Artwork
The Beetle Crevice
The Beetle Crevice is an oil painting by the American Folk Art artist George Catlin. It dates from 1862 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Consequently, any specific iconographic or symbolic interpretation beyond the depiction of a tree is not supported by the provided material.
The Beetle Crevice is a still-life painting that centers on a solitary tree. Rendered in oil on card mounted on paperboard, the work presents the tree as its primary subject, with no additional figures or narrative elements described in the available sources. Consequently, any specific iconographic or symbolic interpretation beyond the depiction of a tree is not supported by the provided material.
History & Provenance
The Beetle Crevice (1861) is an oil painting on card mounted on paperboard, measuring 55 cm × 62.3 cm, depicting a tree (genre: still_life). George Catlin created the work, which remained in his family after his death. It passed by descent to his daughters Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney and Elizabeth Wing Catlin, and was sold in 1912 to the American Museum of Natural History.
The museum later sold it in 1959 through Kennedy Galleries to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia; the painting was gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1965.
The Beetle Crevice is currently held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum's collection in 1965 as a gift from Paul Mellon, following its sale through Kennedy Galleries in 1959. Prior to Mellon's ownership, the American Museum of Natural History acquired the painting in 1912 from the artist's daughter, Elizabeth Wing Catlin, after it had passed through the families of George Catlin's other daughters. The sources provided do not contain information regarding specific inventory numbers or a history of exhibitions for this work.
Overview
The Beetle Crevice, painted by George Catlin in 1862, is an oil on card work depicting a detailed section of tree bark. This painting, a still life, represents a departure from his more typical subjects while still reflecting a meticulous observation of nature. It is considered part of American folk art.
Technique & Style
Catlin executed The Beetle Crevice using oil paints on a thin card, which was then affixed to paperboard, an unconventional support for oil painting. He employed fine brushes to meticulously render the intricate textures of the bark, achieving a sense of realism in the surface details. This precise approach is consistent with the directness found in his wider artistic output.
Context
While George Catlin is primarily recognized for his extensive documentation of Native American cultures and frontier landscapes, The Beetle Crevice offers a different facet of his artistic practice. This still life, created in 1862, demonstrates his capacity for detailed observation beyond the grander narratives of his well-known ethnographic paintings.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
George Catlin ( KAT-lin; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the American frontier.
Bulls Fighting
Expedition Encamped on a Texas Prairie. April 1686
An Alligator's Nest
Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlet Gregory)
Chief of the Taensa Indians Receiving La Salle. March 20, 1682
A Small Village - Payaguas Indians
Omaha Chief, His Wife, and a Warrior
Father Hennepin Leaving the Mississippi to Join La Salle. May 8, 1680
- View of the Crystal Mountains, Brazil
Falls of the Snake River
View in the Crystal Mountains
Rhododendron Mountain
A Crow Village and the Salmon River Mountains
Salmon River Mountains
Mandan Village - A Distant View
Curious Grassy Bluffs, St. Peter's River
View on the River Wye, Looking towards Chepstow
Intrarea în Cheile Turzii
Fort Pierre
View of the Lower Mississippi