Artwork
Apparition
Apparition is an ink print by Arthur Bowen Davies. It dates from 1914 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1914, *Apparition* is a black-and-white print executed on wove paper through a combination of softground etching and drypoint. The work presents a translucent, nude figure hovering amid a turbulent, dark background, its features rendered with delicate, almost smudged lines that suggest a fleeting presence.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a ghostly human form that appears to emerge from, and dissolve into, surrounding mist. The figure’s half‑transparent skin and blurred facial details convey a sense of evanescence, inviting interpretations of the work as an exploration of the boundary between the material and the ethereal.
Technique & Style
Davies employed softground etching to capture the atmospheric texture of the swirling backdrop, while drypoint was used for the fine, incised lines that define the figure’s outline. The resulting surface bears a tactile, slightly rough quality, and the hurried, faint signature in the corner reflects the immediacy of the hand‑drawn marks.
History & Provenance
Arthur B. Davies, an American artist active in the early twentieth century, was instrumental in advancing modern art in the United States from 1910 to 1928. *Apparition* exemplifies his experimental printmaking during this period, though specific details of its exhibition history or ownership remain limited in the record.
Artist & collection
Artist
Arthur Bowen Davies (September 26, 1862 – October 24, 1928) was an avant-garde American artist and influential advocate of modern art in the United States c. 1910–1928.
