Jul
29

Today in Smithsonian History: July 29, 1977

Arthur Wesley Dow in his studio, c. 1900

Arthur Wesley Dow in his studio, c. 1900. (Photographer unknown)

July 29, 1977 An exhibition focused on Arthur Wesley Dow (1857-1922)  opens at the National Collection of Fine Arts, now the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Dow was an influential art educator around the turn of the century.

His ideas were quite revolutionary for the period; he taught that rather than copying nature, art should be created by elements of the composition, like line, mass and color. His ideas were published in the 1899 book Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure for the Use of Students and Teachers.

"Crater Lake" by Arthur Wesley Dow, 1919. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

“Crater Lake” by Arthur Wesley Dow, 1919. Licensed under public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives


Posted: 29 July 2019
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