On View
On viewObject number1999.20
Looking at the Sunshine
Maker
John Stockton de Martelly
(American, 1903-1979)
Dateca. 1938
Mediumegg tempera on linen mounted on board
Dimensionsframe: 51 3/8 × 5 × 2 3/4 in. (130.5 × 152.4 × 7 cm)
image: 38 1/8 in. × 48 in. (96.8 × 121.9 cm)
image: 38 1/8 in. × 48 in. (96.8 × 121.9 cm)
Credit LineElisabeth Claire Lahti Fund
Exhibition History"Annual Exhibition," Art Institute of Chicago (1941).
"Painting in the United States," Carnegie Annual, Pittsburg, PA (1943).
"Views of the American Landscape: Works from the Permanent Collection," KIA (Dec. 21, 2002 - Jan. 12, 2003).
"A Legacy for Kalamazoo: Works Acquired through the Elisabeth Claire Lahti Fund, 1998 - 2012," KIA (Sept. 29, 2012 - Jan. 20, 2013).
"Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Sep. 6, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015).
"Unveiling American Genius," KIA Permanent Collection Exhibition, Traditional, Markin, Nay and Groos Galleries (March 1, 2021 - December 31, 2023).Label TextWhat might this figure be contemplating?
This portrayal of an African-American man pausing in his labors was based on the artist’s observations of The Ford Brick and Tile Company during a summer he spent in Kansas City, Kansas. The man is posed in front of a beehive kiln, where the bricks and tiles were baked. De Martelly was fascinated by the vibrancy and vitality of everyday activities. He expressed deep appreciation for this location, writing “such color I have never seen anywhere before or since” and that his time there was “one of the most magnificent aesthetic experiences I have ever had.”
