1 10 24 https://openvalley.org/files/original/f1a2351b45a040feaf4a22d44b5240ee.jpg ecf410230d86390964eb37393f4dba44 https://openvalley.org/files/original/1d289b44cb43c1b8b95b52b99b3ec955.jpg 2f39ac13609db35ec343169e89ae06a2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil painting on canvas Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 24 x 30 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Autumn Landscape Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.5 MB jpeg, 1.7 MB Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rites, Marion B[ushanse] (1900 - ?) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Harrington, Gwenyth Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY Object #FA 819 Description An account of the resource In Autumn Landscape, at first glance, the viewer appears to be standing on a riverbank, looking into a dense and active landscape. The foreground is filled with thick foliage, where leaves are depicted through repeating oval shapes and emphasized with strong, dark outlines. These energetic brushstrokes suggest movement, as if wind is passing through the trees. In the middle ground, partially hidden by the leaves, a wooden cabin and small boat with a fisherman come into view. Although obscured at first glance, these elements remain present and distinct, encouraging closer observation. In the background, the sky is soft and muted, providing contrast to the vivid colors of the surrounding foliage. Rites’ composition is evenly arranged, with trees and plants spread across the scene creating a calm and peaceful setting. The bright greens, oranges, and blues maintain their intensity throughout the painting, rather than fading into the distance. This approach reflects the influence of Paul Cézanne, particularly in the use of color to build form and create this seasonal scene. Furthermore, the dense layering of leaves and overlapping forms fills out nearly the entire picture, leaving little space to spare. Overall, the work presents an upbeat and immersive view into the nature of an organic Autumn Day. About the Artist Unfortunately, little information is known about this artist. He was born in 1900 in Ithaca, NY, the son of <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c2632388&seq=555&q1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a renowned engineer</a> who had become wealthy from his patents. Rites’ parents separated, however, and his father died while Marion was still a teenager. He attended Ithaca High School and graduated from Cornell University in 1922. There are indications that he studied art in Paris and painted in Touraine, the Riviera, and Northern Africa (“Paintings”). His works were exhibited in 1932 at the <a href="https://www.mahj.org/en/decouvrir-collections-betsalel/galerie-de-la-renaissance-6585" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Galerie de la Renaissance</a> and received favorable mention for their cosmopolitanism and “painterly temperament” (Dictionaire). Rites was influenced by the French Impressionist <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/paul-cezanne" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul Cézanne</a>, including his bold brushstrokes; use of muted and earthy tones, greens and blues; and his thick application of paint. Along with another artist, David Dorfman, Rites illustrated a 1941 WPA children’s book titled <a href="https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/in00000129820" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tales of Old New York,</a> published by the New York Board of Education. Little is known about this artist beyond the works he left behind. His date of death is also unknown. 4 works at the <a href="https://art.gsa.gov/artworks/725/still-life-with-cigarette?ctx=937f730ef375fb1b8257b0d4fd42b9f8faf23648&idx=307" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. General Services Administration</a>. 2 images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-19-folder-18" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Works Consulted: “Paintings of Marion B. Rites, Former Ithaca Resident, Are Favorably Mentioned Abroad,” Ithaca Journal 19 Dec. 1933: 7; <a href="https://archive.org/details/bwb_S0-BKW-886/page/211/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dictionaire Biographique des Artistes Contemporains</a> (1934). Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca. 1937 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Federal Art Project Landscape Art Marion Rites New Deal Museum https://openvalley.org/files/original/68409ae3ea632f36924d9bd66b5029f4.jpg 87c8b532522d7d1a85d5f605c6442879 https://openvalley.org/files/original/a0655f04edb1c502cd03811d653f2575.jpg 4062e5fe89aa2f2937827ec04856f246 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Wood engraving print Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 7 7/8 x 5 7/8 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Fields in Spring Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Weissbuch, Oscar (1904-1948) Description An account of the resource From an elevated perspective we look into a pleasingly enclosed, bowl-shaped valley; agricultural plantings emphasize the land’s underlaying contours. An arboreal line runs diagonally across the property. In the middle ground, a small house and attached shed is tucked into one cluster of trees, that of a presumed farmer returning home. Weissbuch’s curvilinear composition is extended to mountains in the distance and a sky full of clouds. In this and other prints Weissbuch seems to illustrate the “American Scene” of regional artists of the 1930s, some of whom “chose to focus on rural subject matter, preferring images of the countryside and scenes that depicted a simpler side of life” (Viso). “Fields in Spring” was honored at the 12th Annual Exhibition for American Graphic Artists, Philadelphia, in 1938. An appreciative reviewer praised its “expert differentiation of varied