Sails
Artist
Charles Demuth
(American, 1883 - 1935)
Date1919
MediumGouache and graphite on illustration board
DimensionsUnframed: 20 x 23 3/4 inches (50.8 x 60.33 cm)
Framed: 28 x 32 x 1 3/4 inches (71.12 x 81.28 x 4.45 cm)
Framed: 28 x 32 x 1 3/4 inches (71.12 x 81.28 x 4.45 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Friends of Art and the Mrs. Alfred B. Clark Fund
Object numberF79-25
Signedl.l. corner: "C. Demuth/Gloucester '19"
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionGeometric, monochromatic painting of sailboats on water; with masts and sails of two large sailboats in foreground and six additional sailboats behind them in the water, which are seen in part between the sails and among triangular wedges of water and sailboats.Gallery LabelTrapezoidal and triangular shapes fill this gouache (opaque watercolor) by Charles Demuth. These repeated forms evoke sailboats gliding across water. Demuth was likely inspired to paint this subject by his visit to a popular fishing and artists’ colony in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1919. The angular, sharply focused sails and smooth surface of the gouache display Demuth’s engagement with the American artistic style called Precisionism. Precisionists were inspired by European modern art, particularly the geometric forms characteristic of the Cubist style.
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
