Battle of the Gods

Callahan, Kenneth

1955

Artwork Information

  • Title:

    Battle of the Gods

  • Artist:

    Callahan, Kenneth

  • Artist Bio:

    American, 1905–1986

  • Date:

    1955

  • Medium:

    Casein, watercolor, and ink on paper

  • Dimensions:

    22 x 35 in.

  • Credit Line:

    Wichita Art Museum, Roland P. Murdock Collection

  • Object Number:

    M150.57

  • Display:

    Not Currently on Display

About the Artwork

Kenneth Callahan is one of four artists hailed as the “Northwest Mystics” by LIFE magazine in 1953. The group forged a radical artistic modernism, incorporating the lush terrain of the Pacific Northwest with Asian aesthetics and philosophies. Battle of the Gods evokes a primal struggle. Bold, disordered forms tumble across the paper. Rich, verdant hues suggest organic decay, particularly with the scarring black outlines. The title is key to the artwork’s content, and it opens interpretation for the contest of forceful pictorial elements to a statement about who we are and why we exist.