Introduction to Arthur Garfield Dove
Arthur Garfield Dove, an American artist, is renowned for his abstract works that explore the relationship between form and color. Born on August 2, 1880, in Canandaigua, New York, Dove was one of the first American artists to experiment with modernist styles.
Early Life and Education
Dove grew up in a wealthy family and was named after the Republican candidates for President and Vice-President in the 1880 election, James Garfield and Chester Arthur. His childhood interests included playing the piano, painting lessons, and being a pitcher on a high school baseball team. Dove attended Hobart College and Cornell University, graduating from Cornell in 1903.
Career
Dove's career as an artist began with commercial illustration in New York City, working for Harper's Magazine and The Saturday Evening Post. He became a well-known illustrator, but his parents were unsympathetic to the difficulties that came with a career in art. In 1907, Dove traveled to France and moved to Paris, then the world's art capital. He joined a group of experimental artists from the United States, including
Alfred Henry Maurer. Dove was introduced to new painting styles, particularly the Fauvist works of
Henri Matisse, and exhibited at the annual Autumn Salon in 1908 and 1909.
Abstract Paintings
Dove used a wide range of media, sometimes in unconventional combinations, to produce his abstractions and abstract landscapes. His painting
Me and the Moon from 1937 is a good example of an abstract landscape. Dove also experimented with techniques, combining paints like hand-mixed oil or tempera over a wax emulsion, as exemplified in his 1938 painting Tanks, in the collection of the
Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Collaboration with Alfred Stieglitz
Dove met
Alfred Stieglitz, a well-known photographer and gallery owner, who was active in promoting modern art in America. Stieglitz provided Dove with his first one-man show in 1912 at the 291 gallery. Dove's works were based on natural forms, and he referred to his type of abstraction as "extraction," where he extracted the essential forms of a scene from nature.
Legacy
Dove's abstract paintings have had a significant impact on American modernism. His use of unconventional media and techniques has influenced generations of artists. As a pioneer in abstract art, Dove's work can be found in various museums, including the
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, which houses several of his notable works.
Key points:
Dove's abstract paintings have had a significant impact on American modernism.
His use of unconventional media and techniques has influenced generations of artists.
Dove's work can be found in various museums, including the
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.