Market Scene
Artist: George Grosz (German, 1893-1959)
Date: about 1928-1930
Dimensions:
(Sheet) H: 19 in. (48.3 cm); W: 26 in. (66 cm)
Medium: Watercolor on paper.
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Museum Purchase, by exchange
Object number: 2005.35
Label Text:Bathed in dappled sunlight and rendered in a soft, fluid manner, George Grosz’s street scene lacks the artist’s earlier angular, dynamic style and biting social commentary on German society’s political corruption and social injustices. Nevertheless, this tranquil composition of a produce stand displaying brightly colored fruits and vegetables and the nearby bustle of female shoppers depends on a set of formal and thematic oppositions found throughout his work.
Grosz juxtaposes two well-dressed women walking in opposite directions, whose ample figures, complementary outfits, and recent purchases signify a comfortable, middle-class existence. Grosz indicates the advancing figure’s youth and (probable) unmarried status by her attire—blue jumper, embroidered white blouse, Mary Jane shoes, and cloche straw hat accessorized with a pink ribbon. Conversely, the receding woman—dressed in a brown fur-collared coat, black cloche, and low-heeled pumps—implies a more matronly customer. The slender woman next to her wears an apron that suggests a working-class position.
Created towards the latter part of the 1920s when Germany was experiencing a prolonged, acute food shortage, Grosz’s depiction of two well-fed women carrying baskets full of food offers a subtle rebuke of middle-class complacency.
Grosz juxtaposes two well-dressed women walking in opposite directions, whose ample figures, complementary outfits, and recent purchases signify a comfortable, middle-class existence. Grosz indicates the advancing figure’s youth and (probable) unmarried status by her attire—blue jumper, embroidered white blouse, Mary Jane shoes, and cloche straw hat accessorized with a pink ribbon. Conversely, the receding woman—dressed in a brown fur-collared coat, black cloche, and low-heeled pumps—implies a more matronly customer. The slender woman next to her wears an apron that suggests a working-class position.
Created towards the latter part of the 1920s when Germany was experiencing a prolonged, acute food shortage, Grosz’s depiction of two well-fed women carrying baskets full of food offers a subtle rebuke of middle-class complacency.
Descriptionwatercolor on paper, very fresh colors throughout
Not on view
In Collection(s)