Artwork Page for In the Surf (recto); Beach Study (verso)

Details / Information for In the Surf (recto); Beach Study (verso)

In the Surf (recto); Beach Study (verso)

c. 1910

Edward H. Potthast

(American, 1857–1927)
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Culture
America
Medium
oil on panel
Measurements
Overall: 31.8 x 40.7 cm (12 1/2 x 16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Virginia Rose Glidden and family and Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 2001.41
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

During the early 1900s, modesty dictated women’s bathing suit designs featuring long, loose-fitting skirts.

Description

Born in Cincinnati, Potthast studied in Munich and Paris before returning to the United States, where he began spending summers along the coast of New England. There he studied the carefree seaside activities of bathers and picnickers. Although he never married, he was particularly fond of painting young mothers and their children.
A vertically oriented oil painting shows two beach scenes with thick, textured brushstrokes. In the upper half, a person in a red hat and yellow shirt sits on the sand, facing toward wading figures in choppy greenish-blue waves. Below, in the second scene, figures in dark swimsuits and red caps move through a foamy surf. Both compositions feature high horizons and figures viewed from behind, emphasizing the energetic, layered application of paint.

In the Surf (recto); Beach Study (verso)

c. 1910

Edward H. Potthast

(American, 1857–1927)
America

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