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Glyph (work of art)

Artwork Info

Created
1984
Artist
Lee Mullican (American, 1919-1998)
Dimensions
60 3/8 × 50 1/4 inches (153.4 × 127.6 centimeters)

Credit

Bequest of Fannie and Alan Leslie

Object Number
2006.21.14
Culture
American
Classification
Paintings
Department
Modern

Key Ideas

  • A glyph is a graphic symbol that represents a letter or a number. It communicates information without the use of words. 
  • This painting is an example of linear art. Its composition emphasizes the use of line.
  • Lee Mullican was an American artist known for creating abstract and surrealist paintings. His compositions were made up of layers of lines that he called “striations.” He painted these lines with the edge of a printer’s knife instead of a paintbrush.
  • In the 1950s Mullican was a founding member of the Dynaton art movement in California. Dynaton artists created abstract paintings made up of many spontaneous, individual marks. Their work was influenced by their interest in cosmology (the study of the universe and its origins), surrealism, Indigenous American and Pre-Columbian art, and Zen Buddhism
  • Mullican’s painting style was also influenced by his military experience as an aerial topographer (a person who creates maps of land areas and their physical features).

Learn More

The title of this painting comes from a Greek word that means “a carving.” In archaeology glyphs are symbols that are carved or inscribed in stone. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs are an example of this. They are pictures that represent specific words. In many languages glyphs are used to represent characters, like letters or numbers. A glyph is a purposeful mark used to communicate something: a word, an idea, an object. 

California-based artist Lee Mullican was a surrealist, abstract painter and sculptor. Surrealist art is inspired by dreams and hidden thoughts. Mullican created abstract works that explored his personal experiences and his interest in cosmology (the study of the origin, development, and natural order of the universe). Abstract art does not attempt to depict anything from reality. It uses color and shape to communicate feelings and ideas. 

During World War II Mullican worked as an aerial topographer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He collected data on large areas of land and then created detailed maps of the land’s physical terrain. After the war he moved to San Francisco, where he played a key role in the Dynaton art movement. Mullican and two other like-minded artists, Wolfgang Paalen and Gordon Onslow Ford, were the founding members of this art movement. The name Dynaton comes from a Greek word meaning “the possible.” The Dynaton artists were inspired by surrealist art and the art of ancient cultures. They explored the subconscious mind and mysticism in their work. 

We were not trying to come together like a movement or a school, or weren’t even really aware that we were actually involved in a kind of sociological movement at that time in the arts there in San Francisco. 

Lee Mullican

Mullican developed his own painting technique that he called “striation.” This technique involved rhythmically pressing a paint-covered printer’s knife into a canvas over and over again. A printer’s knife is similar to a palette knife. It is a flat-edged metal tool that is generally used to mix printing ink. Mullican’s signature style is a composition made up of many layers of lines. Instead of looking chaotic, however, the individual marks work together to create a sense of order. 

I was creating things that no one else could create. I was creating things that no one else had seen or would ever see unless they looked at my work. So there was an excitement and a drive to do that thing.

Lee Mullican

In 1961 Mullican joined the teaching staff at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He worked as an art teacher at the university for nearly 30 years. In the mid 1980s, he started using computers to create digital artwork that combined his unique painting style with technology.

Additional Resources

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Images

  • An abstract acrylic painting made up of blue and yellow lines on a white background.

    Glyph

    An abstract acrylic painting made up of blue and yellow lines on a white background.

Related Concepts