Sultry Night
Artist
Grant Wood
(American, 1891–1942)
Date1939
MediumLithograph on BFK Rives off-white wove paper
DimensionsImage: 9 1/16 x 11 3/4 in. (23.0 x 29.8 cm)
Sheet: 11 1/2 x 14 15/16 in. (29.2 x 37.9 cm)
Mat: 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Sheet: 11 1/2 x 14 15/16 in. (29.2 x 37.9 cm)
Mat: 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1996.78
SignedUnsigned
CopyrightArt © Figge Art Museum, successors to the Estate of Nan Wood Graham/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
InterpretationGrant Wood's lithograph Sultry Night depicts a naked man standing beside a horse trough in the act of drenching himself with a bucket of water at the end of a hot summer day. The right side of the image is filled by a fence post and the trunk and dense foliage of a tree; placed near the left edge of the composition, the man is exposed against the flat expanse of a field. Using the soft grainy effects of the lithographic crayon to suggest forms by subtle gradations of tone, Wood created a calm scene that throws into relief the nudity of the man, most likely a farmer, whose white torso contrasts with his suntanned face, neck, chest, and arms. The image suggests a biblical baptism, but Wood himself claimed that he was merely representing a daily activity typical of American farm life when farmers would wash outdoors after a long day of work.
Wood produced several lithographs, including both Sultry Night and January (TF 1995.54). Because of the full frontal nudity in Sultry Night, however, this print was deemed indecent by the U. S. postal service. Associated American Artists, Wood's New York gallery, was not permitted to distribute this lithograph by mail, nor could it be cited in their catalogue. Because of these restrictions, it was more difficult to market and accordingly was printed in a smaller edition of one hundred, rather than the artist's usual edition of 250 impressions.
Wood produced several lithographs, including both Sultry Night and January (TF 1995.54). Because of the full frontal nudity in Sultry Night, however, this print was deemed indecent by the U. S. postal service. Associated American Artists, Wood's New York gallery, was not permitted to distribute this lithograph by mail, nor could it be cited in their catalogue. Because of these restrictions, it was more difficult to market and accordingly was printed in a smaller edition of one hundred, rather than the artist's usual edition of 250 impressions.
Dennis, James M. Grant Wood: A Study in American Art and Culture. New York: Viking Press, 1975. Text p. 220; fig. 184.
Czestochowski, Joseph S. John Steuart Curry and Grant Wood: A Portrait of Rural America. Columbia, Missouri and Cedar Rapids, Iowa: University of Missouri Press and Cedar Rapids Art Association, 1981. No. W-6, p. 208.
The Gloria and Donald B. Marron Collection of American Prints. (exh. cat., Santa Barbara Museum of Art). Santa Barbara, California: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1981. No. 87, p. 130–31.
Corn, Wanda M. Grant Wood: The Regionalist Vision. New Haven, Connecticut and London, England: Yale University Press for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1983. Fig. 87, p. 52.
Cole, Sylvan, Jr. Grant Wood: The Lithographs; A Catalogue Raisonné. New York: Associated American Artists, 1984. No. 6.
Czestochowski, Joseph S. John Steuart Curry and Grant Wood: A Portrait of Rural America. Columbia, Missouri and Cedar Rapids, Iowa: University of Missouri Press and Cedar Rapids Art Association, 1981. No. W-6, p. 208.
The Gloria and Donald B. Marron Collection of American Prints. (exh. cat., Santa Barbara Museum of Art). Santa Barbara, California: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1981. No. 87, p. 130–31.
Corn, Wanda M. Grant Wood: The Regionalist Vision. New Haven, Connecticut and London, England: Yale University Press for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1983. Fig. 87, p. 52.
Cole, Sylvan, Jr. Grant Wood: The Lithographs; A Catalogue Raisonné. New York: Associated American Artists, 1984. No. 6.
Maurice Liederman, co-founder of Associated American Artists
Descended in family to daughter
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1996
