Midsummer Day

PattersonClaudeA - Midsummer Day.JPG
PattersonClaudeA - Midsummer Day.JPG

Dublin Core

Title

Description

From the edge of a lake or slow-moving river, we look across to see several houses built at water’s edge. Using a palette similar to his other New Deal Gallery paintings, Patterson depicts a freshness normally associated with springtime: there appear to be yellow flowers in bloom along the shoreline, and mountains in the distance show no traces of snow.

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; along with his teaching posts are frequent mentions of threatened cuts to art programs. His NDG paintings most likely date to a period when he lived in New York, 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 at the Des Moines Women’s Club exhibitions.

Creator

Patterson, Claude, (1887-1973)

Publisher

Date

Contributor

Source

Format

Type

Identifier

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

Oil Painting

Physical Dimensions

19.5 x 23.5 in.
Condition: stained, pencil marks

Geolocation