GENERAL DESCRIPTION
NOTES
Created 1949
"Fort Davis is one of a series of drawings William Lester made using lithographic crayon on paper, a medium that provided the arist with a rich surface unavailable in charcoal or conte crayon. Lester discovered litho crayons while he was making prints, and began using the grease-pencil crayon directly on paper. It is among the strongest of the drawings Lester made during this period, and holds the added attraction of having been made the same year Lester painted Old Fort Davis, which the DMA acquired as a Dallas Art Association Purchase in 1949. Fort Davis, an outpost of the buffalo soldiers after the Civil War, is now a Texas landmark; Lester's portrayal focuses on a dilapidated building, its roof missing, as an epigram on the passing of time and the reclamation of man's works by nature. The two compositions are nearly identical, positing their resolution and completion at roughly the same time; this opportunity to reunited the drawing and the painting fits within the DMA's goals to fill significant gaps in its regional holdings."
Eleanor Jones Harvey, Associate Curator of American Art—value estimate for acquisition proposal.
Exhibition: Companions in Time: The Paintings of William Lester and Everett Spruce, Laguna Gloria Art Museum, May 1-June 13 1993
Related Object
1994.226 William Lester, Fort Davis
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Depicted location: Fort Davis (Jeff Davis/United States): TGN: 2104261
Place of origin: Texas (state/United States): TGN: 7007826
Process/materials
Oil on composition board
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Before 1951: William Lester
From 1951: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas Art Association Purchase [1]
[1] The Dallas Art Association is the predecessor to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name was abandoned in 1970. Works from this collection were transferred to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
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IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Texas State Historical Association~Learn more about Fort Davis and its role in Texas' history.
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FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
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Apply to objects where number equals 1951.64
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General Description
Fun Facts
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Notes
Created 1949
"Fort Davis is one of a series of drawings William Lester made using lithographic crayon on paper, a medium that provided the arist with a rich surface unavailable in charcoal or conte crayon. Lester discovered litho crayons while he was making prints, and began using the grease-pencil crayon directly on paper. It is among the strongest of the drawings Lester made during this period, and holds the added attraction of having been made the same year Lester painted Old Fort Davis, which the DMA acquired as a Dallas Art Association Purchase in 1949. Fort Davis, an outpost of the buffalo soldiers after the Civil War, is now a Texas landmark; Lester's portrayal focuses on a dilapidated building, its roof missing, as an epigram on the passing of time and the reclamation of man's works by nature. The two compositions are nearly identical, positing their resolution and completion at roughly the same time; this opportunity to reunited the drawing and the painting fits within the DMA's goals to fill significant gaps in its regional holdings."
Eleanor Jones Harvey, Associate Curator of American Art—value estimate for acquisition proposal.
Exhibition: Companions in Time: The Paintings of William Lester and Everett Spruce, Laguna Gloria Art Museum, May 1-June 13 1993
Related Object
1994.226 William Lester, Fort Davis
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Depicted location: Fort Davis (Jeff Davis/United States): TGN: 2104261
Place of origin: Texas (state/United States): TGN: 7007826
Process/materials
Oil on composition board
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Before 1951: William Lester
From 1951: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas Art Association Purchase [1]
[1] The Dallas Art Association is the predecessor to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name was abandoned in 1970. Works from this collection were transferred to the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
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1951.64
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