Mirage – Ships at Night

William Zorach, Mirage--Ships at Night, 1919, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of the Zorach children, 1970.65.1
Copied William Zorach, Mirage--Ships at Night, 1919, oil on canvas, 32 1426 18 in. (8266.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of the Zorach children, 1970.65.1

Artwork Details

Title
Mirage – Ships at Night
Date
1919
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
32 1426 18 in. (8266.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift from the collection of the Zorach children
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Abstract
  • Landscape — celestial — moon
  • Landscape — time — night
  • Architecture — boat — ship
  • State of being — phenomenon — vision
Object Number
1970.65.1

Artwork Description

William Zorach and his wife, Marguerite, painted throughout the first two decades of the twentieth century, inspired by the work of the fauvists and cubists. In 1919 they traveled to Fresno, California, to visit Marguerite’s family. William had never been to California before and was overawed by the dramatic mountain and coastal scenes. Mirage doesn’t show an actual view but suggests instead Zorach’s fragmented impressions of “the inner reality of life around me.” The dark colors, empty windows, and glowing lantern create an eerie, dreamlike scene of sails on the horizon. (Hoffman, Marguerite and William Zorach: The Cubist Years, 1915-1918, 1987)