Maine, between 1917 and 1921. Preston Dickinson sets up his easel facing a rolling landscape. The American artist, usually fascinated by urban geometries, explores the countryside here with great pictorial freedom.
An Explosion of Fauvist Colors
Observe the vigorous treatment of the pictorial material. Thick brushstrokes sculpt trees, hills, and buildings. The golden yellow of the fields dialogues with the deep blues of the terrain. Dickinson applies paint in an almost impulsive manner, creating a textured surface vibrant with energy. The tree in the foreground spreads its branches. Houses nestle in the valley, rendered with quick and generous touches. He captures the raw emotion of the landscape. The non-figurative colors and the gesture of the brush owe everything to French Fauvism.
Between Cézanne and American Expressionism
Dickinson discovers the landscapes of Mont Sainte-Victoire during his Parisian sojourn. These works by Cézanne transform his artistic vision. Upon returning to the United States, he transposes this modernist lesson to the hills of Maine. Unlike his more geometric urban compositions, this landscape privileges emotion over Cubist construction. The dating of the work remains debated: probably painted between 1917 and 1921, it belongs to Dickinson’s most expressive landscapes.
Preston Dickinson, the Artist Between Two Worlds
Preston Dickinson (1889-1930) navigates between European modernism and American tradition. A student of William Merritt Chase, he absorbs Fauvism during his Parisian stays. This work perfectly illustrates his transitional period toward a highly personal gestural style.
Think about it
💭 When have you observed a familiar landscape with completely fresh eyes, as if you were discovering it for the first time?
About This Work
- Maine Landscape
- Preston Dickinson
- circa 1917-1921
- Oil on canvas
- 50.96 × 61.91 cm (20 1/16 × 24 3/8 in.)
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), The Mr. and Mrs. William Preston Harrison Collection
- (35.18.3)
- https://collections.lacma.org/node/172062
