Arthur Bowen Davies (1862-1928) Star in the North, n.d. Oil on canvas 8 ⅛ x 20 ⅛ in.
Arthur Bowen Davies (1862-1928) Sweet Ariel Clouds, n.d.
Arthur Bowen Davies (1862-1928) Four Dancing Figures, 1924.
Now through July 11, 'Modern Movement: Figurative Works by Arthur Bowen Davies' is on view at the Ogunquit Museum of Art in Maine.
Arthur Bowen Davies began to sketch and paint images of dancers in the mid-1890s and would dwell on that subject until the end of his career. Modern Movement suggests not only the illusion of movement within Davies’ works, but also the wealth of modernist styles and ideas which debuted in the Armory Show of 1913. That exhibition initiated a modern movement in the visual arts in the United States, with Davies largely responsible for selecting works and organizing gallery themes. The exhibition title also serves as a reference to the modern dance movement that influenced Davies and his contemporaries. Isadora Duncan, in particular, shared Davies Hellenic adoration of dance. As Davies has been referred to as the father of modern art in America, Duncan has been called the mother of modern dance in America. While the Armory Show rocked the foundations of traditional visual art, Duncan’s trailblazing approach to what was then called aesthetic barefoot dance, transformed the world of theatrical dance.
On loan from the Maier Museum of Art, the exhibition features rarely exhibited works on paper and oil paintings. Arthur B. Davies Figurative Works on Paper from the Randolph College and Mac Cosgrove-Davies Collections and Arthur B. Davies
