The Magician
Gertrude Abercrombie
1964
Oil on canvas
24.5 x 25.5 x 1.125 inches
Gift of the Gertrude Abercrombie Trust
A Surrealist painting—often thought of as dream-like—of a light-skinned woman with light brown hair facing forward wearing a red-orange shirt with black sleeves. The person is positioned behind a centrally located long, wooden table with a chipped white marble top and dark wooden double-panel front. Their right hand is resting on the tabletop. On the table to the left of the person is an owl; and in a row to the right: a small white shell, a black cat, a wide-brimmed black hat, and a smooth white pitcher. A bulb-like object sits on the ground in front of the table, perhaps a crystal ball. A shadow of the table recedes in space to the viewer’s right. The table stands upon green ground occupying one-third of the painting below a stormy dark blue background. The black wood frame has a small border of filigree detailing with evenly spaced gold leaf on the relief.