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Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Afternoon at the Beach
Collection of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Held by the artist.

Afternoon at the Beach

Artist/Maker Reginald Marsh United States (b. Paris), 1898-1954
Date1947
CultureAmerican
Mediumoil on masonite
DimensionsSight: 17 1/4 x 23 1/8 in. (43.8 x 58.7 cm)
Framed: 23 1/4 x 29 3/8 x 1 3/8 in. (59.1 x 74.6 x 3.5 cm)
ClassificationsVisual Works
Credit LineMuseum purchase through funds from Friends of Contemporary Art
Terms
    Object number50.008.000
    On View
    Not on view
    Collections
    • Art of North America
    DescriptionWorking in a realist style, and considered a Regionalist or "American Scene" painter by some art historians, Reginald Marsh was known for his vigorous renderings of New York's urban scene and his depictions of the daily activities of ordinary New Yorkers. His portrayal of bathers cavorting on a crowded beach evokes an idyllic era in the years immediately following World War II. The sinuous, economic line Marsh employed suggests his early background as a cartoonist and a later career as a graphics illustrator for newspapers and magazines. The bulging figuration reflects Marsh's academic training and accounts for his frequent comparison to the Flemish master, Peter Paul Rubens. While Marsh's painting does not identify a specific beach, there is a high probability that the setting is Coney Island, for the artist frequently painted crowd scenes there.