Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Man at the Fountain

1946
Not on view
Sharrer’s paintings often ennoble working-class subjects through a studied precision evocative of the Renaissance artists she admired. This example presents a man in work clothes sitting on the edge of a fountain (based on one in Bryant Park). Apple tree branches enter the composition from both sides, framing him like a saint, while delicately rendered flowers sprout from the ground. Most unusual is the violet band running along the bottom of the composition, on which more flowers (now cut) appear with ladybugs, red onions, and a large blue butterfly, suggesting metamorphosis. Ripe with potential symbolism, this panoply of forms drawn from nature gives Man on a Fountain the appearance of a devotional image.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Man at the Fountain
  • Artist: Honoré Sharrer (American, West Point, New York 1920–2009 Washington, D.C.)
  • Date: 1946
  • Medium: Oil on cardboard
  • Dimensions: 17 5/8 × 12 3/4 in. (44.8 × 32.4 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Lincoln Kirstein, 1996
  • Object Number: 1996.404
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
Susanna and the Elder, Honoré Sharrer American, Oil on canvas
Susanna and the Elder
Honoré Sharrer
1982–83
Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American
Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907
Self-Portrait II, Horace Pippin American, Oil on canvas, adhered to cardboard
Self-Portrait II
Horace Pippin
1944
Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American
Necklace
Meta Overbeck
Louis C. Tiffany
Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1914–15
An Ear of Mud, An Ear of Paste, Abdel Hadi El-Gazzar Egyptian, Oil on paperboard
An Ear of Mud, An Ear of Paste
Abdel Hadi El-Gazzar
1951

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 contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.