The Close of Day

Charles Melville Dewey, The Close of Day, n.d., oil on canvas, 23 ³⁄₈ x 39 ¹⁄₈ in. (59.3 x 99.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.20

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Artwork Details

Title: The Close of Day
Artist: Charles Melville Dewey
Date: n.d.
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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Luce Foundation Center
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3rd Floor
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14A
Dimensions: 23 ³⁄₈ x 39 ¹⁄₈ in. (59.3 x 99.4 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of William T. Evans
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Landscape — road
Landscape — time — evening
Object Number: 1909.7.20
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1909.7.20

Artwork Description

Charles Melville Dewey was among the practitioners of American tonalism, a style of painting characterized by muted colors and soft-edged, atmospheric effects. The Close of Day captures that fleeting moment as shadows gather and the sun slips beneath the horizon. In the foreground, light reflected in puddles highlights the cart tracks in a dirt road that leads to a house with a smoking chimney, seen in the distance.