Artwork
Sunday Afternoon in the Country
Sunday Afternoon in the Country is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Florine Stettheimer. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Florine Stettheimer’s 1917 oil painting *Sunday Afternoon in the Country* captures a lively outdoor gathering rendered with vigorous, textured brushwork.
Florine Stettheimer’s 1917 oil painting *Sunday Afternoon in the Country* captures a lively outdoor gathering rendered with vigorous, textured brushwork. The canvas is dominated by bright, saturated hues—reds, pinks, yellows—applied in thick, tactile layers that give the surface a palpable relief. Figures in modest attire wander beneath umbrellas amid a dense thicket of trees and blossoms, creating a bustling, sun‑lit tableau.
Subject & Meaning
The scene portrays a leisurely excursion of a social group, likely drawn from Stettheimer’s own circle, enjoying a day away from the city. While the composition appears light‑hearted, the emphasis on communal interaction and the informal, almost theatrical arrangement of figures reflects the artist’s interest in gendered spaces and the pleasures of feminine companionship in early twentieth‑century America.
Technique & Style
Stettheimer employs a pronounced impasto technique, laying paint so thick that the brushstrokes rise from the canvas, lending a sculptural quality to the work. This approach aligns with American Impressionist tendencies toward vivid color and spontaneous execution, yet her bold, exaggerated palette and the slightly chaotic surface texture push the painting toward a modernist, expressive aesthetic.
History & Provenance
Created during World War I, the painting entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains on view. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s early‑twentieth‑century interest in American modernism and in works by women artists who were gaining recognition for their distinctive visual language.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Florine Stettheimer (August 19, 1871 – May 11, 1944) was an American modernist painter, feminist, theatrical designer, poet, and salonnière.
