Artwork
Girl Spearing Dolphin
Girl Spearing Dolphin is a charcoal drawing by the Impressionist artist Elihu Vedder. It dates from 1900 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:upper right verso in graphite by unknown hand: Girl Spearing / Dolphin #1; lower center verso in graphite by unknown hand: Girl Spearing / Dolphin
About this work
Overview
Created around 1900, this drawing by American artist Elihu Vedder portrays a nude woman poised to strike a dolphin with a spear. Executed in charcoal and chalk on wove paper, the composition captures a fleeting moment of tension as the figure balances on a rock, her gaze fixed on the marine creature.
Subject & Meaning
The work presents a mythic tableau in which a solitary female figure engages a dolphin, an encounter that evokes themes of human dominance over nature and the interplay of vulnerability and aggression. Vedder’s interest in allegorical narratives is evident in the stark, symbolic confrontation.
Technique & Style
Vedder employs soft, flowing lines and delicate shading to model the woman's form, while the charcoal and chalk medium lends a textured surface that enhances depth. The contrast between the lightness of the figure and the darker tonalities of the dolphin and surrounding rock creates a subtle chiaroscuro effect.
History & Provenance
The drawing belongs to Vedder’s later period, following his extensive work illustrating Edward FitzGerald’s translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Although specific ownership records are limited, the piece is catalogued among his drawings from the turn of the twentieth century.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Elihu Vedder (26 February 1836 – 29 January 1923) was an American symbolist painter, book illustrator and poet from New York City.
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