Summer in the Park
Maurice Brazil PRENDERGAST
(American, 1858-1924)
Summer in the Park
Dateca. 1905-1907
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsoverall: 15 1/2 × 20 1/4 in. (39.4 × 51.4 cm)
frame: 21 3/4 × 26 1/2 × 3 in. (55.2 × 67.3 × 7.6 cm)
ClassificationPAINTINGS
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Morton
Object number1959.52
Subject(s)
- summer
- landscape
- trees, landscape
Collection
- 20th century American
- American
Sub-Collection(s)
- American Impressionism
- American
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextThe brilliant colors and expressive swipes of paint in this dynamic canvas capture the energy of figures in motion on a summer’s day. Prendergast was known for his lively scenes of crowds at the park or the beach, executed in watercolor, oil paint, or monotype prints. In this painting, the ground tone of the canvas is visible underneath his loosely brushed paint strokes, a method reminiscent of Prendergast’s watercolor technique, where he deliberately used the white of the page to create highlights. This technique contrasts with his later work, where he turned to a much thicker impasto paint application, sometimes even painting on top of previous artworks to create mosaic-like textural surfaces.
