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Dancing Sailors
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This drawing was inspired by Charles Demuth's participation in the nightlife of New York's Greenwich Village during the early 20th century. Around this time, the artist made numerous watercolors of nightclubs, performers, and bathhouses. Demuth created two almost identical compositions (the other is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York), which both show groups of three couples, with two sailors dancing together while others dance with women. Demuth kept these and other homoerotic watercolors private throughout his career, and almost never showed them publicly. The sheet's planes of textured watercolor blur figure and background, presenting a subtle but pointedly erotic scene.
| Artist / Maker | Charles Demuth |
|---|---|
| Date | 1917 |
| Culture / Origin | America |
| Medium | watercolor over graphite |
| Dimensions | Sheet: 20.4 x 25.7 cm (8 1/16 x 10 1/8 in.); Secondary Support: 21.4 x 26.3 cm (8 7/16 x 10 3/8 in.) |
| Department | Drawings |
| Type | Drawing |
About the Artist
BiographyCharles Demuth (1883–1935) — American painter (1883-1935).Charles Demuth worked as painter, draftsperson, photographer and illustrator and is associated with United States. Their documented life spans the years 1883 to 1935; born and died in Lancaster. Their work is linked to Precisionism.Disciplinespainter, draftsperson, photographer, illustratorBorn1883, LancasterDied1935, LancasterNationalityUnited StatesMovementPrecisionismSources: Wikidata · Wikipedia Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
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