Arthur Dove - Stieglitz and New York

Stieglitz and New York

When Dove returned to America in 1909 he met Alfred Stieglitz, probably by way of Maurer's written introduction. Stieglitz was a well known photographer and gallery owner who was very active in promoting modern art in America, including works by European artists that had never been seen before in the U.S. Dove decided to quit working as an illustrator but was in need of artistic identity along with emotional bolstering and Stieglitz filled both these roles. The photographer was 16 years older than Dove and his urban, Jewish and European cultural roots were in contrast to Dove's rural Anglo-Saxon Protestant heritage. Dove was said to be gentle, quiet, and a good friend while Stieglitz was known as being argumentative and shrewd. They found their common ground in the idea that art forms should embody modern spiritual values not materialism and tradition. With Stiegliz's support, Dove produced what are known as the first purely abstract paintings to come out of America. Dove’s works were based on natural forms and he referred to his type of abstraction as “extraction” where, in essence, he extracted the essential forms of a scene from nature.

Dove exhibited his works at Stieglitz’s 291 gallery in 1910 as part of the show "Younger American Painters", which also included Dove's old friend Maurer. Dove showed one painting, a large still life painted in France entitled “The Lobster”, which would be his last representational work. Stieglitz provided Dove with his first one-man show in 1912 at the 291. The show, which included a group of Dove's pastels that came to be known as "The Ten Commandments", was the first public exhibition of abstract art by an American. In the two years after meeting Stieglitz, Dove became a leader in international art developments. From 1912 to 1946 Dove showed his work annually at Stieglitz’s galleries: 291, Intimate Gallery, and An American Place. Dove used a wide range of media over the course of his career, sometimes in unconventional combinations. Dove did a series of experimental collage works in the 1920s. He also experimented with techniques, combining paints like hand mixed oil or tempera over a wax emulsion.