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Collage of five diverse artworks from the Hammer Museum Collections side by side. From left to right: 1) Contemporary painting of two embracing figures with surreal elements. 2) Post-impressionist style painting of trees with vibrant blues and greens. 3) Black and white illustration of a face with intricate patterns. 4) Japanese woodblock print style image of a figure in a checkered robe. 5) Photograph of a couple dancing, the woman in a black dress and the man in white

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Digital Archive Now Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980
Art Daniel LaRue Johnson, Big Red
Big Red, by Daniel LaRue Johnson, 1964

Daniel LaRue Johnson, Artist
Big Red , 1964

Medium
Mixed media on canvas
Dimensions
62 x 62 in. (157.5 x 157.5 cm)
Credit Line
Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Leon O. Banks, Los Angeles. Photo by Ed Glendinning, courtesy of Dr. and Mrs. Leon O. Banks

Big Red is a geometric mixed-media painting that shares aesthetic similarities with the slickness of works by Los Angeles "finish fetish" and light-and-space artists. The matte black of the painting juxtaposed against the rectilinear red, yellow, and white forms that extend from the center create a subtle variance in the surface, which is aided by the low-relief forms in the center.