Saturday Afternoon
Artist
Alvan T. Fisher
(American, 1792–1863)
Dateabout 1828
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 76.8 × 63.5 cm (30 1/4 × 25 in.)
framed: 99.1 × 86.7 cm (39 × 34 1/8 in.)
framed: 99.1 × 86.7 cm (39 × 34 1/8 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of Dwight Dunn
Object number1913.91
Label TextAfter traveling through Europe to further his artistic education (1825-26), Fisher became a successful pioneer of American landscape and genre painting. Saturday Afternoon exemplifies his variations of barnyard interiors, which reveal the influence of 17th-century Dutch and British genre paintings that often conveyed humorous elements while providing a moral lesson. This cheerful scene depicts ordinary townsfolk engaging in recreational activities, with two girls on a rope swing as the central focus. The strong shaft of light creates a dramatic effect that overshadows a group of mischievous boys clambering up the barn’s rafters. Merrymaking abounds in Fisher’s sentimental study of rural life, yet the painting’s title—Saturday Afternoon—critiques the townsfolks’ work ethic, who have opted for leisure in advance of the Christian traditional day of rest, Sunday.ProvenanceDwight Dunn, Worcester MAOn View
On view
