Composition of a House
ca. 1936
Medium
Pastel on tracing paper
Dimensions
14 1/2 × 19 3/4 in. (36.8 × 50.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Modern and Contemporary Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Pennsylvania W. P. A., 1943
Accession Number
43.46.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Composition of a House" Thomas Flavell, created around 1936, captures a domestic scene in pastel on tracing paper, a delicate medium measuring 14½ × 19¾ inches. This drawing, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Modern and Contemporary Art department evokes the simple geometries of a house through soft, layered strokes—pastel's blendable pigments lending an ethereal quality. The translucent tracing paper, often used for preliminary sketches or overlays, adds sense of experimentation, allowing light to interplay with the colors and forms. Flavell's work emerged during the Great Depression,...
About the Artist
Thomas Flavell · 1906–1975
Thomas Flavell (1906–1975) was born in Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, and developed his artistic talents in the vibrant cultural milieu of Philadelphia. He studied at the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where he trained under the guidance of Grace Thorp Gemberling, honing his skills in drawing and painting. This rigorous education equipped him with a modernist sensibility, emphasi...