GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The neon lights of Dallas's Theater Row led northeast along Elm Street to Deep Ellum (or Deep Elm), the primary business and entertainment district of African American Dallas. These two adjacent stretches of Elm Street were separated by an invisible barrier of segregation, but one that remained permeable. During his time in Dallas, George Grosz must have found an occasion to explore firsthand the nightlife of Deep Ellum, which he recorded in A Glimpse into the Negro Section of Dallas, one of the most sensuously painted watercolors in the Impressions of Dallas series he created in 1952. Grosz combines saturated, wet passages of color in the faces with crisper, drier brushwork to describe the texture of hair, mascaraed eyelashes, and straw fedoras. He captures the nocturnal setting and the effect of artificial lighting on the heavily made-up faces of the women and the shadowed sidelong glances of the men.
Adapted from
Heather MacDonald, Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2012), 66.
NOTES
Created in 1952
Object File Reviewed
Heather MacDonald, DMA label copy, 2012:
During his brief time in Dallas, Grosz found an opportunity to explore firsthand the nightlife of Deep Ellum, which he records in this sensuously painted watercolor. He combines saturated, wet passages of watercolor in the faces with crisper, drier brushwork to describe the texture of hair, mascaraed eyelashes, or straw fedoras. The image captures the nocturnal setting and the effect of artificial lighting on the heavily made-up faces of the women and the shadowed, sidelong glances of the men.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Depicted location and place of origin: Dallas (Texas/United States): TGN: 7013503
Process/materials
Watercolor on paper
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1960: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of A. Harris and Company in memory of Leon A. Harris, Sr. [1]
[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
UMO: 13310072 The History and Culture of George Grosz's Dallas, Gallery talk by Carol Roark
UMO: 13310104 Reflections on George Grosz, Gallery talk with Marty Grosz, George Grosz's son
UMO: 13310145 Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas, Gallery talk by Alan Govenar
UMO: 13316195 Frontier Fantasies Meet Frontier Realities: George Grosz in Dallas in 1952, Late Night Lecture by Barbara McCloskey
UMO: 13317549 Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas, Gallery talk by Dr. Heather MacDonald
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- The Handbook of Texas Online~Learn more about the history of Deep Ellum at the Texas State Historical Association website.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1960.129
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General Description
The neon lights of Dallas's Theater Row led northeast along Elm Street to Deep Ellum (or Deep Elm), the primary business and entertainment district of African American Dallas. These two adjacent stretches of Elm Street were separated by an invisible barrier of segregation, but one that remained permeable. During his time in Dallas, George Grosz must have found an occasion to explore firsthand the nightlife of Deep Ellum, which he recorded in A Glimpse into the Negro Section of Dallas, one of the most sensuously painted watercolors in the Impressions of Dallas series he created in 1952. Grosz combines saturated, wet passages of color in the faces with crisper, drier brushwork to describe the texture of hair, mascaraed eyelashes, and straw fedoras. He captures the nocturnal setting and the effect of artificial lighting on the heavily made-up faces of the women and the shadowed sidelong glances of the men.
Adapted from
Heather MacDonald, Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2012), 66.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- The Handbook of Texas Online~Learn more about the history of Deep Ellum at the Texas State Historical Association website.
Notes
Created in 1952
Object File Reviewed
Heather MacDonald, DMA label copy, 2012:
During his brief time in Dallas, Grosz found an opportunity to explore firsthand the nightlife of Deep Ellum, which he records in this sensuously painted watercolor. He combines saturated, wet passages of watercolor in the faces with crisper, drier brushwork to describe the texture of hair, mascaraed eyelashes, or straw fedoras. The image captures the nocturnal setting and the effect of artificial lighting on the heavily made-up faces of the women and the shadowed, sidelong glances of the men.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Depicted location and place of origin: Dallas (Texas/United States): TGN: 7013503
Process/materials
Watercolor on paper
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1960: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, gift of A. Harris and Company in memory of Leon A. Harris, Sr. [1]
[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.
AUDIO ASSETS
UMO: 13310072 The History and Culture of George Grosz's Dallas, Gallery talk by Carol Roark
UMO: 13310104 Reflections on George Grosz, Gallery talk with Marty Grosz, George Grosz's son
UMO: 13310145 Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas, Gallery talk by Alan Govenar
UMO: 13316195 Frontier Fantasies Meet Frontier Realities: George Grosz in Dallas in 1952, Late Night Lecture by Barbara McCloskey
UMO: 13317549 Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas, Gallery talk by Dr. Heather MacDonald
VIDEO ASSETS
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