Italian Landscape
Arthur Bowen DAVIES
(American, 1862-1928)
Italian Landscape
Dateca. 1925
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsoverall: 26 × 40 in. (66 × 101.6 cm)
ClassificationPAINTINGS
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Wright S. Ludington
Object number1956.15
Subject(s)
- landscape
Collection
- 20th century American
Sub-Collection(s)
- Modernism
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextHistory has not been kind to Davies, despite the fact that he was considered one of the most influential progressive artists in New York and instrumental to the organization of the legendary Armory show in 1913, in which Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase made its debut. Stylistically, Davis alternated between a soft realism in his early landscapes and a Symbolist inflected, dream-like figuration, reminiscent of the classically informed pastorals of Puvis de Chavannes. This painting comes from a group of works that he produced while convalescing in Florence, which he frequented to relax after having been diagnosed with a heart condition in the early 1920s. It was a gift from our founder, Wright Ludington, who was known for his support of cutting-edge contemporary art.