Concerto Grosso

Alfred McAdams, Concerto Grosso, 1976-1981, oil and acrylic on canvas linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1981.157.1
Copied Alfred McAdams, Concerto Grosso, 1976-1981, oil and acrylic on canvas linen, 39 1450 in. (99.7127.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1981.157.1

Artwork Details

Title
Concerto Grosso
Date
1976-1981
Dimensions
39 1450 in. (99.7127.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil and acrylic on canvas linen
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — tree
  • Figure female — waist length
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — house
Object Number
1981.157.1

Artwork Description

Alfred McAdams worked as an architect, and many of his paintings from the 1970s include precisely rendered images of buildings. In Concerto Grosso the architecture and the woman's clothing recall the first two decades of the twentieth century. At first glance, the painting appears to show an everyday scene of a middle-aged woman standing in front of her house. But a closer look reveals strange elements that give the image a disquieting edge, such as the dramatic shadows across the trees and on the woman's face, and the horizon line that appears to shift unnaturally behind her head.