Waterfront Mill
Depicting an industrial mill complex in a flat, angular style, Spencer’s Waterfront Mill, like Charles Sheeler’s Water, notably lacks signs of human presence and activity. The mill is pristinely painted with clean edges and smooth brushwork; there is no evidence of age or wear-and-tear. Thus, Spencer’s composition, based on a historical mill in Bristol, Rhode Island, appears as an emblem of timeless efficiency. Interest in such examples of vernacular architecture spiked among artists after the end of World War I and through World War II, partly because their no-nonsense design seemed to exemplify the phrase "form follows function," coined by architect Louis Sullivan.
Artwork Details
- Title: Waterfront Mill
- Artist: Niles Spencer (American, Pawtucket, Rhode Island 1893–1952 Dingman's Ferry, Pennsylvania)
- Date: 1940
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 30 × 36 in. (76.2 × 91.4 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1942
- Object Number: 42.169
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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Niles Spencer
ca. 1926–28
Niles Spencer
ca. 1926
Niles Spencer
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Niles Spencer
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