Afternoon at the Beach
Artist/Maker
Reginald Marsh
(United States (b. Paris), 1898-1954)
Date1947
Mediumoil on masonite
DimensionsSight: 17 1/4 x 23 1/8 in. (43.8 x 58.7 cm)
Framed: 23 1/4 x 29 3/8 x 1 3/8 in. (59.1 x 74.6 x 3.5 cm)
Framed: 23 1/4 x 29 3/8 x 1 3/8 in. (59.1 x 74.6 x 3.5 cm)
ClassificationsVisual Works
Credit LineMuseum purchase through funds from Friends of Contemporary Art
Terms
Object number50.008.000
DescriptionWorking in a realist style, and considered a Regionalist or "American Scene" painter by some art historians, Reginald Marsh was known for his vigorous renderings of New York's urban scene and his depictions of the daily activities of ordinary New Yorkers. His portrayal of bathers cavorting on a crowded beach evokes an idyllic era in the years immediately following World War II. The sinuous, economic line Marsh employed suggests his early background as a cartoonist and a later career as a graphics illustrator for newspapers and magazines. The bulging figuration reflects Marsh's academic training and accounts for his frequent comparison to the Flemish master, Peter Paul Rubens. While Marsh's painting does not identify a specific beach, there is a high probability that the setting is Coney Island, for the artist frequently painted crowd scenes there.On View
Not on viewCollections