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Eugene Hawkins (American, b. 1933). Atmospheric Abstract. Oil on canvas, 1961. Signed and dated at lower right. A dark, velvety field opens like a stage curtain, and within it Hawkins lets color arrive in slow, luminous weather - blue and teal drifting into green, pierced by faint embers of red-orange that read like distant signal lights. What at first appears purely abstract begins to feel elemental. Vertical veils of light shimmer against the shadowed ground, strongly recalling the aurora borealis, those electric curtains of atmosphere that ripple across northern skies. The painting does not depict a landscape, yet it behaves like one, offering depth, horizon, and reflection without ever surrendering to literal form. The paint moves in suspended columns and softened streaks, as if the image were forming and dissolving at once. A warmer flare near the upper register suggests a distant glow, while cooler bands descend in translucent passages that resemble light reflected on dark water. Size: 23.75" W x 36.5" H (60.3 cm x 92.7 cm) Hawkins handles the surface with restraint. The darkness is not empty but active, allowing each passage of color to emerge with quiet intensity. The result is immersive and contemplative, a work that breathes rather than declares. A remarkable structural detail deepens the experience. The canvas is mounted to a screened window pane, and the mesh of the screen is clearly visible on the verso. This unconventional support introduces a subtle dialogue between the organic and the architectural. The flowing, atmospheric imagery rests upon a literal grid, a matrix of order beneath a vision of shifting light. The window frame suggests permeability, as though the painting were not merely an object but a threshold, framing a sky seen through a domestic aperture. Light, air, and structure become part of the work's conceptual fabric. Dated 1961, the painting belongs to Hawkins's early and ambitious period. Active from the late 1950s, with an exhibition noted in the Los Angeles Times in July 1959, Hawkins participated in a vibrant West Coast modernist conversation. His inclusion in the 1967 UCLA Art Galleries exhibition "The Negro in American Art" situates him within a broader movement to secure institutional recognition for African American artists in the modern canon. In this work, he transforms oil and canvas into a field of suspended light - part sky, part memory, part abstraction - quietly asserting presence through atmosphere rather than spectacle. Provenance: Private collection of important Hollywood family, collected between 1930 and 1980 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. Please note that buyers are responsible for understanding and complying with the import regulations of their destination country. While we carefully prepare and document all shipments, we cannot be held responsible for customs delays, clearance issues, additional duties or taxes, or any seizure of property. In addition, please note that we are unable to ship ancient items back to the original country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.). PAYMENT EXCEPTION: Unless a known customer of Artemis, payment for all gold / precious metal / gem lots must be made via Bank Wire Transfer or Certified Bank Check/Money Order, no exceptions. #200899