Two Dumps in the Meadowlands; April, Lowtide, A Grass Fire

Artist Rackstraw Downes (American, born England, 1939)

Date1986

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 16 × 96 5/8 × 4 inches (40.64 × 245.43 × 10.16 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation–Commerce Bank, Trustee

Object number2002.9

On View

Not on view

Collections

Contemporary Art

Terms

DescriptionThe painting depicts a panoramic view of a barren landscape. Along the left horizon a cloud of smoke rises. The scene is primarily blue water and sky, with a thin sliver of land in between.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

Rackstraw Downes' paintings of dumps, metal scrap yards, and oil wells, represent what industrial society has done to the landscape. This panoramic view depicts refuse visible at lowtide, dump trucks delivering their loads, and smoke rising from a fire. Downes tells the story of nature's violation with unflinching realism.

Two Dumps in the Meadowlands was painted plein air, or outdoors. Looking east from New Jersey toward Manhattan we see the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building in the distance.

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