Photographed by Scott Wolff. Scanned from a slide by Bill Prochazka. Color corrected by Pat C…

Shaker Buildings

Artist Charles Sheeler (American, 1883-1965)

Date1934

MediumTempera and graphite on gesso panel

Dimensions9 7/8 x 13 7/8 in. (25.1 x 35.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 14 x 18 x 2 in. (35.6 x 45.7 x 5.1 cm)

ClassificationsModern art

Credit LineGift of an Anonymous Donor

Object number80.224

Terms

Buildings
Shakers
White
Black
Green
Brown
Hancock, MA

Collections

American Art before 1945

On View

On view

DescriptionThis tempera and graphite painting on gesso panel depicts the spare design of a Shaker building in Hancock, Massachusetts. The simple white clapboard structure serves as the wash house for the Shakers. There is nothing in the foreground. Moving into the background, the subject--the uniformly painted white buildings--creates a primarily white canvas. The exception to the white is the green grass, pale blue sky, and small brown building.

Label TextCharles Sheeler American, 1883–1965 Shaker Buildings, 1934 Tempera and graphite on gesso panel Charles Sheeler described the clean and sturdy shapes of these country buildings as examples of “utilitarian design” and “rightness of proportion.” Built in the 1790s, the large white structure seen here served at different times as a machine shop, mill, laundry, and infirmary for the village of Hancock, Massachusetts, home to a pious and frugal Christian sect called the Shakers. Sheeler and other modern artists praised Shaker-style architecture and furniture design for its simple and unadorned character. The painter saw a similar timeless purity and functional beauty in the bold, blocky forms of new skyscrapers and factories, other frequent subjects in his work. Gift of an Anonymous Donor 80.224