About this artwork
While studying art in Italy and France from 1909 to 1913, Joseph Stella was captivated by Italian Futurism, a movement that employed Cubism’s fragmented forms to express the mechanization and speed of modern life. After he returned to the United States, Stella used Futurism to convey the dynamism of American industry in paintings such as By-Products Plants, which depicts the factories that extract ammonia, tar, and light oils when coal is burned. Such mechanical processes fascinated Stella, and he later recalled, “opposite my studio was a huge factory … towering with the gloom of a prison. At night fires gave to innumerable windows menacing blazing looks of demons.” Stella invested his factory paintings with this sense of eerie mystery.
-
Status
- On View, Gallery 271
-
Department
- Arts of the Americas
-
Artist
- Joseph Stella
-
Title
- By-Products Plants
-
Origin
- United States
-
Date
- c. 1923–1926
-
Medium
- Oil on canvas
-
Inscriptions
- Signed lower right: Joseph Stella
-
Dimensions
- 61 × 61 cm (24 × 24 in.)
-
Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Noah Goldowsky in memory of Esther Goldowsky
-
Reference Number
- 1955.816
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.