Vaudeville
Charles Demuth
American, 1883–1935
1917
A 1917 watercolor and pencil on paper by Charles Demuth that depicts three vaudeville performers in a stylized, rhythmic dance, aiming to capture the playful movement and theatricality of popular entertainment.
At first glance you notice the elongated, pale figures and their crisp outlines moving across a mottled, swirling dark ground that flattens space while suggesting forward motion.
Bringing theatrical subject matter into a modernist visual language, this piece links popular entertainment to early American abstraction by simplifying forms and emphasizing rhythm and movement.
Medium
Watercolor and pencil on paper
Dimensions
8 x 10 1/2" (20.3 x 29.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Katharine Cornell Fund
Accession
87.1950
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
