Landscape with Cows by Adolph Dehn
This is a lithograph by American artist Adolph Dehn. In the 1930s, he did a series of images of farms across the Midwest. Many were set in his native Minnesota, but others are not specified. These could broadly be characterized as fitting within the Regionalism movement, but Dehn tends to present them as more idealized (perhaps influenced by the Barbizon school, given his extensive time in France). While realistically depicted, they do show elements of impressionism, especially in the rendering of the foliage and clouds.
This image shows a large pond in the foreground being enjoyed by a small herd of cows. Dehn crams a lot into the small scene. There is a bittern or heron at the extreme lower left just above the signature. There is a tiny bird (probably a red-winged blackbird given the proximity to water, but an Eastern Bluebird is also a possibility) sitting on the fence post under the tree. Almost obscured in the shadows are two figures fishing from a boat in the middle of the pond. They are disproportionately small in comparison to the cows and the farmhouses on the horizon. Finally, there is one more fisherman in a straw hat hiding in the cattails on the right bank, just above the cows. A very typical example of his work.
The lithograph is archivally mounted and is in pristine condition. It is signed in the block lower left with a copyright of 1937. Dehn almost never pencil signed his work prior to the 1940s.
Adolph Dehn (1895-1968) Adolph Dehn is a native Minnesotan having been born in Waterville and doing his initial artistic studies at the Minneapolis School of Art. From there he went to study at the Art Students League where he developed his interest in printmaking—particularly favoring lithography. As with many artists, he spent time in Europe—In his case 8 years. Most of the pieces produced and exhibited were drawings and lithographs. On his return to the United States he committed to printmaking—started his own print club, worked with the American Artists’ Group and was a charter member of the Associated American Artists. His early subjects reflected his time in Minnesota and Europe, although he is arguably best known for his New York subjects. He incorporated many of the artistic movements of the early and mid-20th century into his work, and showed influence of the regionalists (particularly John Stewart Curry), and the so called Ash Can school, or social realism. He also embraced aspects of caricature which are particularly evident in his New York works.
Price: $200
Size: 18.75 x 12.75 inches
Plate Size: 12.75 x 9.5 inches
Condition: Pristine
Medium: Lithograph
Subject: Landscape
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