Ruth Erlich Strip Mining Oil on Canvas “Jason’s Fleece” 1959

A spectacular take on one of the great American themes: Material Power. One cannot overstate the romance of Industry for the socially conscious American painters who came of age between the two World Wars, and the zeitgeist held: even as the Depression hit, those energies were channeled into heroic government projects that demanded and consumed incredible resources. The great engine of American commerce and enterprise is what drives this utterly marvelous painting.

The title refers to the Golden Fleece of Greek Mythology and is most certainly a pointed commentary on Surface Mining, Capital, Big Coal, Corporate Greed and The Destruction Of The Environment. Still, the image dazzles and enthralls, a contradiction that, to our mind, makes the work.

Canvas is 30″ x 40″, the frame 39″ x 50″.

Ruth Erlich:  an award winning artist with numerous gallery shows; her art career spanned 65 years. From 1945 to 2004 she lived and centered her art career in the Los Angeles area, moving to Oakland in 2004 to be near her family. She was also a vice president of the National Water Color Society and past president of the Westwood Art Association.