Student Artwork Guide

Name Class Date

Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Alma. Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist: Thomas Wilmer Dewing wahooart.com/en/artists/thomas-wilmer-dewing/
Artist’s dates: 1851 – 1938
Movement: Tonalism Quiet landscapes wrapped in mist and shadow, built from a narrow range of closely related tones.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Thomas Wilmer Dewing died in 1938; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 2008.

Alma — Thomas Wilmer Dewing

When might this have been painted?

first works
main years
late works

1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930

08
918
1928
2938
3948
4958
5968
6978
7987

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 87 at death.

Shaded: the lifetime of Thomas Wilmer Dewing (1851–1938) every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1890 Main working years: 1890–1907 Late works: from 1907

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Comedia, 1894 wahooart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-comedia-8LT9DD-en/
Standing Figure with Outstretched Arm wahooart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-standing-figure-with-outstretched-arm-D4BKRD-en/
Lilac Dress, 1919 wahooart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-lilac-dress-D2Y8K9-en/

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: wahooart.com/en/art/similar/thomas-wilmer-dewing-alma-8LT9DA-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

Main colour

Black #141014

Catalogued palette

#141014
#62430B
#372718
#C0800C

These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

Palette: Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
Main colour name: Black
Intensity: Monochromatic How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
Contrast: Serene How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
Harmony: Strong Color Unity How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
Brightness: Deep_shadow How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
Saturation: Subtle Color How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

Where in the world is this painting looked at?

under 1%
1–3%
3–8%
8–20%
20% and over

This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Thomas Wilmer Dewing over the last twelve months — 7 countries in all. Where these figures come from

The ten leading countries

1 China 75.6%
2 United States of America 9.8%
3 Hong Kong 4.9%
4 Japan 2.4%
5 Malaysia 2.4%
6 Poland 2.4%
7 Singapore 2.4%

Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

The 20 most looked-at works by Thomas Wilmer Dewing

1 The Recitation 13.3%
2 BeforeAMirror, 1910 6.7%
3 The Song, 1891 6.7%
4 Lady with a Cello 4.4%
5 The Hermit Thrush, 1893 4.4%
6 Green and Gold 4.4%
7 Woman in a Blue Dress 4.4%
8 Mrs. Delancey Kane (Eleanora A. Iselin) (ca. 1851 1938), (painting), 1888 4.4%
9 Music, 1895 2.2%
10 Lady in White (No. 1), 1910 2.2%
11 Summer (also known as Moonrise), 1893 2.2%
12 The Pink Dress, 1894 2.2%
13 A Reading, 1897 2.2%
14 In the Garden, 1894 2.2%
15 The Hermit Thrush, 1890 2.2%
16 Lady in Blue, 1910 2.2%
17 The Song and the Cello, 1910 2.2%
18 Portrait of a Lady, 1895 2.2%
19 Woman in Pink 2.2%
— Alma this painting 0.0%

Together these works take 72.9% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 115 works by this artist, of which 31 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month

Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

Artist

Thomas Wilmer Dewing

Born in Boston, United States of America

early life and training

thomas wilmer dewing, an american painter, was born on may 4, 1851, in boston, massachusetts. his artistic journey began with a lithographic apprenticeship, which later led him to the prestigious académie julian in paris, where he studied under gustave boulanger and jules lefebvre starting from 1887.

artistic style and notable works

dewing's artistic style is characterized by his tonalist paintings, a genre deeply rooted in english aestheticism. his preferred subjects were aristocratic women, often depicted in moody, dreamlike surroundings, playing instruments or engaging in introspective activities. woman in black: portrait of maria oakey dewing (1887), a poignant oil on panel, showcases his wife, an accomplished painter with extensive formal art training. *lady in gold* (1912), now at the brooklyn museum, exemplifies his mastery of capturing the essence of his subjects.

teaching and associations

dewing was a founding member of the ten american painters in 1898 and taught at the art students league of new york. his association with the society of landscape painters, founded in 1899, further solidified his position within the tonalist movement.

legacy and collections

* the freer gallery of art at the smithsonian institution has a dedicated room for dewing's works. * notable collectors include john gellatly and charles lang freer.

view thomas wilmer dewing's collection on AllPaintingsStore

later life and death

dewing's artistic output declined after 1920. he passed away in new york on november 5, 1938, leaving behind a legacy of captivating, ethereal portraits that continue to intrigue art enthusiasts. *key works and collections available for reproduction at AllPaintingsStore: the white dress woman in black: portrait of maria oakey dewing lady in gold discover the world's most famous paintings with AllPaintingsStore's extensive collection

Where to read more

The artist Thomas Wilmer Dewing wahooart.com/en/artists/thomas-wilmer-dewing/
Similar works More works to compare wahooart.com/en/art/similar/thomas-wilmer-dewing-alma-8LT9DA-en/

Find this online

QR code linking to the download page for Alma

wahooart.com/en/art/download/thomas-wilmer-dewing-alma-8LT9DA-en/

Cite this artwork

MLA: Dewing, Thomas Wilmer. Alma. n.d., https://wahooart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-alma-8LT9DA-en/
APA: Dewing, Thomas Wilmer (n.d.). Alma [Painting]. https://wahooart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-alma-8LT9DA-en/
Chicago: Thomas Wilmer Dewing. Alma. n.d. https://wahooart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-alma-8LT9DA-en/
Harvard: Dewing, Thomas Wilmer (n.d.) Alma. Available at: https://wahooart.com/en/art/thomas-wilmer-dewing-alma-8LT9DA-en/

Alma — Thomas Wilmer Dewing

Look closely

Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

What catches your eye first, and why?
Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
How many faces can you find? ____ (our catalogue counts 1 — do you agree?)
Look back at Comedia (1894), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
Tonalism: Quiet landscapes wrapped in mist and shadow, built from a narrow range of closely related tones. Where can you see that in this work?

Your response

Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

Questions & Answers

Can I use augmented reality to see "Alma" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing in my room?

The AR Preview page of "Alma" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing uses augmented reality to show the artwork in your own space, on a compatible device.

How does "Alma" balance light and dark?

"Alma" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing is recorded as deep_shadow, with a dark luminance.

How do I preview a reproduction of "Alma" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing?

To preview a reproduction of "Alma" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing, open the artwork's Preview page.

From which country does the Tonalism work "Alma" come?

"Alma" was created by Thomas Wilmer Dewing, born in United States of America, within the Tonalism movement. The artist's origin links the work to Tonalism as practiced by artists from United States of America.

How is the palette of "Alma" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing described?

The colors of "Alma" form an earthy palette. This classification describes the dominant color families.

Who sells hand-painted copies of "Alma" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing?

You can order a hand-painted reproduction of "Alma" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing directly on this page: a hand-painted oil reproduction on linen canvas, made to order.

Is "Alma" free of copyright?

Regarding copyright, "Alma" is in the public domain - its copyright has expired.

How does the style of "Alma" relate to its creator's era?

In "Alma" by Thomas Wilmer Dewing, the Tonalism movement meets the 19th-Century era.