Connecticut Autumn

O. Louis Guglielmi, Connecticut Autumn, 1937, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration, 1971.447.35
Copied O. Louis Guglielmi, Connecticut Autumn, 1937, oil on fiberboard, 23 7830 in. (60.576.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration, 1971.447.35

Artwork Details

Title
Connecticut Autumn
Date
1937
Dimensions
23 7830 in. (60.576.3 cm)
Credit Line
Transfer from General Services Administration
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on fiberboard
Classifications
Keywords
  • Architecture — industry
  • Monument — gravestone
  • Landscape — season — autumn
  • Architecture — industry — foundry
  • Landscape — Connecticut
  • Recreation — sport and play — kite flying
  • Figure male — child — full length
  • New Deal — Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project — New York City
Object Number
1971.447.35

Artwork Description

The overcast sky, neglected buildings, and fallen monuments in Connecticut Autumn create an eerie landscape that evokes the poverty and despair of the 1930s. The young boy flying a kite appears full of hope and innocence, but a closer look reveals that his kite string crosses the power lines. The statue of an angel underscores the imminent tragedy, as he beckons to the boy from the monument yard (Baker, O. Louis Guglielmi, A Retrospective Exhibition, 1980).