Back on Earth by Michele Elizabeth Field

Back on Earth

Michele Elizabeth Field · 1981

Scroll

“Michele Elizabeth Field's "Back on Earth" is a monumental, two-panel painting that draws you into an abstract yet deeply evocative landscape. Its vast scale and rich, earthy palette create a sense of both the cosmic and the grounded, inviting contemplation of our place in a boundless world.”

ABOUT THIS WORK

A monumental vision unfolds across two canvases in Michele Elizabeth Field's "Back on Earth." This painting immerses us in a vast, almost cosmic landscape, where abstract forms hint at geological structures and atmospheric phenomena. The scale alone is striking, inviting viewers to step into a world that feels both alien and strangely familiar. Field employs a rich, earthy palette, with deep blues, greens, and ochres blending and contrasting to create a sense of dynamic movement and profound depth. Look closely at how the brushwork builds up textures, suggesting rugged terrain or swirling mists. The composition, split across two panels, creates a subtle tension, as if the landscape itself is too expansive to be contained within a single frame, pushing beyond conventional boundaries to envelop the viewer.

DETAILS
Artist
Michele Elizabeth Field
Date
1981
Medium
Oil on two canvases
Location
Art Institute of Chicago
Dimensions
Installed: 306.1 × 342.9 cm (120 9/16 × 135 in.); 306.1 × 342.9 cm (120 1/2 × 135 in.)
LOOK CLOSER

What to Notice

Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

Back on Earth
01

The seam where the two canvases meet, dividing the expansive landscape.

02

Areas of thick impasto that give texture to the 'earth' and 'sky'.

03

Subtle shifts in color, from deep forest greens to lighter, almost ethereal blues.

04

The way abstract forms suggest mountains, clouds, or even bodies of water.

+1

1 more detail is waiting.

See all 5 in Art Whisper →
THE ARTIST

Michele Elizabeth Field

1953–2014

Michele Elizabeth Field was a painter whose later work, like 'Back on Earth,' explored themes on two canvases.

Read Field’s full story
MORE FROM THIS ARTIST

Further Works by Field

1 / 2
KEEP EXPLORING

More works to explore

Beyond Field: works from the same years.

Hear Back on Earth’s storyFree in the Art Whisper app Open