Artwork
National Defense
National Defense is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist William Tasker. It dates from 1921 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The 1921 oil painting National Defense by William Tasker portrays a factory alongside a farm, visualizing the industrial and agricultural foundations upon which national defense rests. The work, executed in oil on canvas, measures 76.2 cm by 91.4 cm and is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its subject matter reflects the intertwined roles of manufacturing and farming in sustaining a nation's security, a theme emphasized by the artist's focus on these settings.
Technique & Style
The pairing of factory and farm imagery indicates a representational approach combining industrial and rural motifs within a single pictorial field.
National Defense is an oil painting executed on canvas, classified as a painting within the Metropolitan Museum of Art's holdings. The work measures 76.2 cm in height by 91.4 cm in width, giving it a horizontal orientation. Created in 1921, the composition depicts a factory and a farm, suggesting an industrial–agrarian subject rendered in oil paint.
The medium of oil on canvas was a conventional support for early-twentieth-century American easel painting, allowing for both detailed depiction and atmospheric handling. The pairing of factory and farm imagery indicates a representational approach combining industrial and rural motifs within a single pictorial field.
Overview
William Tasker's oil painting, National Defense, was completed in 1921. This artwork presents a visual dialogue between an industrial factory and an agricultural landscape, capturing a moment of transition in the early 20th century. The painting is part of a notable collection, currently housed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
Since its creation in 1921, National Defense has entered a significant public collection. The painting is currently held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its inclusion in such a prominent institution underscores its recognized place within the history of early 20th-century American art.
Artist & collection
Artist
William Tasker was an American painter active in the first half of the twentieth century.
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