Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1996
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Charles Sheeler
(American, 1883–1965)
Yachts
1924
Lithograph on off-white wove paper
Image: 8 x 9 7/8 in. (20.3 x 25.1 cm)
Sheet: 11 1/4 x 15 7/8 in. (28.6 x 40.3 cm)
Mat: 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Sheet: 11 1/4 x 15 7/8 in. (28.6 x 40.3 cm)
Mat: 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1996.50
SignedIn graphite lower right: Charles Sheeler
InterpretationCharles Sheeler's Yachts is dominated by the curved, wind-filled sails of five boats, of which the hulls of only four are visible, arranged in a flat, frieze-like composition across the blank white of the paper. The layered, sweeping forms of the billowing sails and the hulls are reduced to shaded suggestions of their essential shapes, and any indication of water or sky is absent. Sheeler minimized outlining, relying instead on the subtle gradations characteristic of the lithographic medium to render the contours of sails and the tonal areas that suggest the superimposition of one flat angular shape on another; in this respect, he used lithography to mimic the effects he more commonly achieved in the drawing medium of soft conté crayon. More an exploration of abstract form than a marine view, Yachts is a rhythmic composition of graceful arcs, delicate lines, and aerodynamic geometries.
In the early 1920s, Sheeler encountered the sculpture of Romanian-born, Paris-based artist Constantin Brancusi (1876–1957) in several New York exhibitions. Brancusi's sleek curved forms and pristine finish had a profound effect on Sheeler, as this lithograph demonstrates. The fluidity of billowing sails was an unusual subject for the artist, who was more typically drawn to the static lines and weighty volumes of urban buildings and the old-fashioned, utilitarian furnishings of his retreat in rural Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Like Arthur Dove in his Sails (TF 1993.10), Sheeler abstracted forms to emphasize their dynamic visual rhythms.
In the early 1920s, Sheeler encountered the sculpture of Romanian-born, Paris-based artist Constantin Brancusi (1876–1957) in several New York exhibitions. Brancusi's sleek curved forms and pristine finish had a profound effect on Sheeler, as this lithograph demonstrates. The fluidity of billowing sails was an unusual subject for the artist, who was more typically drawn to the static lines and weighty volumes of urban buildings and the old-fashioned, utilitarian furnishings of his retreat in rural Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Like Arthur Dove in his Sails (TF 1993.10), Sheeler abstracted forms to emphasize their dynamic visual rhythms.
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1996
Exhibition History
On Process: The American Print, Technique Examined, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 13–March 2, 2001.
Gordon, M. "A Catalogue of the Prints of Charles Sheeler." Photo/Print Bulletin I (1976).
Driscoll, John P. Charles Sheeler, The Works on Paper. (exh. cat., Palmer Museum of Art). University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University, 1974. No. 25, pp. 56, 74.
Jacobowitz, Ellen S. and George H. Marcus. American Graphics, 1860–1940: Selected from the Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982. No. 69, pp. 72–73.
Master Prints of Five Centuries: The Alan and Marianne Schwartz Collection. (exh. cat., The Detroit Institute of Arts). Detroit, Michigan: The Detroit Institute of Arts, 1990. No. 92, p. 111.
Driscoll, John P. Charles Sheeler, The Works on Paper. (exh. cat., Palmer Museum of Art). University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University, 1974. No. 25, pp. 56, 74.
Jacobowitz, Ellen S. and George H. Marcus. American Graphics, 1860–1940: Selected from the Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982. No. 69, pp. 72–73.
Master Prints of Five Centuries: The Alan and Marianne Schwartz Collection. (exh. cat., The Detroit Institute of Arts). Detroit, Michigan: The Detroit Institute of Arts, 1990. No. 92, p. 111.