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Lantern

A work made of oil and silver paint on wood.

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  • A work made of oil and silver paint on wood.

Date:

c. 1922

Artist:

Arthur Dove (American, 1880–1946)

About this artwork

Although Arthur Dove’s work as a whole is marked by his fascination with natural elements, he occasionally explored industrial or manmade motifs, including the lighting device that dominates Lantern. Like his colleague Stuart Davis, whose painting Saw (1988.144) transforms a mundane item into an artistic still life, Dove depicts the prosaic lantern as the object of aesthetic contemplation. Despite its abstracted forms, components of the lantern (probably a Coleman arc lantern) are recognizable, among them the two glowing mantles, the perforated collar with its black fuel valve, and the pump plunger. He employed a shimmering silver paint to depict the lantern’s globe as a flat, circular form, further marking his willingness to explore unusual materials.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Arthur Dove

Title

Lantern

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

c. 1922

Medium

Oil and silver paint on wood

Dimensions

54.3 × 45.7 cm (21 3/8 × 18 in.)

Credit Line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection

Reference Number

1949.530

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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