Artwork
Silver Ball, Barge, and Trees
Silver Ball, Barge, and Trees is an unspecified painting by the Abstract Expressionist artist Arthur Dove. It dates from 1930 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
History & Provenance
The work Silver Ball, Barge, and Trees was painted by Arthur Dove in 1930. It entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it remains held. The painting measures 12.4 cm in height and 17.5 cm in width. No documented commission or prior ownership is recorded in available sources.
Context
Its presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection underscores its significance within institutional narratives of American art history.
Arthur Dove's 1930 painting Silver Ball, Barge, and Trees emerged during his development of American modernist abstraction, reflecting his interest in distilling natural forms into simplified geometric shapes and atmospheric effects. The work exemplifies his contribution to early 20th-century modernism, where he merged representational motifs with non-representational compositional structures, positioning him alongside contemporaries such as Georgia O'Keeffe in redefining spatial perception. Its presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection underscores its significance within institutional narratives of American art history.
Overview
Arthur Dove’s 1930 canvas Silver Ball, Barge, and Trees presents an abstracted river scene in which a barge, foliage and a luminous sphere coexist in a non‑representational field of color. The composition balances earthy browns and greens with flashes of blue and pink, while a metallic‑appearing ball recedes into the background, creating a sense of spatial depth.
Subject & Meaning
The work suggests a landscape viewed through the lens of abstraction: a barge glides past stylized trees, while the silver sphere may evoke a sun, moon, or reflective water surface. By reducing recognizable forms to color and gesture, Dove invites contemplation of natural elements as visual phenomena rather than narrative details.
Technique & Style
Dove employed a mixture of oil and tempera that he prepared himself, allowing for both the fluidity of oil and the matte opacity of tempera. Loose, expressive brushwork defines the forms, and the layered application produces a luminous surface where the metallic ball appears to glow against the surrounding hues.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Arthur Garfield Dove (August 2, 1880 – November 23, 1946) was an American artist.
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