A Beautiful Fall

A Beautiful Fall

2013
Artist
Joseph Stashkevetch, American, 1958-
Born: South River, NJ
Work Locations: New York, NY
Country
United States
Object
drawing
Medium
Conte crayon on watercolor paper
Accession Number
2014.5A-C
Credit Line
Courtesy the artist and Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, CO

Joseph Stashkevetch
A Beautiful Fall, 2013
Conte crayon on watercolor paper, 
Courtesy the artist and Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, CO, 2014.5A-C
© Joseph Stashkevetch

Dimensions
height: 105 in, 266.7000 cm; width: 135 in, 342.9000 cm; depth: 2 in, 5.0800 cm
Department
Modern and Contemporary Art
Collection
Modern and Contemporary Art
A Beautiful Fall illustrates the fictionalized tragedy of an ancient Assyrian king, Sardanapalus, who burned himself and his most beloved possessions in a giant pyre rather than be captured by his enemies. Artists have reinterpreted the legend for centuries. For this drawing, which features detritus from contemporary life in addition to broken antiquities, Joseph Stashkevetch found inspiration in Lord Byron’s 1821 dramatization of the story and Eugène Delacroix’s Romantic painting of the king’s opulent suicide.
Exhibition History
  • "Epic - Joseph Stashkevetch: Drawings," Denver Art Museum, November 17, 2013 - June 29, 2014
  • "Showing Off: Recent Modern and Contemporary Acquisitions" - May 17, 2015 to January 3, 2016 (DAM)