Thompson and Eilshemius both garnered critical acclaim for their work, particularly posthumously, but they nevertheless remained relatively marginalized and practically unknown outside the art world. Thompson, a prolific African-American artist, painted for only eight years but in this short period bypassed the dominance of abstraction in midcentury America and developed his own symbolic language. Had his life not been so short—he died just shy of his 29th birthday of a heroin overdose in Rome in 1966—he may have established a firmer place both within and outside of his field. Through a combination of figuration, color, and form, he transformed scenes inspired by the the
into abstracted, allegorical images of modern American life. Figures rendered in greens, blues, and oranges blend together across lush, blocky backdrops that pulsate with bright color and implied movement.