Arthur Dove
American, 1880­1946
Silver Sun
1929
Oil and metallic paint on canvas
55 x 75.3 cm
Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949.531

Dove was one of the first American artists to paint in an abstract style. He began with nature, but simplified and rearranged forms to paint the “idea” or “essential spirit” of each.

To express his wonder at the sun’s beauty and power, the artist filled his canvas with its presence, using simple circular shapes. The pulsating rings of the sun glow like halos because he has added metallic silver to the paint. Where is the sun’s image reflected?