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Arthur Dove American, 1880-1946
5 x 7 in
Provenance
Estate of the artist;An American Place, New York;
The Downtown Gallery, New York;
Donald Morris Gallery, Detroit;
Franklin Riehlman, New York;
Sanford Smith Fine Art, Massachusetts;
Private Collection, New York;
Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts, New York;
Acquired from the above in 2013 by private collector;
Acquired from the above by the present owner;
Exhibitions
JC Gallery, London, James Ward Presents: Seven Americans, 2024;JC Gallery, London, Arthur Dove: extraction, not abstraction, 2024
This quaint and reflective work features delicate and inky lines depicting a farmhouse nestled within a cool-toned watercolour landscape. Muted red brick, almost silver bluish greys, and earthy brownish greens blend sensitively, forming an atmospheric scene under a pale overcast sky. The liberal application of paint allows colours to meld and dance, with black and dark umber bleeding into one another, creating abstracted rural shapes.
In the 1930s, Dove's artistic direction shifted towards portraying sites in and around his birthplace, Geneva, New York. Returning in 1933 after his mother's death, Dove and his wife, artist Helen Torr, moved into a small farmhouse on the family land to settle her estate. The title ‘The Other Farm’ situates this abstracted farm in relation to another, the farmhouse where he grew up. ‘Other’ evokes a mysterious feeling, suggesting that Dove is stepping outside tradition and discovering his own philosophy for living and interacting with the landscape. This was an important and tricky time for Dove. His proximity to the family home allowed for meditation, and during this period, he created some of his best works. While he was close with his mother and she encouraged him artistically, his father did not approve of his commitment to being an artist. In this sense, the term ‘Other’ may highlight Dove's outsider status within his middle-class family.
Dove's connection to nature shines through in this work. Fine gestural strokes of ink separate the farmhouse from the land, emphasising the fluid interaction between structure and environment. Georgia O’Keeffe once remarked that Dove was “the only American painter who is of the earth.” This comment underscores his profound and spiritual bond with the natural world, which is evident within the work.