c. 1914-1915

Sunday Promenade

American, 1858 - 1924

A member of The Eight (a group of American modernist painters who focused their attention on scenes of daily life), Maurice Prendergast was an important progenitor to some of the younger artists that showed at Alfred Stieglitz’s 291 gallery in New York City. In turn, his frequent visits to the gallery had a lasting influence on his own art. Prendergast’s decorative brand of Post-Impressionism recasts forms into flat patterns and shapes. In this painting the pigment is applied in heavy dabs that are skillfully woven together to form a rich tapestry of color. The friezelike composition depicts a promenade of well-dressed men, women, and children, their playful dogs in tow, enjoying a leisurely Sunday in a seaside park.