Paper

Student Artwork Guide

The Song

Name Class Date

Thomas Wilmer Dewing, The Song (1891). Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Thomas Wilmer Dewing originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/thomas-wilmer-dewing/
Artist’s dates
1851 – 1938
Painted
1891

In context

The Song — Thomas Wilmer Dewing

When was this painted?

  1. 1850
  2. 1860
  3. 1870
  4. 1880
  5. 1890
  6. 1900
  7. 1910
  8. 1920
  9. 1930

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 87 at death.

Painted when the artist was 40. The artist lived to 87. 18 of the 70 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.

Shaded: the lifetime of Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851–1938) ▲ this work, 1891 every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1890 Main working years: 1890–1907 Late works: from 1907

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/thomas-wilmer-dewing-the-song-8LT9EE-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Lime Green #5cc456

    Catalogued palette

    • #5CC456
    • #2B8028
    • #42AC3E
    • #8BE275

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Nature The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Lime Green
    Intensity
    Vivid How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Serene How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Unified Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Brilliant How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Vivid Color How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Thomas Wilmer Dewing over the last twelve months — 7 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 75.6%
    2. 2 United States of America 9.8%
    3. 3 Hong Kong 4.9%
    4. 4 Japan 2.4%
    5. 5 Malaysia 2.4%
    6. 6 Poland 2.4%
    7. 7 Singapore 2.4%

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Thomas Wilmer Dewing

    1. 1 The Recitation 16.3%
    2. 2 BeforeAMirror, 1910 8.2%
    3. 3 The Song, 1891 this painting 6.1%
    4. 4 Lady with a Cello 4.1%
    5. 5 The Hermit Thrush, 1893 4.1%
    6. 6 Green and Gold 4.1%
    7. 7 Woman in a Blue Dress 4.1%
    8. 8 Mrs. Delancey Kane (Eleanora A. Iselin) (ca. 1851 1938), (painting), 1888 4.1%
    9. 9 Music, 1895 2.0%
    10. 10 Lady in White (No. 1), 1910 2.0%
    11. 11 Summer (also known as Moonrise), 1893 2.0%
    12. 12 The Pink Dress, 1894 2.0%
    13. 13 A Reading, 1897 2.0%
    14. 14 In the Garden, 1894 2.0%
    15. 15 The Hermit Thrush, 1890 2.0%
    16. 16 Lady in Blue, 1910 2.0%
    17. 17 The Song and the Cello, 1910 2.0%
    18. 18 Portrait of a Lady, 1895 2.0%
    19. 19 Woman in Pink 2.0%
    20. 20 Lady in Blue, Portrait of Annie Lazarus, 1890 2.0%

    Together these works take 75.1% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 115 works by this artist, of which 32 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 3 of them, with 6.1% of that attention. The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Thomas Wilmer Dewing

    Born in Boston, United States of America

    **early life and training**

    thomas wilmer dewing, an american painter, was born on may 4, 1851, in boston, massachusetts. his artistic journey began with a lithographic apprenticeship, which later led him to the prestigious académie julian in paris, where he studied under gustave boulanger and jules lefebvre starting from 1887.

    **artistic style and notable works**

    dewing's artistic style is characterized by his tonalist paintings, a genre deeply rooted in english aestheticism. his preferred subjects were aristocratic women, often depicted in moody, dreamlike surroundings, playing instruments or engaging in introspective activities. woman in black: portrait of maria oakey dewing (1887), a poignant oil on panel, showcases his wife, an accomplished painter with extensive formal art training. *lady in gold* (1912), now at the brooklyn museum, exemplifies his mastery of capturing the essence of his subjects.

    **teaching and associations**

    dewing was a founding member of the ten american painters in 1898 and taught at the art students league of new york. his association with the society of landscape painters, founded in 1899, further solidified his position within the tonalist movement.

    **legacy and collections**

    * the freer gallery of art at the smithsonian institution has a dedicated room for dewing's works. * notable collectors include john gellatly and charles lang freer.

    view thomas wilmer dewing's collection on AllPaintingsStore

    more on thomas dewing at wikipedia

    explore the freer gallery of art at the smithsonian institution for more tonalist masterpieces.

    **later life and death**

    dewing's artistic output declined after 1920. he passed away in new york on november 5, 1938, leaving behind a legacy of captivating, ethereal portraits that continue to intrigue art enthusiasts. *key works and collections available for reproduction at AllPaintingsStore: the white dress woman in black: portrait of maria oakey dewing lady in gold discover the world's most famous paintings with AllPaintingsStore's extensive collection

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for The Song

    originaluniqueart.com/en/art/download/thomas-wilmer-dewing-the-song-8LT9EE-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Dewing, Thomas Wilmer. The Song. 1891, https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-the-song-8LT9EE-en/
    APA
    Dewing, Thomas Wilmer (1891). The Song [Painting]. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-the-song-8LT9EE-en/
    Chicago
    Thomas Wilmer Dewing. The Song. 1891. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-the-song-8LT9EE-en/
    Harvard
    Dewing, Thomas Wilmer (1891) The Song. Available at: https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-the-song-8LT9EE-en/

    Look closely

    The Song — Thomas Wilmer Dewing

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Our catalogue files this work under: music. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    4. Look back at Comedia (1894), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    5. Thomas Wilmer Dewing was about 40 when this was made. What in it looks like the work of an artist at that stage?

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Questions & Answers

    How do I discover artworks close to "The Song" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing?

    Artworks similar to "The Song" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing are gathered on the artwork's Similars page.

    What was Thomas Wilmer Dewing's age when "The Song" was created?

    Thomas Wilmer Dewing was 40 years old when creating "The Song" in 1891. The age is computed from the artist's birth year, 1851.

    What is the color identity of "The Song" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing?

    The color identity of "The Song" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing: a nature palette, dominated by lime green (#5cc456).