Rock Creek Park

Peter L. Robinson’s initiation into the arts came from visiting The Phillips Collection as a child with his father on Sunday afternoons.[1] Robinson was particularly interested in the Impressionist paintings and recalled sitting in front of Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880–81) for hours.[2] At Randall Junior High School, Robinson was introduced to engineering and architectural drawing. He continued his art education at Howard University under the leadership of Loïs Mailou Jones, James Porter, and James Lesesne Wells.[3] After graduating, Robinson created data visualizations for the US Census Bureau, the War Room at Andrews Air Force Base, and the Navy’s Polaris Missile Project. In 1962, Robinson was recruited by NASA to be the director of the Graphics and Management Presentations Division, where he created visualizations to communicate the goals of the Apollo 17 mission among the scientists, astronauts, and US Congress. 

Outside of his professional career, Robinson painted boldly colored abstract landscapes that reflected his life and personality. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he created several works that drew from his time at NASA. Robinson explains, “When you’re up high, looking down at the earth, you see patterns on the earth. In my later works, I show a lot of patterns. I think that’s been one of my major emphases of inspiration in how I perceive my landscapes. They are contemporary landscapes; they are not traditional landscapes.”[4] 

Rock Creek Park is one painting in that series that not only reflects Robinson’s career but also his relationship to Washington, DC, and his outlook on life. Through what Robinson refers to as “knock your eyes out” color, rounded forms, and line work, he depicts a place that represents leisure in the DC area with an emphasis on unity and harmony. 

Text by Rebecca Shipman as part of the Seeing U.S. Research Project

[1] Janet Gail Abbott, “Barnett Aden Gallery: A Home for Diversity in a Segregated City” (thesis, The Pennsylvania State University Graduate School, College of Arts and Architecture, 2008), 78. 

[2] Peter L. Robinson Jr., interview by Zenobia A. Rickford, The Prince George’s Artists Association, September 10, 2012, YouTube video, 21:58, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaWLnsSBLOQ. 

[3] Robinson interview. 

[4] Robinson interview.