qualities of earth and foliage,” which again might be taken to reference the print’s rural setting (Lewis). But he also was praising the woodcut’s variety of pattern for its own sake—at least a dozen different recurring ones to be observed. Weissbuch’s later <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/objects/1932/backyard-in-summer?ctx=4715703bae747f0b36f946b02d2517711b4029c3&idx=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Backyard in Summer”</a> (1942) suggests that, many years earlier, the artist was intrigued by tensions between representation and underlying forms. About the Artist The son of Romanian immigrants, Weissbuch grew up in Brooklyn and already was working at a hat factory by the age of fifteen. Weissbuch studied at the Yale University School of Fine Arts, the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, and the Art Students League (where he likely encountered the influential abstractionist Hans Hoffman). Beginning in 1934, Weissbuch worked on various WPA programs for seven years (Public Works of Art Project, Temporary Emergency Relief Administration, Federal Art Project), altogether producing 23 recorded prints. His works were widely exhibited in New York (including MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, and Albright-Knox Museum), along with traveling shows to California, England, and Scandinavia. Weissbuch also became an important mentor within the Graphic Arts Division. For a short time he was appointed its supervisor, and along with his predecessors was “liked and respected by the artists. They showed sympathy and understanding and stood up for the artists under the pressures of the Project administration, which in turn was under political pressure” (Kainen 170). One such pressure by the late 1930s was a call for graphic works supporting European Allies and military preparation, rather than landscapes or social criticism. Late in 1941, Weissbuch began teaching at the newly established <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munson-Williams-Proctor_Arts_Institute" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Utica Art School</a>, created by the Munson – Williams – Proctor Arts Institute. Its egalitarian mission announced that faculty, “when executing their own professional work, will welcome students and the general public who may thus observe their methods in practice” (Art Digest 1 Dec. 1941: 29). Alongside American art generally, Weissbuch’s work during the 1940s moved in a direction of increasing abstraction—for example, <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/objects/1932/backyard-in-summer?ctx=4715703bae747f0b36f946b02d2517711b4029c3&idx=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Backyard in Summer”</a> (1942) and <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/objects/10524/rooftops-no-1?ctx=4715703bae747f0b36f946b02d2517711b4029c3&idx=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Rooftops, No. 1”</a> (1943)—and then fully embraced it by the end of his life in works like <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/objects/1057/sea-motif?ctx=4715703bae747f0b36f946b02d2517711b4029c3&idx=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Sea Motif”</a> (1948). Given Weissbuch’s fascination with motific patterns and textures seen in FAP prints of the 1930s, though, perhaps abstraction makes sense as a latent potential within his earlier work. He was a brief, but meaningful influence upon the Pop artist Robert Indiana, who took classes at the Utica Art School while stationed near there in the amy (Ryan 271). But it seems there had been many other apprentices taught by Weissbuch along the way. 18 works at the <a href="https://www.philamuseum.org/collection?artist=Oscar%20Weissbuch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia Museum of Art</a>. 2 works at the <a href="https://www.nga.gov/artists/34125-oscar-weissbuch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Gallery of Art</a>. 2 works at the <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/artist/oscar-weissbuch-5309" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a>. 4 works at <a href="https://munson.emuseum.com/search/Weissbuch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Munson Museum</a>. 1 work at the <a href="https://digital.wolfsonian.org/node/67534?search_api_fulltext=weissbuch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wolfsonian-FIU</a>. 4 versions of “Gypsy Fortune Teller,” illustrating stages of the woodcut printing process, at <a href="https://dac-collection.wesleyan.edu/artist-maker/info/38000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wesleyan University Davison Art Collection</a>. 5 images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-23-folder-54" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Works Consulted: Olga M. Viso, “The Golden Age of American Printmaking, 1900-1950”  (1994), courtesy TFAO <a href="https://www.tfaoi.org/aa/9aa/9aa175.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; Edward Lewis, “3 Shows Open at Print Club,” Philadelphia Inquirer 27 Mar. 1938: 16; Jacob Kainen, “The Graphic Arts Division of the WPA Federal Arts Project,” in The New Deal Art Projects: An Anthology of Memoirs, ed. Francis V. O’Connor (1972) <a href="https://archive.org/details/newdealartprojec0000unse_m0q7/page/154/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a>; Susan Elizabeth Ryan, Robert Indiana: Figures of Speech (2000); Peter Hastings Falk, ed., Who Was Who in American Art (1999) <a href="https://archive.org/details/whowaswhoinameri0003unse/page/3507/mode/1up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Link</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (description & biography) Helquist, Morgan (photography) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.5 MB jpeg, 1.6 MB Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca. 1935 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Museum, Mt. Morris