Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Kraushaar Art Galleries, New York, New York
Mrs. William Steele Gray
Mrs. Georgia Perkins
David David Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1980
Davis & Long Company, New York, New York, 1980
Daniel J. Terra Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1980
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1992
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Maurice Brazil Prendergast
(American, 1858–1924)
The Grove
c. 1918–23
Oil on canvas
Image: 15 1/4 x 20 3/16 in. (38.7 x 51.3 cm)
Frame: 22 5/16 x 27 1/16 in. (56.7 x 61.4 cm)
Frame: 22 5/16 x 27 1/16 in. (56.7 x 61.4 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1992.63
SignedLower right in red: Prendergast
InterpretationThrough a dense tapestry of interleaved strokes of varied color, Maurice Prendergast's The Grove presents a gathering of six female figures in a park-like setting of trees, lawn, and a bench overlooking the sea. While their facial features are not detailed, the women's generalized poses suggest a conversation. However, any such narrative is subordinated to the expressive patterns of color and texture that unify the entire surface of the painting, creating a subtle vibrating effect. This resulted from a painstaking process in which the artist applied paint in layers, allowing each to dry before adding the next.
From the beginning of his career Prendergast was drawn to outdoor leisure settings such as parks and beaches populated with brightly dressed crowds, as seen in his Salem Willows (TF 1999.120), which features a setting similar to that of The Grove. Influenced both by the work of contemporary European artists and by his study of pre-Renaissance art, in his mature interpretations of this subject Prendergast shifted from a preoccupation with the vivid representation of everyday life to a more abstract approach that emphasizes the intrinsic aesthetic values of surface color, pattern, and texture. His figures, meanwhile, became larger in relation to the setting. The Grove exemplifies Prendergast's so-called tapestry style, not only in the distinctive spotted brushwork of its richly worked jewel-like surface, but also in its evocation of medieval tapestries, with their gorgeously dressed static figures in flat, frieze-like arrangements.
As Prendergast became increasingly concerned with the abstract formal properties of color and form, he experimented with theories of composition. For The Grove he drew on an ancient theory of design known as the "Golden Section" (or the Golden Mean), which dictates specific proportions for creating a harmonious whole. Thus the group of three figures on the left and the pair balancing them on the right occupy equal space, with the middle figure placed centrally between them. The figures are linked by their gestures and such details as the bench and tree in the right background.
From the beginning of his career Prendergast was drawn to outdoor leisure settings such as parks and beaches populated with brightly dressed crowds, as seen in his Salem Willows (TF 1999.120), which features a setting similar to that of The Grove. Influenced both by the work of contemporary European artists and by his study of pre-Renaissance art, in his mature interpretations of this subject Prendergast shifted from a preoccupation with the vivid representation of everyday life to a more abstract approach that emphasizes the intrinsic aesthetic values of surface color, pattern, and texture. His figures, meanwhile, became larger in relation to the setting. The Grove exemplifies Prendergast's so-called tapestry style, not only in the distinctive spotted brushwork of its richly worked jewel-like surface, but also in its evocation of medieval tapestries, with their gorgeously dressed static figures in flat, frieze-like arrangements.
As Prendergast became increasingly concerned with the abstract formal properties of color and form, he experimented with theories of composition. For The Grove he drew on an ancient theory of design known as the "Golden Section" (or the Golden Mean), which dictates specific proportions for creating a harmonious whole. Thus the group of three figures on the left and the pair balancing them on the right occupy equal space, with the middle figure placed centrally between them. The figures are linked by their gestures and such details as the bench and tree in the right background.
Kraushaar Art Galleries, New York, New York
Mrs. William Steele Gray
Mrs. Georgia Perkins
David David Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1980
Davis & Long Company, New York, New York, 1980
Daniel J. Terra Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1980
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1992
Exhibition History
Masterworks in American Art from the Daniel J. Terra Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, April 27–September 12, 1985.
