Joseph Stella

Study of a Male Wood Duck

Maker

Joseph Stella (American, 1877-1946)

Title

Study of a Male Wood Duck

Year

early 1900s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

colored pencil

Supports

Dimensions

18.1 x 26 cm (7 1/8 x 10 1/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mr. Robert Aron

Object Number

81.233

Type

Exhibition History

Works in Process
Jul 31, 2021 – Jan 23, 2022

Label copy

Birds are the focus of these studies in graphite and ink. Each composition, whether a preparatory sketch or an investigative study, is carefully articulated, revealing the artist’s varied interests and intentions.

Using colored pencils, Joseph Stella meticulously rendered the subject of his study, a wood duck, capturing its feathery texture with layered, repetitive lines. Despite the softness conveyed, Stella also leans into a pronounced angularity, perhaps a hint at his cubist predilections. In contrast, the monochromatic sketches are composed of rapidly executed lines that reveal the artists’ planning processes as they each created a foundational work for a painting or print. [see also 2020.46.26 and 84.230.5].

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Joseph Stella (American, 1877-1946)
Study of a Male Wood Duck, early 1900s
Colored pencil on paper
18.1 x 26 cm (7 1/8 x 10 1/4 inches)
Gift of Mr. Robert Aron 81.233

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