Morning Sun 1935

Arthur Dove created "Morning Sun" using oil paint, likely on canvas or board. It's interesting to consider his choice of materials here: oil paint, developed over centuries, was by Dove's time a readily available, industrially produced commodity. Look closely and you’ll notice how the texture of the paint itself contributes to the energy of the scene. The thick brushstrokes in the foreground give the field a sense of movement, almost as if the earth itself is radiating warmth. See how Dove applies thin layers of paint for the sky to make it look soft and dreamlike, contrasting with the thick paint of the sun to give it a palpable weight. The choice of these materials, and the visible labor in applying them, is so important to understanding Dove’s modernism. He engages directly with the materials of his time to evoke a sense of nature's beauty, pushing beyond traditional landscape painting. By doing so, he elevates the everyday into something sublime.