Co-operative Farm
1948
20th Century
6 1/2 x 7 7/8 in. (16.5 x 20 cm)
Grace Arnold Albee,
American,
(1890–1985)
Object Type:
PRINTS
Creation Place:
North America
Medium and Support:
Wood engraving on onion skin paper
Credit Line:
Purchased with funds provided by the Art Angels
Accession Number:
13-G-3577
Label for "American Scenes: WPA-Era Prints from the 1930s and 1940s", La Salle University Art Museum, March 12- May 30, 2014:
In a long career spanning over 60 years, Albee was a prolific printmaker and wood engraver, producing designs for over 250 editions of fine art prints. Born in Rhode Island, Albee studied at the Rhode Island School of Design from 1910-1912, then in 1913 she married muralist Percy Albee, with whom she had five sons. In 1928 she moved with her family to Paris where she associated with other expatriate artists and developed an interest in urban and rural landscapes; then in 1933 she returned to the United States and lived in New York City. In 1937, she moved to Doylestown, PA, where she became absorbed in the rural subject matter for which she is best known.
Co-operative Farm illustrates Albee’s precise woodcarving skills and her love for rural landscapes. The viewer is drawn into the scene by the road in the foreground, which curves upward and leads into the eye back towards the farm buildings and silos. Sprawling shrubs and a tall central tree add foreground interest, and viewers are offered a tantalizing glimpse between the farm buildings into an area with a single laborer carrying a load. Albee’s use of white lines (the un-inked grooves of the wood block) to highlight the edges of foliage and farm buildings give the appearance of luminosity, suggesting a scene of abundant sunshine and prosperity.
Klare Scarborough
Director and Chief Curator, La Salle University Art Museum
Current Location:
In Storage
by Artist
by Artist
