Apr 21, 2010

Boat Builder

Boat Builder

c. 1904

John George Brown

(American, 1831–1913)

Oil on canvas

Framed: 98 x 120 x 11 cm (38 9/16 x 47 1/4 x 4 5/16 in.); Unframed: 80 x 101.6 cm (31 1/2 x 40 in.)

Hinman B. Hurlbut Collection 1972.905

Did you know?

The object held in the sitter’s right hand is a drawing compass.

Description

Brown's preference for rural subjects in a time when the United States was undergoing rapid industrialization suggests nostalgia for the past. Indeed, Boat Builder, an image of an elderly craftsman working alone with hand tools in a tranquil setting replete with his sleeping dog, offered its contemporary audience a distinct alternative to mechanized factory production.

See also
Collection: 
American - Painting
Type of artwork: 
Painting
Medium: 
Oil on canvas

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