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From a Wasp

A work made of oil on wood.

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  • A work made of oil on wood.

Date:

c. 1914

Artist:

Arthur Dove (American, 1880–1946)

About this artwork

Arthur Dove lived in France from 1908 to 1909, where he absorbed the lessons of Pablo Picasso and other avantgarde artists working in Paris at the time, including fellow American Max Weber. Upon his return to New York, Dove joined the circle of artists at Alfred Stieglitz’s 291 gallery, and he became the first American painter to experiment with pure abstraction in works like From a Wasp. Employing subdued colors, perhaps in acknowledgement of the tones of Analytic Cubism, Dove created a tightly focused, highly abstract composition that renders the curving forms of a wasp’s body as a series of overlapping planes.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Arthur Dove

Title

From a Wasp

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. 1914

Medium

Oil on wood

Inscriptions

Inscribed l.r.: "From a Wasp"

Dimensions

22 × 26.7 cm (8 5/8 × 10 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Alfred Stieglitz Collection

Reference Number

1949.532

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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