A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 21–June 21, 1987. [exh. cat.]
Regard sur Maurice Brazil Prendergast (Maurice Brazil Prendergast at a Glance), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 1993.
American Treasures: Chase, Whistler and the Prendergasts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 26, 1996–January 5, 1997.
Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 10–September 16, 2001.
Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002–February 16, 2003 (on exhibit extended run: November 2, 2002–March 2, 2003).
Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 14–June 15, 2003.
Copley to Cassatt: Masterworks from the Terra Collection, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, and Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, September 5–December 7, 2003.
Highlights from the Collection of the Terra Foundation for the Arts, Union League Club of Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Union League Club of Chicago, Illinois, July 20–October 31, 2004.
The Eight and American Modernisms, Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (organizers). Venues: New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, March 6–May 24, 2009; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 6–August 23, 2009. [exh. cat]
A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 21–June 21, 1987. [exh. cat.]
Regard sur Maurice Brazil Prendergast (Maurice Brazil Prendergast at a Glance), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 1993.
American Treasures: Chase, Whistler and the Prendergasts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 26, 1996–January 5, 1997.
Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002–February 16, 2003 (on exhibit extended run: November 2, 2002–March 2, 2003).
Copley to Cassatt: Masterworks from the Terra Collection, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, and Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, September 5–December 7, 2003.
Highlights from the Collection of the Terra Foundation for the Arts, Union League Club of Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Union League Club of Chicago, Illinois, July 20–October 31, 2004.
The Eight and American Modernisms, Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (organizers). Venues: New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut, March 6–May 24, 2009; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 6–August 23, 2009. [exh. cat]
Langdale, Cecily. Monotypes by Maurice Prendergast in the Terra Museum of American Art. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Museum of American Art, 1984. Text pp. 17, 19; fig. 15, p. 33 (black & white).
Atkinson, D. Scott et al. A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art. Edited by Terry A. Neff. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1987. Pl. T-121, p. 230 (color).
Clark, Carol, Nancy Mowll Mathews and Gwendolyn Owens. Maurice Brazil Prendergast; Charles Prendergast: A Catalogue Raisonné. Munich, Germany and Williamstown, Massachusetts: Prestel-Verlag and The President and Trustees of Williams College, 1990. No. 473, p. 319; ill. no. 473, p. 319 (black & white).
Southgate, M. Therese. "The Cover." The Journal of the American Medical Association 268:8 (August 26, 1992): 1035. Text p. 1035; ill. cover (color).
The Journal of the American Medical Association France 5:39 (January 1993): cover. Ill. cover (color).
Regard sur cinq années d'expositions. (Five years of Exhibitions at a Glance). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1997. Ill. p. 58 (color).
Kennedy, Elizabeth et al. The Eight and American Modernisms. (exh. cat., New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2009. Text pp. 6, 175 (checklist); Ill. frontispiece (color).
Atkinson, D. Scott et al. A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art. Edited by Terry A. Neff. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1987. Pl. T-121, p. 230 (color).
Clark, Carol, Nancy Mowll Mathews and Gwendolyn Owens. Maurice Brazil Prendergast; Charles Prendergast: A Catalogue Raisonné. Munich, Germany and Williamstown, Massachusetts: Prestel-Verlag and The President and Trustees of Williams College, 1990. No. 473, p. 319; ill. no. 473, p. 319 (black & white).
Southgate, M. Therese. "The Cover." The Journal of the American Medical Association 268:8 (August 26, 1992): 1035. Text p. 1035; ill. cover (color).
The Journal of the American Medical Association France 5:39 (January 1993): cover. Ill. cover (color).
Regard sur cinq années d'expositions. (Five years of Exhibitions at a Glance). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1997. Ill. p. 58 (color).
Kennedy, Elizabeth et al. The Eight and American Modernisms. (exh. cat., New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT and Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2009. Text pp. 6, 175 (checklist); Ill. frontispiece (color).