Artwork
The Building of the Dam
The Building of the Dam is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Julian Alden Weir. It dates from 1908 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The medium is oil paint applied to a canvas support, as indicated by the work’s classification as a painting and its material listing of oil paint and canvas.
The Building of the Dam is an oil painting on canvas completed in 1908 by J. Alden Weir. The medium is oil paint applied to a canvas support, as indicated by the work’s classification as a painting and its material listing of oil paint and canvas. The painting measures 76.0 cm in height and 101.6 cm in width and is held in the Cleveland Museum of Art.
No further details regarding the artist’s handling, the painting’s condition, or its formal and stylistic qualities are provided in the available sources.
History & Provenance
J. Alden Weir created the oil painting The Building of the Dam in 1908. Executed on canvas within the United States, the work measures 76.0 cm in height and 101.6 cm in width. The painting eventually entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 1927.171.
This acquisition indicates the museum obtained the work by 1927, though specific details regarding the original commission or the intermediate ownership chain between the artist's studio and the institution are not provided in the available records.
Overview
Created in 1908, The Building of the Dam is an oil painting by American artist J. Alden Weir. The work presents a quiet rural scene where laborers are erecting a small dam amid a verdant landscape. A soft sky dotted with light clouds frames the composition, lending a calm atmosphere to the otherwise industrious subject.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas captures a moment of construction activity set against nature, juxtaposing human effort with the surrounding foliage and water. By portraying workers within a tranquil environment, the painting reflects a modest celebration of everyday labor and the integration of engineered structures into the natural world, inviting contemplation of progress within a pastoral setting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Julian Alden Weir was an American impressionist painter and member of the Cos Cob Art Colony in Greenwich, Connecticut.
