Study for American Interior, 1934

Charles Sheeler, Study for American Interior, 1934, ca. 1934, watercolor, opaque watercolor and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1982.90
Copied Charles Sheeler, Study for American Interior, 1934, ca. 1934, watercolor, opaque watercolor and pencil on paper, sheet: 3 7⁄8 x 3 1⁄2 in. (9.8 x 8.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1982.90

Artwork Details

Title
Study for American Interior, 1934
Artist
Date
ca. 1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 3 7⁄8 x 3 1⁄2 in. (9.8 x 8.8 cm)
Credit Line
Transfer from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor, opaque watercolor and pencil on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — furniture — chair
  • Object — other — vase
  • Architecture Interior — domestic
  • Object — other — dish
  • Object — furniture — table
  • Object — other — rug
Object Number
1982.90
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1982.90

Artwork Description

In Study for American Interior, 1934, Sheeler worked out spatial and color relationships for a painting of the same title. The composition showcases objects from the artist’s home in South Salem, New York. The rag rugs and turned-post Shaker bed reveal Sheeler’s appreciation of early American furniture and crafts. The shadows cast by the streaming sunlight carve the space into an abstract composition of angular forms that echo the patterns in the textiles. The red, white, and blue palette of this small watercolor reinforces the American theme.

Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2009