1985.125 Otis Dozier, The Annual Move


GENERAL DESCRIPTION                      
Otis Dozier portrays the plight of individuals displaced by the Dust Bowl, but juxtaposes their despair with the hopeful solidity of the family unit.  This stark depiction of the rural area of Garland, Texas, shows a family preparing their meager belongings for departure. One senses the reassuring survival of tradition and continuity in such an uprooting; the family heirlooms clustered in the foreground, the newborn baby in its mother's arms. Dozier seems to suggest that the only expendable element is the house itself, now empty. The people and the land endure. 

Drawn from
  • Sam Ratcliffe, John Lunsford, and Joseph B. Rucker, DMA unpublished material [audio file: "Otis Dozier, The Annual Move," The Lone Star Regionalist: The Legacy of Jerry Bywaters], 2003.
  • Stewart, Rick. Lone Star Regionalism: The Dallas Nine and Their Circle 1928-1945. Austin: Texas Monthly Publishing, 1985, p. 63.  

NOTES
Created in 1936
1/11
Started note

The Annual Move is a painting which convincingly demonstrated the earthy color, sharply delineated forms, and selective composition alluded to in contemporary reviews of his work  This stark depiction of the rural area of Garland, Texas  shows a family preparing their meager belongings for departure. One senses the reassuring survival of tradition and continuity in such an uprooting; the family heirlooms clustered in the foreground, the newborn baby in its mother's arms. Dozier seemed to suggest that the only expendable element is the house itself, now empty. The people and the land endure. 

Adapted from 
Steward, Rick. Lone Star Regionalism: The Dallas Nine and Their Circle 1928-1945. Austin: Texas Monthly Publishing, 1985, p. 63.  


Otis Dozier portrays the plight of individuals displaced by the Dust Bowl, but juxtaposes their despair with the hopeful solidity of the family unit. Dozier identified so strongly with the theme of this work that he and his wife served as the models for the couple. The car, a 1918 Model A Ford, was borrowed from Dallas artist Perry Nichols. The Annual Move was one of the most acclaimed canvases at the art exhibit held in conjunction with the 1936 Texas Centennial. Dozier agreed with Jerry Bywaters, Alexandre Hogue, and the other members of the Dallas Nine that the subject of a painting subject, though important, represents a vehicle, a means to an end. As Dozier later phrased it, "You've got to start from where you are and hope to  get to the universal."  The theme of The Annual Move does transcend its realistic depiction of the shotgun house and automobile, objects that Dozier knew from life. As one discussion of the work noted, the presence of an infant and the family heirlooms bespeak a "reassuring survival of tradition and continuity in such an uprooting." Yet the pathos of the scene is inescapable. 

Adapted from
Otis Dozier, The Annual Move   Clip from The Lone Star Regionalist: The Legacy of Jerry Bywaters




Exhibition: Lone Star Regionalism :The Dallas Nine and their Circle 1928-1945, February 3, 1985-July 10, 1988

Texas Centennial 1936—The Centennial Exposition: Catalogue of the Exhibition of Paintings, Sculptures, Graphic Arts, Creator Dallas Art Association

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 
Depicted location: Garland (Texas/United States: TGN: 2104417
Place of origin: Texas (state/United States): TGN: 7007826
Place of origin: Southwest (general region/United States): TGN: 4010660

Process/materials
Oil on Masonite

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
Until 1985: Otis Dozier, Dallas, TX.
From 1985: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the artist with donated funds from Eleanor and C. Thomas May Jr.

AUDIO ASSETS 
  • 28775773: UMO: [Caption: Otis Dozier The Annual Move]

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES 

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS
  • Otis Dozier identified so strongly with the theme of this work that he and his wife served as the models for the couple in the painting.
  • The car, a 1918 Model A Ford, was borrowed from Dallas artist Perry Nichols.

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1985.125
Apply to objects where constituent_id equals 1375

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General Description
                     
Otis Dozier portrays the plight of individuals displaced by the Dust Bowl, but juxtaposes their despair with the hopeful solidity of the family unit.  This stark depiction of the rural area of Garland, Texas, shows a family preparing their meager belongings for departure. One senses the reassuring survival of tradition and continuity in such an uprooting; the family heirlooms clustered in the foreground, the newborn baby in its mother's arms. Dozier seems to suggest that the only expendable element is the house itself, now empty. The people and the land endure. 