Object #FA 1566 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Federal Art Project Landscape Art New Deal Museum Oscar Weissbuch woodcut https://openvalley.org/files/original/35f44c949771534e92f3f536bd329958.jpg 8592cd012abf269aa191104d29d534a0 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil painting Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 30 x 54 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Greenwood Lake Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 765 KB Description An account of the resource Cropsey, initially trained as an architect, turned to painting in the style of Thomas Cole's sublime renderings of nature. He traveled in the Northeast and Europe, gaining recognition for his increasingly vivid fall hues and more restful settings. Here we see a lake whose shoreline is shared by the states of New York and New Jersey. A group of visitors appreciates the view in foreground, with forests in early autumn and pristine waters. Crossing the lake is a steamship—which as it happens had commenced operations two years earlier due to a growing tourist industry on the lake. Like other paintings of this era showing (for example) a railroad passing through natural landscapes, even small details indicate ambivalence. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cropsey, Jasper Francis, 1823-1900 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1875 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/greenwood-lake-5976" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Greenwood Lake Jasper Francis Cropsey Landscape Art painting Watersheds https://openvalley.org/files/original/16e4aede82a6b859336404a8152ae9ef.jpg 4a0cafb4aaecc498e133dc1a53cd6676 https://openvalley.org/files/original/7b24df90977d2ab69aaab9d7aa7bea81.jpg c9aec3489c0c57e0bec5fe64defa4ec5 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil painting Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mohawk River, New York Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.3 MB jpeg, 3.4 MB Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Portland Art Museum, Portland OR <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mohawk_River,_New_York,_by_Albert_Bierstadt,_1864,_oil_on_canvas_-_Portland_Art_Museum_-_Portland,_Oregon_-_DSC08750.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Photograph by Daderot, via Wikimedia Commons</a> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bierstadt, Albert, 1830-1902 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1864 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Description An account of the resource This painting, seemingly located on the upper Mohawk River, assumes a timeless, mythical quality. Bierstadt was one of several second-generation Hudson School artists associated with "luminism," a technique using aerial perspective and moisture-saturated air to create an otherworldly glow. Here, we see four cattle watering in a river so calm it reflects the surrounding forest. No signs of the humans who graze them are visible. At left a white steer stands apart, illuminated in a beam of sunlight. Its nearly mythical quality may reference Greek mythology and the metamorphosis of humans into animal form--whether <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Io_(mythology)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Io transformed by an angry Hera</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_(consort_of_Zeus)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zeus transorming himself to rape</a> Europa. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Albert Bierstadt Landscape Art Mohawk River painting Watersheds https://openvalley.org/files/original/aeccf01c4a3f8cd6aecb1b4e797c5ea5.jpg a94e4bf3326ea8f270586de8b585499c Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil painting Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 60 x 32 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Storm King on the Hudson Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Colman, Samuel, 1832-1920 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Smithsonian American Art Museum Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1866 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smithsonian-Colman-Storm_King_on_the_Hudson-2130.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SAAM, via Wikimedia Commons</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.3 MB Description An account of the resource Picturesque massif on the Hudson River has earned its name due to frequently being mantled with dramatic clouds. This feature made it a favorite subject of 19th-century painters. Colman's composition is quite complex, however, since it renders both primeval nature and a rapidly industrializing American--taking the form of rafted steamboats spewing smoke. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Hudson River Hudson River School Landscape Art painting Samuel Colman Storm King Mountain Watersheds https://openvalley.org/files/original/532dfca19d50445cfb3e9e9e229c3652.jpg 8f6406efb0010bfc0c214206eab2f67d Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil painting Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 24 x 36 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summer Day on Conesus Lake Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 908 KB Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1870 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kensett, John Frederick, 1816-1872 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11323" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of Art</a> Description An account of the resource A placid scene along the shore of this Finger Lake depicts men and women—there are no children present—at their leisure in genteel dress. Small groups are picnicking, lounging, boating, and perhaps courting. Kensett, a second-generation painter in the Hudson River School tradition, still evokes beautiful landscapes but with a more modulated emotion than the sublime work of his predecessors. Moreover, many of the notable visual effects here point to humans in the landscape. A beam of light illuminates the white dress of one woman at center left; other points of light in the trees imply other small dramas. At right along the opposite shore there is the hint of a sailboat. And in the background a ray of light cuts across the lake. