Around the Camp Stove

c. 1937

This object has related works. See

Mabel A. Hewit

(American, 1903–1984)

America

color woodcut

Support: Beige(1) laid imitation Japanese paper

Sheet: 37.8 x 33.4 cm (14 7/8 x 13 1/8 in.); Image: 27.5 x 22.7 cm (10 13/16 x 8 15/16 in.)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Jurey in memory of Mabel A. Hewit 2003.369

Location: not on view

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Description

Since Hewit printed each impression by hand, she experimented by varying the hues to achieve different results. While the vivid orange and yellow stripes in the background of one impression of Around the Camp Stove infuse the room with warmth and a feeling of cozy companionship, the gray background in the other impression creates a cooler atmosphere, as if the stove has grown cold. The disparate colors also change the spatial definition of the scene. In the first impression, an alteration of light and dark--the pale red dress in the foreground, the deep blue dress in the middleground, and the brightly colored background--creates the illusion of three-dimensional space. The second impression, however, seems much flatter because the figures and background are close in tonal value.