Michigan - from the "Fifty States" suite

Robert Matthew Freimark

From 1960 to 1968 Robert Freimark created "Fifty States," a suite of abstract screenprints of each American state. Some images were more representational than others, and all of them featured a natural or urban area that to Freimark best represented the essence of the state and its current sociopolitical climate. In 1976, the suite was chosen as the official U.S. Bicentennial presentation by Amerika Haus in Munich, on the U.S.'s 200th anniversary.

For "Michigan," Freimark - who was born in Doster, MI in 1922 - chose a monochromatic pallette to depict a frozen river on the Upper Peninsula as it winds through a wood in deep winter. The trees are bare and the scene appears still and quiet.

A viewer of the exhibition of the suite at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream commented about this image on Instagram:

"Created in 1963, the Michigan print draws inspiration from Freimark's memories of the Upper Peninsula, particularly its pine forests, clear lakes, and the Porcupine Mountains. Rendered in shades of black, white, and soft gray, the abstract composition captures the quiet beauty and resilience of a northern winter while expressing moments of solitude and reflection from his youth."