Artist:
Howard Pyle
(American, 1853 - 1911)
They Stood Staring at the Violent Sky
Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1905
Dimensions:
24 × 16 1/4 in. (61 × 41.3 cm)
Accession number: 79.15
Label Copy:
Howard Pyle’s success as an illustrator and writer resulted from his ability to create a realistic sense of drama and action. Pyle emphasized the importance of knowing a subject well before attempting to paint it. This foundational principle of his teaching influenced the work of N.C. Wyeth, Peter Hurd, Elizabeth Shippen Green, and many other successful artists.
In this illustration for Mrs. Henry Dudeney’s short story “An Amazing Belief,” written for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in April 1905, Pyle has created a dynamic, emotional work of art. As reproduction processes improved, Pyle turned increasingly away from pen and ink toward the expressive and coloristic properties of oil painting, working in a style of dramatic realism and symbolism. By emphasizing the fear-stricken faces of his subjects, Pyle’s ability to render facial expressions and active poses has captured the drama of the moment.
Howard Pyle’s success as an illustrator and writer resulted from his ability to create a realistic sense of drama and action. Pyle emphasized the importance of knowing a subject well before attempting to paint it. This foundational principle of his teaching influenced the work of N.C. Wyeth, Peter Hurd, Elizabeth Shippen Green, and many other successful artists.
In this illustration for Mrs. Henry Dudeney’s short story “An Amazing Belief,” written for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in April 1905, Pyle has created a dynamic, emotional work of art. As reproduction processes improved, Pyle turned increasingly away from pen and ink toward the expressive and coloristic properties of oil painting, working in a style of dramatic realism and symbolism. By emphasizing the fear-stricken faces of his subjects, Pyle’s ability to render facial expressions and active poses has captured the drama of the moment.
Curatorial RemarksAlthough the inscription of the reverse indicates that painting was done in 1900 for The Seven Day Adventist, there is no record of this article in Brinkle and Morse.