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Conesus Lake Hudson River School John Frederick Kensett Landscape Art painting Watersheds https://openvalley.org/files/original/50ca2993ae90c74c1a41b6d2a0c34680.jpg 580cae8e532a607e2592862a69ad371a Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil painting Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 42.5 x 60.5 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dover Plains, Dutchess County, New York Description An account of the resource We look down upon the lush valley formed by Ten Mile River. Although there are a few indirect signs of human habitation, the overall effect is pastoral. Forests blend pleasingly with grassy pastures; flocks of sheep and cattle can be seen grazing near plentiful water. In the foreground a group of three has climbed to a promontory. Two seem focused upon navigating shadowy rocks. The other looks out into the distance, illuminated in a ray of sunlight. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Durand, Asher B., 1796-1886 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1848 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/dover-plains-dutchess-county-new-york-7642" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smithsonian American Art Museum</a> Gift of Thomas M. Evans and museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 760 KB Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Asher B. Durand Dover Plains Landscape Art painting Watersheds https://openvalley.org/files/original/2c11cea3dc262cfaad992225b113247d.jpg 5807e625b53e22ad13e7d43d26e20b23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Oil painting Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 23.5 x 19.5 in. Condition: slightly cracked canvas Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource November Scene Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 1.1 MB Description An account of the resource The center of this landscape is a tree with gold and yellow leaves, a few just turning to orange. Nearby bushes already have dropped their leaves, allowing for views across a pond or river to the other shore, and mountains in the far distance. Everything except the foreground is painted in hues of blue, white, and green—the better to set off the blaze of color in front of us. About the Artist: Born in Monmouth, IL, Patterson’s practice of art required entrepreneurship throughout his life. The son of a printer, he financed his study at Monmouth College by working summers on the railroad in nearby Des Moines, then in 1913 teaching art lessons (Des Moines Register 15 July 1913: 9). He went on to receive further training at the Cummings School of Art (University of Iowa), the Philadelphia School of Design, and a masters in fine arts at Harvard University. At the same time, however, he continued to teach at far-flung locations: the Cummings School (Iowa), Northern State Teachers College (South Dakota), Tulane University, and at the Universities of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin (Des Moines Register 13 Sept. 1925: 10). His professional life, in other words, was contingent; alongside notices of his teaching posts are mentions of threatened cuts to art programs. His NDG paintings most likely date to a period when he lived in New York for about a decade, perhaps teaching at Columbia University. For most of his life Patterson’s horizon remained regional; he often won prizes at the Iowa Art Salon—where he exhibited for 25 consecutive years—and the Des Moines Womens Club exhibitions. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Patterson, Claude A[llan], 1887-1973 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1936-12 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ritz, Abigail (photography) Cooper, Ken (biography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Gallery, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Object #FA18235 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 142 Claude A. Patterson Federal Art Project Landscape Art New Deal Gallery painting https://openvalley.org/files/original/339e7d06f126454354216861be4dcaab.JPG 447133d54abf8e2e1d485295853e8aff Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Monoprint Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Small Inlet Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 942 KB Description An account of the resource The size of this inlet isn’t clear because of perspectival ambiguitiess: if the two houses at left are modest in scale, then the boats across from them either are tiny or far in the distance. Regardless, in the distance we see perhaps three or four dozen homes surrounding a cozy body of water, gentle hills behind them. Another odd feature of the monoprint is the lush, green foliage in the trees at left compared to several others in a harsher hue. About the Artist: Born in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, Nagai immigrated to the US in 1906, initially with a plan to study law but soon returning to his love of art—a grandfather and uncle both had been painters. In New York he studied at the Art Students’ League with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hart_Benton_(painter)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thomas Hart Benton</a> for five years, whose influence can be seen in Nagai’s “Picnic” (1929) with its treatment of massy figures arranged in deep space. In 1928 the Brooklyn Daily Eagle’s art critic, Helen Appleton Read, singled out Nagai’s painting “Tea” as one of