Drawn from
  • Sam Ratcliffe, John Lunsford, and Joseph B. Rucker, DMA unpublished material [audio file: "Otis Dozier, The Annual Move," The Lone Star Regionalist: The Legacy of Jerry Bywaters], 2003.
  • Stewart, Rick. Lone Star Regionalism: The Dallas Nine and Their Circle 1928-1945. Austin: Texas Monthly Publishing, 1985, p. 63.  

Fun Facts
  • Otis Dozier identified so strongly with the theme of this work that he and his wife served as the models for the couple in the painting.
  • The car, a 1918 Model A Ford, was borrowed from Dallas artist Perry Nichols.

Archival Resources

Web Resources
 
Notes
Created in 1936
1/11
Started note

The Annual Move is a painting which convincingly demonstrated the earthy color, sharply delineated forms, and selective composition alluded to in contemporary reviews of his work  This stark depiction of the rural area of Garland, Texas  shows a family preparing their meager belongings for departure. One senses the reassuring survival of tradition and continuity in such an uprooting; the family heirlooms clustered in the foreground, the newborn baby in its mother's arms. Dozier seemed to suggest that the only expendable element is the house itself, now empty. The people and the land endure. 

Adapted from 
Steward, Rick. Lone Star Regionalism: The Dallas Nine and Their Circle 1928-1945. Austin: Texas Monthly Publishing, 1985, p. 63.  


Otis Dozier portrays the plight of individuals displaced by the Dust Bowl, but juxtaposes their despair with the hopeful solidity of the family unit. Dozier identified so strongly with the theme of this work that he and his wife served as the models for the couple. The car, a 1918 Model A Ford, was borrowed from Dallas artist Perry Nichols. The Annual Move was one of the most acclaimed canvases at the art exhibit held in conjunction with the 1936 Texas Centennial. Dozier agreed with Jerry Bywaters, Alexandre Hogue, and the other members of the Dallas Nine that the subject of a painting subject, though important, represents a vehicle, a means to an end. As Dozier later phrased it, "You've got to start from where you are and hope to  get to the universal."  The theme of The Annual Move does transcend its realistic depiction of the shotgun house and automobile, objects that Dozier knew from life. As one discussion of the work noted, the presence of an infant and the family heirlooms bespeak a "reassuring survival of tradition and continuity in such an uprooting." Yet the pathos of the scene is inescapable. 

Adapted from
Otis Dozier, The Annual Move   Clip from The Lone Star Regionalist: The Legacy of Jerry Bywaters




Exhibition: Lone Star Regionalism :The Dallas Nine and their Circle 1928-1945, February 3, 1985-July 10, 1988

Texas Centennial 1936—The Centennial Exposition: Catalogue of the Exhibition of Paintings, Sculptures, Graphic Arts, Creator Dallas Art Association

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 
Depicted location: Garland (Texas/United States: TGN: 2104417
Place of origin: Texas (state/United States): TGN: 7007826
Place of origin: Southwest (general region/United States): TGN: 4010660

Process/materials
Oil on Masonite

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
Until 1985: Otis Dozier, Dallas, TX.
From 1985: Dallas Museum of Art, purchased from the artist with donated funds from Eleanor and C. Thomas May Jr.

AUDIO ASSETS 
  • 28775773: UMO: [Caption: Otis Dozier The Annual Move]

VIDEO ASSETS

rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1985.125
tags
#draft
#completed
%copyedited_Gail
%Archived
human figures: AAT: 300404114
*American Art
@Russell
Great Depression: DMA
The Dust Bowl: DMA
windows: AAT: 300002944
Dozier_Otis: ULAN: 500331590
Southwest (general region/United States): TGN: 4010660
Texas (state/United States): TGN: 7007826
houses: AAT: 300005433
children (people by age group): AAT: 300025945
mothers: AAT: 300025932
mirrors: AAT: 300037682
photographs: AAT: 300046300
automobiles: AAT: 300178739
wheels: AAT: 300024976
brick (clay product): AAT: 300010463
roads: AAT: 300008217
water wells: AAT: 300152327
Regionalist (American Scene): AAT: 300172866
grasses (plants): AAT: 300132397
dressers (chests of drawers): AAT: 300264538
chimneys (architectural elements): AAT: 300003933
clocks: AAT: 300041575
suitcases (luggage): AAT: 300046224
cows (mammals): AAT: 300250120
roofs: AAT: 300002098
mattresses (bed components): AAT: 300040450
Onderdonk_family: ULAN: 500067826
Onderdonk_Julian: ULAN: 500001256
baby dolls (recreational dolls): AAT: 300222050
Garland (Texas/United States: TGN: 2104417
source file
object_notes_3_a-0064.xml.nores