Artwork
On Point

On Point is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Stouter, D.G.. It dates from 1854 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: D.G. Stouter, / Artist
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a scene of everyday life, the work reflects the mid-nineteenth-century American genre tradition of depicting rural childhood and outdoor leisure.
On Point depicts a young boy standing on a rock in a river, fishing with a rod and line in a naturalistic landscape setting. The composition centers on the solitary figure absorbed in his activity, surrounded by the textures of water, rock, and foliage. As a scene of everyday life, the work reflects the mid-nineteenth-century American genre tradition of depicting rural childhood and outdoor leisure.
The painting is part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington, D.C., having entered the museum through a bequest in 1980.
Technique & Style
On Point is an oil painting on canvas, measuring 46.4 by 52.1 cm. The work was created in 1854 or after by D.G. Stouter, an American artist. The painting is classified as a scene of everyday life, depicting a young boy standing on a rock in a river, fishing with a rod. The composition centers on the figure in a natural setting, rendered in the direct, representational manner characteristic of mid-19th-century American genre painting.
The artist employs a straightforward approach to form and space, with attention to the textures of water, rock, and foliage. The canvas support and oil medium allow for the layered, detailed handling visible in the work.
History & Provenance
The painting On Point by D.G. Stouter is dated 1854 or later and was executed in oil on canvas. Its provenance traces to Pennsylvania, where it was held by Edgar Sittig of Shawnee-on-Delaware. Sittig sold the work in 1952 to collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch.
Upon Bernice Chrysler Garbisch's death, it passed by bequest to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1980. No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available records, and the sources do not document any exhibition history for the work.
Overview
"On Point" is an oil on canvas painted in 1854 by the British artist D.G. Stouter. The work measures a modest size and presents a quiet interior scene that exemplifies the painter’s interest in everyday moments rather than grand historical narratives.
Context
During the 1850s, British art saw a shift toward genre scenes that highlighted ordinary life. Stouter’s work aligns with this trend, focusing on intimate moments and the nuanced play of natural light, reflecting contemporary interests in realism and the psychological interior of his subjects.
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