European Painting and Sculpture 1800-1945

The Cowgirl
The Cowgirl
Artist Denis, Maurice
     nationality French
     birth-death 1870-1943
Creation date about 1893
Materials oil on canvas
Dimensions 7 7/8 x 11 in.
Location Jane H. Fortune Gallery
Credit line Samuel Josefowitz Collection of the School of Pont-Aven, through the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc., the Josefowitz Family, Mr. and Mrs. James M. Cornelius, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard J. Betley, Lori and Dan Efroymson, and other Friends of the Museum
Accession number 1998.176
Wall Label

In this small image, Denis created a clever layering of the girl, spotted cow, golden wheat field, waves, and distant shore. Typical of the Pont-Aven style, their rolling lines and rounded shapes assume decorative patterns. Taking liberties with color, Denis rendered the girl's coiffe in pink rather than white.

Denis was also a theoretician of painting, and this canvas embodies his most famous observation: Remember that a painting, before being a battle horse, a nude woman, or some anecdote - is essentially a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order.


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abstract, bonnet, European, farm, landscape, ocean, painting, peasant, pink, sailboat, sea, water, waves, wheat, woman and cow
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