three “discoveries” from more than 1,000 exhibits at the Society of Independent Artists. He went on to exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery, Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Musuem of Art, and the ACA Gallery, among many venues. His “Japanese Landscape” appeared in a 1939 FAP exhibit on Long Island, focused upon farms and rural life; fellow NDG artists Louis Harris, Bena Frank, and Herman Copen also appeared. Many of In 1936 Nagai signed the Call for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Artists%27_Congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Artists’ Congress</a>, an anti-fascist popular front organization. Near the end of his life Nagai and his artist wife Paula Rosen retired to Orlando, FL area. 1 work at the <a href="http://collection.whitney.org/artist/934/ThomasNagai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whitney Museum of American Art</a>. 2 more images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-17-folder-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Nagai, Tomizo (“Thomas”), 1886-1966 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Gallery, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Object #FA18216 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ritz, Abigail (photography) Cooper, Ken (biography) Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 123 Federal Art Project Landscape Art New Deal Gallery Tomizo "Thomas" Nagai https://openvalley.org/files/original/3108cfcb9d495a9cdff75ad659d7d76a.jpg 6c353809ba6ed40d88d58893215ee13d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Deal Gallery Description An account of the resource This collection of more than 200 paintings owes its existence to two primary causes: allocations from the Federal Art Project to a New York state tuberculosis sanatorium located at Mt. Morris--the landscapes and still lifes were thought to be restful--and to the committed volunteers who helped preserve the paintings after the hospital closed. For several decades the canvases were stored in non-climate-controlled basements; it appears that doctors and staff removed at least three dozen works as "keepsakes." Despite the seeming tranquility of the paintings, they were created by artists primarily from New York City whose background was more political and aesthetically adventurous than this rural location would indicate. <a href="https://openvalley.org/exhibits/show/green-new-deal/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow this hyperlink to a short introduction to the New Deal Gallery collection</a>. We're grateful to the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts for access to their collection, which has been re-photographed and appears here at two resolutions: a cropped, web-friendly file size of around 1 MB; and a high-resolution file including the painting's frame. Items in this collection were created according to a consistent format: a short description of each painting in formal terms, followed by a biography of each artist. Where possible we have supplied hyperlinks relevant to their lives and to other examples of their art. In order to better view them using the Omeka program, click on the "View All" option at the bottom of this page to access various sorting options. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper, Ken (project director) Ritz, Abigail (photography and project assistant) Additional research: Justin Anderson, Jessica Apthorpe, Jay Bang, Kristopher Bangsil, Julia Caldwell, Sydney Cannioto, Sabrina Chan, Paige Closser, Victoria Domon, Elana Evenden, Yadelin Fernandez, Michael Griffin, Madison Jackson, Niamh McCrohan, Ben Michalak, Ricky Noel, Elizabeth Ramsay, Skye Rose, Samantha Schmeer, John Serbalik, Marianna Sheedy, Emily Spina, Alison Stern, Ravenna VanOstrand, and Nicholas Vanamee. Special thanks to: Deborah Bump, Mark Calicchia, Elizabeth Harris, Melissa Moody, Rebecca Lomuto, and Mai Sato. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as photograph, map, drawing, painting, etc., and any additional data Watercolor painting Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 17.5 x 12.5 in. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource House on a Hill Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource jpeg, 775 KB Description An account of the resource This scene at the edge of a forest is drawn using remarkably sparse details, for example a few brushstrokes evoking a vegetable garden, a house, or a hill. Much of Nakagawa’s attention has been devoted to dense and multicolored foliage at left and right—the only neighbors depicted here. The red object (or figure) in the woods isn’t clear. Sinuous unpainted and scraped lines are integral to the watercolor’s design. About the Artist: We haven’t located much reliable information about this artist. He exhibited his work at the Salons of America (1928), Chrysler Gallery (1932), and the Municipal Art Committee (1936). Ruth L. Benjamin described him as painting “portraits and still life, but seems to be at his best in landscape work” (Parnassus 7.5 [1935]: 15). He may have lived in Los Angeles beginning in the late 1930s. 2 more images at <a href="https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/federal-art-project-photographic-division-collection-5467/series-1/box-17-folder-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FAP</a>. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Nakagawa, Kikuta, b. 1888 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Federal Art Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1935-1940 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ritz, Abigail (photography) Cooper, Ken (biography) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New Deal Gallery, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Object #FA18217 Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 124 Federal Art Project Kikuta Nakagawa Landscape Art New Deal Gallery Watercolor