Miller, Lilian (1895 - 1943), "Rainbow Phoenix Waterfall, Diamond Mountains, Korea"

Notes: The black background is utilized to even greater effect in this unusual yet remarkable composition - built out of twisted shapes, with the famous cataract, adjacent cliffs, and bright fall foliage surrounded by a border of black - presents the view from inside a cave, but well be meant to suggest the body of the dragons which supposedly inhabit these pools.

The works is about the interplay of form and color, with the pines in the upper part of the scene composed as either positive or negative shapes while the brilliant foliage patterns in the middle of the picture are created by areas of pure color. Lines appear only on the waterfall and in the striations of the rock. In essence, the print is very nearly non-representational, its impact unchanged when rotated 90 or 180 degrees.

Provenance: Acquired directly from a descendant of the L.M. Miller family. This was accompanied with the entire family collection of remaining works; including original paintings, pencil sketches and one of a kind proofs.