Year: 1994
Medium: sand, leaves, soil, and polymer on canvas
Dimensions: 203.2 x 172.7 cm (80 x 68 in.)
Acquired from Sotheby's, 2022
Despite its title “Riverbed”, there appears to be no water at the bottom of the river. Perhaps the river has run dry, as there is only a single miserable catfish, surrounded by a wide array of insects flying around it. Shadows from some tree branches line the bottom of the waterless riverbed, which, along with the dead leaves, evokes a sense of intense aridity. The leaves are from actual plants, collaged onto the canvas. The countless ants—swarming together to form tree-like shapes—and the fluttering butterflies and winged insects are realistically rendered, like biological illustrations. The rough sand of the riverbed is not merely a depiction, but the result of painting sand and soil onto the canvas. Rockman’s keen interest in nature and the environment is on full display in this work.
