The Close of Day

Charles Melville Dewey, The Close of Day, n.d., oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.20
Charles Melville Dewey, The Close of Day, n.d., oil on canvas, 23 3⁄8 x 39 1⁄8 in. (59.3 x 99.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.20
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
The Close of Day
Artist
Date
n.d.
Location
Dimensions
23 3⁄8 x 39 1⁄8 in. (59.3 x 99.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of William T. Evans
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — road
  • Landscape — time — evening
Object Number
1909.7.20
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1909.7.20

Artwork Description

Charles Melville Dewey was among the practitioners of American tonalism, a style of painting characterized by muted colors and soft-edged, atmospheric effects. The Close of Day captures that fleeting moment as shadows gather and the sun slips beneath the horizon. In the foreground, light reflected in puddles highlights the cart tracks in a dirt road that leads to a house with a smoking chimney, seen in the distance.

Works by this artist (11 items)

View all artworks
Charles Wellington Furlong, Hard Going on the Bog Lands of Tierra del Fuego, 1909, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1985.66.387,779
Hard Going on the Bog Lands of Tierra del Fuego
Artist
Date1909
oil on canvas
Not on view
Charles Wellington Furlong, Aanakin's Wives on the March, 1908, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Museum of Natural History, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution, 1985.66.387,774
Aanakin’s Wives on the March
Artist
Date1908
oil on canvas
Not on view
Charles Wellington Furlong, A Titan of the Patagonian Pampas, 1908, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Museum of Natural History, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution, 1985.66.387,776
A Titan of the Patagonian Pampas
Artist
Date1908
oil on canvas
Not on view
Charles Wellington Furlong, Onas on the March, 1908, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Museum of Natural History, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution, 1985.66.387,775
Onas on the March
Artist
Date1908
oil on canvas
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Image Not Available
Still Life
Artist
Date1931
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Mary Vaux Walcott, Hedysarum (Hedysarum sulphurescens), 1917, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.185
Hedysarum (Hedysarum sulphurescens)
Artist
Date1917
watercolor on paper
Not on view
Andrew Wyeth, Chimney Beams, 1950, watercolor on wove paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design, 2023.54
Chimney Beams
Artist
Date1950
watercolor on wove paper
Not on view
Mary Vaux Walcott, Northern Butterbur (Petasites hyperboreus), 1916, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1970.355.527
Northern Butterbur (Petasites hyperboreus)
Artist
Date1916
watercolor on paper
Not on view