Artwork
The Musician
The Musician is an oil painting by the Cubism Synthetic artist Louis Casimir Ladislas Marcoussis. It dates from 1914 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: MARCOUSSIS 1914
About this work
Technique & Style
The handling balances structural rigor with atmospheric modulation, suggesting the artist's synthesis of Parisian avant-garde developments.
Painted in 1914, The Musician is an oil on canvas measuring 146 × 114.3 cm. The work exemplifies Marcoussis's engagement with Cubist formal strategies, fragmenting the figure and instrument into interlocking geometric planes while maintaining a subdued, analytical palette typical of the period. The handling balances structural rigor with atmospheric modulation, suggesting the artist's synthesis of Parisian avant-garde developments.
History & Provenance
The work was first exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris in 1914, where it was purchased that year by Rodman Wanamaker of New York.
After Wanamaker’s death in 1928, the painting was sold to the Valentine Gallery in New York. It passed in February 1929 to Chester Dale, who later bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1963.
The painting is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it is accessioned as part of the Chester Dale Bequest.
It was first acquired at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris in 1914 by Rodman Wanamaker, then sold in 1928 to the Valentine Gallery in New York. In February 1929 it was purchased by Chester Dale, who later bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art in 1963.
Overview
Louis Casimir Ladislas Marcoussis painted The Musician in 1914 using oil on canvas. The work presents a formally dressed male figure, partially concealed by a hat, holding a violin and bow while standing before a table that supports a music stand with sheet music. A vase with a few blossoms rests on the left, and the backdrop consists of interlocking red, blue, and brown geometric forms.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure appears as a performer, his posture suggesting readiness to play. The concealed facial features focus attention on the instrument and the act of music-making rather than personal identity. The inclusion of a vase with flowers and the abstract background may allude to a juxtaposition of the tangible, everyday world with a more lyrical, perhaps emotional, interior space.
Artist & collection
Artist
Louis Casimir Ladislas Marcoussis
Louis Casimir Ladislas Marcoussis (1914–1914) was an artist.
