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Husking Corn at Dusk
On View
On view
Object number2014.127

Husking Corn at Dusk

Artist (American (b. Germany), 1871-1938)
Date1915
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsframe: 45 1/4 × 54 3/4 in. (114.9 × 139.1 cm)
image: 35 3/4 × 45 1/2 in. (90.8 × 115.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Eleanore Alten Gilleo
Exhibition History"Unveiling American Genius," KIA Permanent Collection Exhibition, Traditional, Markin, Nay and Groos Galleries (March 1, 2021 - December 31, 2023).Label TextThis Midwestern scene, typical of Mathias Alten’s work and the American Regionalist impulse, honors the quiet dignity of agrarian labor. Alten heightens the drama of evening light at the close of a long day’s work. Thickly applied paint gives substance to the illuminated clouds and last rays of sun through the trees. The horses’ manes and tails glow before the light. Corn cobs—described by mere strokes of yellow and gold—mirror the sun’s warm brilliance. This German-born artist lived in Grand Rapids, but often traveled abroad. Exposure to the European Impressionist painters’ fascination with light brightened Alten’s color palette. He absorbed European conventions and innovations, but adapted those practices to describe the American landscape with his unique visual vocabulary.

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