The Blue Dress

Object Details

• Artist

  Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938)

• Label

  Thomas Wilmer Dewing's late painting technique is revealed with particular clarity in The Blue Dress. The composition is minimal: a single figure against a horizontally divided neutral background. Within these self-imposed limits, Dewing anchors his figure with a thinly painted but broadly brushed luxurious skirt, a treatment that contrasts with the careful modeling of the woman's head, shoulders, and arms. To paint her skin, Dewing used a tiny brush, making miniscule strokes and dots that suggest the quality of light flickering over the surface. The flickering light created by these tiny and precise brushstrokes is reinforced by the weave of the canvas--;in some places the paint is so thinly applied that the canvas shows through. The same ground that appears at the lower right corner of the canvas can also be seen at the right side of the figure's face.

  In spite of severely restricting his compositional elements, Dewing achieves an animated, lively figure painting. The woman's extended arm echoes the sweep of her elegant skirt, and the loose brushwork provideds a visual metaphor for the rustling of heavy silk. A shaft of light catching her shoulder emphasizes her forward motion, and the model seems to be on the verge of stepping into the gallery through the 'doorway' of her frame.

• Provenance

  From 1913 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Thomas Wilmer Dewing in February 1913 [1]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Linda Merrill, December 1993, Curatorial Remarks. Also see List American Paintings other than Whistler, A, pg. 9, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Art for Art's Sake (July 23, 1997 to January 24, 2008)

  Thomas Wilmer Dewing (January 3, 1985 to May 7, 1985)

  American Painting: To Dream of Fair Women (September 24, 1982 to February 29, 1984)

  Thomas Wilmer Dewing (June 19, 1980 to March 18, 1981)

  American Paintings: Thomas Wilmer Dewing (December 11, 1976 to April 16, 1977)

  American Paintings (July 1, 1974 to December 5, 1975)

  Special Dewing Centennial Exhibition (May 17, 1951 to July 1, 1951)

  American Paintings, T.W. Dewing (May 2, 1923 to March 23, 1925)

  The One Hundred and Eleventh Annual Exhibition (February 06 to March 26, 1916)

  First Annual Exhibition of Selected Paintings by American Artists (April 9 to May 31, 1915)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851-1938) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  United States

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1910s, 1900s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Dewing, Thomas Wilmer

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, American Art, Woman

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Paintings