Storm Brewing

1939

Lyonel Feininger

Artist, American, 1871 - 1956

Angular sections of mottled color in muted yellow, teal green, sky blue, mauve purple, and black slice across this abstract, horizontal painting. Four geometric silhouettes in blue, dark pink, and black across the mauve layer lining the bottom edge of the canvas could be tiny people. A black, tower-like structure with three antennae-like projections along the top is next to a triangular buttercup-yellow form, and both are to the left of center. The people and structures are shown mostly against the blue section which is edged along the bottom with fawn brown and along the top with emerald green. The next zone is muted yellow beneath a honey-orange section, in which an irregular square is outlined in pumpkin orange. A jagged edge above is lined in black. The artist signed the painting in the lower right corner, “Feininger.”
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Julia Feininger

  • Dimensions

    overall: 48.2 x 77.5 cm (19 x 30 1/2 in.)

  • Accession

    1967.12.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist [1871-1956]; by inheritance to his wife, Julia Feininger, New York; gift 1967 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1941

  • Lyonel Feininger, Buchholz Gallery and Willard Gallery, New York; Detroit Institute of Arts; The Russell A. Alger House, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, 1941, no. 31.

1950

  • Jacques Villon, Lyonel Feininger, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Phillips Gallery, Washington; Delaware Art Center, Wilmington, 1950, no. 53, repro.

1952

  • Lyonel Feininger, Curt Valentin Gallery, New York, 1952, no. 14.

1954

  • Lyonel Feininger, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1954-1955, no. 19.

  • Lyonel Feininger, Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, Munich; Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hannover, 1954, no. 19.

1964

  • Lyonel Feininger: Werke aus dem Nachlass, Amerika Haus, Berlin, 1964, no. 15, repro.

1978

  • The Inaugural Exhibition of The Community Art Gallery, Santa Fe Community College, Gainesville, Florida, 1978, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

1982

  • Extended loan for use by the Ambassador, U.S. Embassy residence, Stockholm, Sweden, 1982-1986.

1997

  • Loan for display with permanent collection, Baum Gallery of Fine Arts, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, 1997-1998.

2011

  • Lyonel Feininger, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 2011-2012, unnumbered catalogue, fig. 167.

Bibliography

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 58, repro.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 156, repro.

1981

  • Williams, William James. A Heritage of American Paintings from the National Gallery of Art. New York, 1981: 215, repro. 225.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 177, repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: Feininger

Wikidata ID

Q20193232

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