Artwork
Penelope
Penelope is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Gari Melchers. It dates from 1910 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: Gari Melchers
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Penelope portrays a woman engaged in domestic needlework, embodying ideals of patience and virtuous femininity. The figure references the mythological Penelope, wife of Odysseus, who famously wove and unwove a shroud to delay suitors, symbolizing fidelity amid waiting. Melchers situates this allegory within an intimate interior, blending narrative symbolism with contemporary realism.
Technique & Style
Penelope is an oil painting executed on canvas, a medium consistent with Gari Melchers's broader practice of the period.
Penelope is an oil painting executed on canvas, a medium consistent with Gari Melchers's broader practice of the period. The work measures 136.37 cm in height by 126.05 cm in width, giving it a near-square, monumental format suited to its figure-based composition. Painted in 1910, it was completed the year before its acquisition by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington.
The sources do not provide further detail on specific handling, brushwork, palette, surface condition, or stylistic characterization, so those aspects cannot be elaborated here.
History & Provenance
Gari Melchers painted Penelope in 1910, completing it before purchasing the work himself on 22 January 1911. The painting entered the Corcoran Gallery of Art's collection shortly thereafter and remained there until its acquisition by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 2015.
The work is held today in the National Gallery of Art's collection, which also includes holdings from the former Corcoran Gallery.
Completed in 1910, this oil on canvas remained in the artist's possession until January 22, 1911, when it was purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington. The work entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in 2015 following the acquisition of the Corcoran's holdings. It is currently housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
No specific exhibition history or inventory accession numbers for this painting are provided in the available records.
Overview
Created in 1910, this oil on canvas by American painter Gari Melchers portrays an interior domestic scene. A seated woman studies a drawing propped on an easel, while a maid stands nearby. The composition includes a table with floral arrangements, a sideboard, a fireplace crowned with a sculpted bust, and a framed picture on the wall, all set against patterned wallpaper.
Context
At the turn of the century, American artists like Melchers were influenced by European academic traditions while adapting them to domestic subjects. This painting reflects contemporary interests in everyday scenes, aligning with broader trends in realism that emphasized accurate representation of interior spaces and the nuanced interplay of light and material.
Artist & collection
Artist
Julius Garibaldi (Gari) Melchers (August 11, 1860 – November 30, 1932) was an American artist. He was one of the leading American proponents of naturalism. He won a 1932 Gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
- Entrance to the city
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Moder skal læse. Kunstnerens hustru og barn
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Lærerinde og elev
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