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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 Noah Purifoy, Unknown
Unknown, by Noah Purifoy, 1967

Noah Purifoy, Artist
Unknown , 1967

Medium
Mixed media
Dimensions
43 x 43 in. (109.2 x 109.2 cm)
Credit Line
Collection of John Outterbridge, Los Angeles. Photo by Ed Glendinning

Unknown displays a strong focus on color as well as materials. The radiating umbrella evokes a feeling of the color wheel, which is a concentric graph of the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. Smaller circles attached to the top of the umbrella help to create an almost symmetrical composition. Purifoy made numerous paintings during this time that included red, green, and yellow, perhaps a reference to the Rastafari movement and to the colors used in the flags of many African nations.