Tompkins Park, N.Y. City

Saul Kovner, Tompkins Park, N.Y. City, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum acquisition, 1980.48
Copied Saul Kovner, Tompkins Park, N.Y. City, 1934, oil on canvas, 21 x 24 in. (53.3 x 61.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum acquisition, 1980.48

Artwork Details

Title
Tompkins Park, N.Y. City
Artist
Date
1934
Location
Dimensions
21 x 24 in. (53.3 x 61.0 cm)
Credit Line
Museum acquisition
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
  • Cityscape — New York — New York
  • Landscape — weather — snow
  • Recreation — sport and play — sledding
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New York City
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — apartment
Object Number
1980.48
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1980.48

Artwork Description

Saul Kovner’s Tompkins Park, N.Y. City was painted in 1934, under the patronage of the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a New Deal program created by the federal government to offer work and financial support to America’s artists during the Great Depression. The public park, situated in the Alphabet City section of Manhattan’s East Village, is named in honor of Daniel D. Tompkins (1774-1825), who served as governor of New York from 1807 to 1817 and as vice president of the United States under James Monroe from 1817 to 1825. The PWAP encouraged their commissioned artists to capture “the American Scene,” and in this painting Kovner conveys strong messages of community spirit and American values. Children and adults enjoy winter in the park, building snowmen and playing with sleds; the presence of the Stars and Stripes in the center of the work places this as a uniquely American scene.