A vivid exploration of the elemental and the spiritual, Earth Spirits captures Mayo Beckford Young’s signature synthesis of surrealism and abstraction. The composition unfolds in a dreamlike landscape where human and organic forms merge seamlessly with earth and foliage. Deep maroons and emerald greens contrast against a fiery orange horizon, evoking both sunset and rebirth. The print’s layered textures and etched patterns suggest a living terrain—one in which nature and consciousness intertwine.
Context and Legacy
Having studied under Hans Hofmann in Munich, Young developed a keen sense of compositional energy and symbolic color. His postwar works, including this piece, reveal an artist deeply attuned to the interplay between inner life and the natural world. Earth Spirits embodies Young’s belief in art as an act of experimentation—bridging the mystical and the material.
Collector’s Note
An exceptional example of Young’s printmaking technique, Earth Spirits combines precision with spontaneity. Its glowing chromatic range and tactile depth make it a standout piece of 1970s West Coast modernism.
About the Artist
Mayo Beckford Young (1905–1983) was an American painter, muralist, and printmaker born in Petaluma, California. He studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and later in Munich with Hans Hofmann. During the 1930s, Young worked on Federal Art Project murals, eventually serving as Supervisor for the Oakland area and later as Art Director for Northern California. A member of the San Francisco Art Association and the American Abstract Artists, he exhibited widely, including at the Golden Gate International Exposition, the San Francisco Museum Association, the New Jersey State Museum, and the National Museum of American Art.
Rooted in experimentation, Young’s work bridges surrealism, abstraction, and the natural environment, often merging the human form with organic and mythological motifs.
REFERENCE NUMBER: LU654317121692
PERIOD: Late 20th Century
CONDITION: Excellent
MEASUREMENTS: Height: 23" Width: 34" Depth: 0.88"
COUNT: 1
MATERIAL: Acrylic
CREATOR: Mayo Beckford Young
