Tree was painted by Arthur Dove in 1935-01-01.

Where can I see Tree?

Tree is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Tree?

Tree is associated with American Folk Art.

Can I buy a print of Tree?

Museum-quality prints of Tree are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Tree

Arthur Dove , 1935

Tree is an unspecified painting by the American Folk Art artist Arthur Dove. It dates from 1935 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

By isolating a tree as the depicted subject, the painting invites readings tied to themes of growth, rootedness, and continuity.

Arthur Dove's 1935 painting "Tree" takes a single tree as its sole subject, reducing the motif to its essential form. The work belongs to Dove's sustained engagement with nature as a vehicle for abstract expression, in which a recognizable natural element stands in for broader reflections on organic life and the rhythms of the natural world.

By isolating a tree as the depicted subject, the painting invites readings tied to themes of growth, rootedness, and continuity. The small-scale format (12.7 by 17.8 cm) emphasizes intimacy and concentrated observation rather than landscape grandeur, aligning the work with Dove's modernist approach to nature as a site of symbolic resonance rather than topographical description.

Technique & Style

Arthur Dove painted Tree in 1935 using oil on canvas, a support typical of American modernist easel painting. The work measures 12.7 cm by 17.8 cm and is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dove's handling of form renders the tree as an abstracted silhouette, employing simplified contours and muted tonal modulation that emphasize flatness and planar structure.

The composition relies on rhythmic brushwork and a restrained palette rather than representational detail. This approach reflects the formal concerns of early American modernism, where natural motifs were distilled into arrangements that prioritize surface integrity and compositional balance.

History & Provenance

The painting Tree (1935) by Arthur Dove is part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. No accession number, acquisition details, or exhibition history are documented in the available sources.

Overview

Created in 1935, Tree is a small oil‑tempera work by Arthur Dove, a pioneering figure in American abstraction. The painting presents a solitary, rounded form bisected by a dark vertical stroke, set against a diffuse blue‑white background that suggests sky or water. Its edges appear softened and irregular, giving the impression of a shape that is melting or fading into its surroundings.