Still Life

Maxey--Still Life.jpg
MaxeyStevens - Still Life.JPG

Dublin Core

Title

Description

A cryptic, maybe private allegory is signalled by this still life. We look downward to a table in disarray: yes, the towel is artfully draped, but eleven cherries are scattered from a bowl; the carafe of water doesn’t match a coffee cup and saucer; the presence of scissors can’t be logically inferred from the other objects. Maxey’s lighting, quite stark, arrives from the left to illuminate hard surfaces.

About the Artist: Maxey’s art training took place at the National Academy of Design, New York. Working for the Federal Art Project during the 1930s, his paintings were placed in several New York locations: PS 109 (Brooklyn), PS 152 (Queens), New Utrecht High School, and the YMCA’s William Sloane branch; his paintings were shown at the Federal Art Gallery (1938, 1939). Maxey also was politically active: in an undated draft document, Maxey was one of many to propose an Artists’ Union, which in 1938 organized itself as the Federal Arts Committee and urged creation of a permanent Federal Arts Commission. Its executive board included actor Burgess Meredith, composer Leopold Stokowski, actor Lillian Gish, and painter Max Weber; Maxey was the group’s Executive Secretary. A bill jointly sponsored by Rep. John Coffee (WA) and Sen. Claude Pepper (FL) failed to gain support, and federal funding for artists withered. During the 1950s Maxey and his artist wife, Amelia (herself a WPA artist), moved to Bucks County, PA and ran a business specializing in painted furnishings. 13 more images at FAP.

Creator

Maxey, Stevens, 1903-1969

Publisher

Date

Contributor

Source

Format

Type

Identifier

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

Oil painting

Physical Dimensions

29.5 x 23.5 in.
Condition: torn canvas, surface dirt

Geolocation