Study for "Dance on the Battery in Presence of Peter Stuyvesant"

c. 1838

Asher Brown Durand

Associated Names
Asher Brown Durand

Artist, American, 1796 - 1886

This painting captures a scene with a group of figures engaged in various activities such as dancing, playing instruments, and sitting. The figures are arranged in a circular composition with dark shading creating a sense of movement. The color palette is predominantly blue and grey, giving the scene a dreamlike quality. The forms are a mix of defined and indistinct, emphasizing the vibrancy and rhythm of the event. The style is similar to Rembrandt, known for his use of light and shadow and dynamic group compositions.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mary Bartlett Cowdrey, New York; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1948; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1971

  • A.B. Durand, 1796-1886, Montclair Art Museum, New Jersey, 1971, pp. 53, 80, no. 39, repro

1978

  • American Pastels from the Corcoran Collection, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1978

1981

  • Early America on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1750-1850, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1981

1983

  • Asher B. Durand: An Engraver's and a Farmer's Art, Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, New York, 1983, p. 56, no. 67, repro

Bibliography

1983

  • Simmons, Linda Crocker and with the assistance of Adrianne J. Humphrey, et al. American Drawings, Watercolors, Pastels, and Collages in the Collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1983: p. 4, no. 24.

Wikidata ID

Q64536756

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