Description:
woman in long flowing dress seated on bench before wall with large painting playing the cello; woman; costume/uniform; interior; music; furniture
Label Text:
One of the most distinctive painters of his generation, Dewing was largely concerned with the exploration of elegant female figures in spare, refined interiors and landscapes. Associated with the small group of American artists called Tonalists, his canvases, such as "Lady with Cello", are hazy explorations of mood and memory, often rendered in a single pastel hue.
With this work, Dewing makes visual what he termed "the poetic and imaginative world where a few choice spirits live" -- in other words, the realm of contemplation. As the cellist plays, eyes closed, she inhabits her own, interior world. Many of Dewing's pictures show women making or listening to music. Here, he is less concerned with realistically portraying the act of playing the cello - the woman holds her instrument in an awkward side saddle position - than in creating an evocative mood.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1934.3.4 |
