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Silver Sun

A work made of oil, metallic paint, and an unidentified material (possibly wax) on canvas.

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  • A work made of oil, metallic paint, and an unidentified material (possibly wax) on canvas.

Date:

1929

Artist:

Arthur Dove (American, 1880–1946)

About this artwork

Shimmering concentric circles of silver and blue radiate downward from the deep black center of the sun, dwarfing its tiny reflection in the water below. Although Arthur Dove experimented early on with abstraction, in the 1920s he developed a unique representational style that simplified elements and toyed with scale to capture the fundamental forms and forces of nature. Dove was equally fascinated with the materials of art and here mixed metallic paint with something like wax to thicken its consistency. The textured brushwork emphasizes the sun’s brilliance, making its rays almost tangible.

Status

On View, Gallery 265

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Arthur Dove

Title

Silver Sun

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.

1929

Medium

Oil, metallic paint, and an unidentified material (possibly wax) on canvas

Inscriptions

Signed verso, top stretcher bar: "Silver Sun/1929 Dove"

Dimensions

55.3 × 74.9 cm (21 3/4 × 29 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection

Reference Number

1949.531

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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