. Driskell. College Park, MD: David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, 2011. Ill. p. 21 (color).
May, Jessica, ed. David Driskell. Icons of Nature and History. New York: Rizzoli in association with the Portland Museum of Art and the High Museum of Art, 2021. Text, pp. 23, 28-29; ill. p. 88 (color); catalogue p. 217.
The estate of the artist
DC Moore Gallery
Terra Foundation for American Art
