Island Dock Yard

Karl Fortess, Island Dock Yard, 1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.94
Karl Fortess, Island Dock Yard, 1934, oil on canvas, 32 1448 18 in. (81.8122.2 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.94

Artwork Details

Title
Island Dock Yard
Artist
Date
1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
32 1448 18 in. (81.8122.2 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture — vehicle — truck
  • Architecture — industry — Island Dock Co. Inc.
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — New York State
  • Landscape — bird’s eye view
  • Architecture — vehicle — train
  • Architecture — industry — shipyard
Object Number
1964.1.94

Artwork Description

Trains, trucks, and industrial buildings were what Karl Fortess envisioned when the Public Works of Art Project suggested that he depict "the American Scene." The artist left his home in the picturesque artists' colony of Woodstock, New York, and traveled ten miles to Kingston to make this painting. Kingston had long been a thriving Hudson River port town that supplied Pennsylvania coal and local brick, stone, and cement to New York City. The Depression slowed shipping, but a newly invented concrete mixture stimulated the local cement business. Fortess’s pictorial research at Kingston was demanding, as he noted, "Inclement weather and bad roads have made it impossible to go into Kingston as often as necessary."

Fortess described his painting as "a view of the Kingston Point railway yard, showing track intersections, [a] station, freight trains, . . . shacks, and [a] background of buildings with a suggestion of a plain and barren winter trees [on] a grey day." The artist emphasized the angular geometry of the structures. He played the predominant shadowy gray colors against spots of intense red, yellow, and blue. Trucks and trains hurry to and fro, but the action proceeds without the presence of a single visible human figure.

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Works by this artist (3 items)

Calvin Black, Ruby Black, Untitled (Possum Trot Doll), ca. 1953-1972, carved and painted wood and fabric, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.4
Untitled (Possum Trot Doll)
Dateca. 1953-1972
carved and painted wood and fabric
Not on view
Calvin Black, Ruby Black, Gladys (Possum Trot Doll), ca. 1953-1972, carved and painted wood, fabric, sequins, and foil bow, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.3
Gladys (Possum Trot Doll)
Dateca. 1953-1972
carved and painted wood, fabric, sequins, and foil bow
Not on view
Calvin Black, Ruby Black, Sylvia (Possum Trot Doll), ca. 1953-1972, carved and painted redwood with fabric, cord, and nails, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.233
Sylvia (Possum Trot Doll)
Dateca. 1953-1972
carved and painted redwood with fabric, cord, and nails
Not on view

Related Books

1934_500.jpg
1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.

More Artworks from the Collection

Louise Todd Cope, Flax II, ca. 1970s, flax and linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helen Williams Drutt English and H. Peter Stern in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 2007.47.8
Flax II
Dateca. 1970s
flax and linen
Not on view
Unidentified, Untitled (Child's quilt), ca. 1930, cotton and wool, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia S. Smith, 2016.57.1
Untitled (Child’s quilt)
Artist
Unidentified
Dateca. 1930
cotton and wool
Not on view
Unidentified, Untitled (Amish Doll), ca. 1940, cotton, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia S. Smith, 2016.57.11
Untitled (Amish Doll)
Artist
Unidentified
Dateca. 1940
cotton
Not on view
Richard Timothy Evans, Miss Havisham (Scrap Doll), ca. 1975, muslin and lace, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.138
Miss Havisham (Scrap Doll)
Dateca. 1975
muslin and lace
Not on view