Harbor and Orchard

ca. 1902–08

Not on view

This panoramic image captures the view from Dow's studio on Bayberry Hill, near Ipswich, Massachusetts, and looks out toward Plum Island over flowering fruit trees and flooded salt marshes. The collapsed vertical perspective and emphasis on a fleeting moment in spring testify to the artist's continuing reliance on Japanese principles. After 1900, he abandoned the density of his small pillar prints for larger, more open landscapes. His use of bold, simple forms allows us to see how the edges of the wood blocks were carved to overlap slightly in the printing, letting the colors bump up against one another. This resulted from an abandonment of linear key blocks. As he printed, Dow wiped the inks to produce textural striations in the sky and water that mimic atmospheric effects but also register visually as abstract patterns.

Artwork Details

Title: Harbor and Orchard
Artist: Arthur Wesley Dow (American, Ipswich, Massachusetts 1857–1922 New York State)
Date: ca. 1902–08
Medium: Color woodcut
Dimensions: image: 6 1/4 x 4 7/8 in. (15.9 x 12.4 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. W. L. Putnam, 1942
Object Number: 42.54.5
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Arthur Wesley Dow

In the same medium

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Modern Art

Multiple artists/makers

1895

Little Venice, Arthur Wesley Dow American, Color woodcut; early state, with key block and single color — Little Venice
Arthur Wesley Dow
ca. 1893

Little Venice, Arthur Wesley Dow American, Color woodcut — Little Venice
Arthur Wesley Dow
ca. 1893

Marsh Creek, Arthur Wesley Dow American, Color woodcut — Marsh Creek
Arthur Wesley Dow
ca. 1907

"The Derelict" or "The Lost Boat", Arthur Wesley Dow American, Color woodcut; trial proof of single color block, American — "The Derelict" or "The Lost Boat"
Arthur Wesley Dow
1916

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.