The Ship of Complacency #2

Date1991

Artist/Maker Mattie Lou O'Kelley (1908-1997)

MediumPaint on canvas or artist's canvasboard

DimensionsUnframed: 23 1/4" x 31 5/8"
Framed: 29 × 37 1/4 × 2 1/4in. (73.7 × 94.6 × 5.7cm)

Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. T. Marshall Hahn, Jr.

Object number1996.101.1

Label TextMarshall Hahn has long been a devoted admirer of O'Kelley and her work. His exceptionally large and diverse collection of the artist's paintings has been reduced in recent years only by generous gifts to several institutions, including the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum.

Characteristically O'Kelley idealized rural life, representing its varied aspects in charmingly stylized storybook compositions. The vibrant colors she used in such scenes are also evident here, but thematically THE SHIP OF COMPLACENCY #2 marks a radical departure from the artist's best-known works. Here, O'Kelley probes a world of fantasy and surrealism, revealing an intriguing side of her personality and prompting questions about her intended meanings that cannot be fully answered, her inscribed "#2" suggests that this picture was part of a series of explorations. Where is her "#1"? And were there subsequent variations? Might her title have been inspired by Katherine Anne Porter's best-selling 1962 novel, SHIP OF FOOLS? Regardless, the pilot of O'Kelley's ship reveals ill-advised peace of mind by leaning back, smoking a pipe, and steering with his feet through a setting rife with fanciful monsters.Mark(s)Lower right corner: "M.L.O'KELLEY/1991"ProvenanceThe painting was acquired directly from the artist by Dr. T. Marshall Hahn, Jr. of Atlanta Georgia in 1991 after its completion that same year. Hahn, in turn, donated the work to the Folk Art Center in 1996.