Summer 1890

Editor: Here we have Thomas Wilmer Dewing’s "Summer," painted in 1890. It’s oil on canvas, and depicts a group of women dancing or maybe just moving gracefully in a field. There's something very dreamlike about it, almost as if they are spirits in a verdant otherworld. How do you interpret this work, and what stories do you think it might be telling? Curator: It whispers, doesn't it? Dewing was after something beyond straightforward representation. Look how he uses a muted palette, the soft edges… it’s almost like a memory, a half-remembered summer afternoon. The women become part of the landscape, ethereal figures intertwined with nature. The harp adds another layer, suggesting music and perhaps a kind of private performance. Editor: I like the idea of a private performance, as if we are not meant to be witnessing this. Curator: Perhaps. Dewing belonged to a group of artists known as the American Ten, and they often sought to capture fleeting moments of beauty and introspection. It's not a grand historical narrative, but something far more personal. Does it make you think about music or poetry? Or maybe about trying to hold onto a perfect moment? Editor: Absolutely. I hadn't thought about the connection to music, but with the harp there it now seems impossible to ignore. This painting suddenly feels fragile, precious even. Like a melody that is quickly forgotten once it ends. Curator: Beautifully said. Dewing reminds us that art can be about feeling just as much as seeing, and that the best art often invites us to linger and imagine. Editor: I'm leaving with a completely different impression of this piece, which makes it the best possible learning experience. Thanks.