From the collection of:
Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University || VAM Home

Clamming Montauk Point depicts men hunting for clams in Montauk, Long Island, only a short distance from artist Samuel Margolies’ hometown of Brooklyn. Authorized under President George Washington in 1792, the Montauk Point Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in the state of New York.

About the Artist

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in March 1987, Samuel Margolies was educated at Cooper Union Art School and at the National Academy of Design. A member of the Queensboro Society of Allied Arts and Crafts, the Society of American Etchers, American Printmakers, the American Veterans Society of Artists, and the American Artists Congress, Margolies was incredibly active in the art world. He worked as a printmaker for the Works Progress Administration easel painting program from 1935 until 1939, when he left to work as a circuit designer for the Bundy Corporation. In the 1950s, he began teaching courses in etching. Margolies participated and won prizes in a number of important exhibitions in New York, and his work remains in the collections of various embassies and federal buildings in Washington, D.C.

Classroom Ideas

Discussion: What is the focal point of this artwork? Can you tell what kind of weather is depicted in Clamming Montauk Point? How? What kind of mood does this work evoke?

Activity: Re-create Clamming at Montauk Point in color, using a palette of your choice. How has the use of color affected the mood of the work? How would it change if you had chosen a palette darker or brighter than the one you did?

Links

An extensive list of links to Margolies images can be found at the World Wide Arts Resources web site.
[wwar.world-arts-resources.com/masters/m/margolies-samuel.html]

See pictures of the Montauk Point Lighthouse at its official web site.
[www.montauklighthouse.com/pictures.htm]

Visit Nancy Lorance’s New Deal Art During the Great Depression web site for background information and lesson plans on federal art programs during the Great Depression.
[www.wpamurals.com]