Summer (recto)

<p>William Zorach was better known for his wood and stone sculptures, but he began his career as a painter. He initially worked in a more traditional style, but while studying in Paris in 1911, he met his future wife Marguerite Thompson, who pushed him toward a more avant-garde aesthetic. In 1913 the couple rented a house in Chappaqua, New York, where Zorach painted <em>Summer</em>. This rare, early canvas shows Zorach’s love for the organic forms of nature and his exuberant use of color. The image of four languid nudes in a pastoral setting creates a splendid vision of the artistic life, while the often nonnaturalistic hues draw attention to the abstracted, patterned surface. Both in subject matter and style, <em>Summer</em> reveals the artist’s admiration for the work of Henri Matisse, which he would have seen in Paris and at the 1913 Armory Show.</p>