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
Copied Charles Melville Dewey, The Close of Day, n.d., oil on canvas, 23 3839 18 in. (59.399.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.20
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Artwork Details

Title
The Close of Day
Date
n.d.
Dimensions
23 3839 18 in. (59.399.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of William T. Evans
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — road
  • Landscape — time — evening
Object Number
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.