Summer Night
Working in Germany in the 1910s, Bloch was the only American artist who, at Vasily Kandinsky’s personal invitation, exhibited with Der Blaue Reiter ("The Blue Rider"), the Munich-based group that sought the spiritual in art. In keeping with Der Blaue Reiter’s metaphysical aspirations, Bloch’s ethereal Summer Night features silent figures moving through a moonlit landscape of rolling hills and bending trees. Tufts of grass and spots of fruit create delicate patterns, while soft mists whirl about the scene. Cool lavender blues evoke a serene atmosphere in which spirit bodies communicate purely through gesture.
Artwork Details
- Title: Summer Night
- Artist: Albert Bloch (American, Saint Louis, Missouri 1882–1961 Lawrence, Kansas)
- Date: 1913
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 48 × 45 1/4 in. (121.9 × 114.9 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace, Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, and Scott Heffley Gifts, 2016
- Object Number: 2016.343
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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