Fractur Paintings (Upper-a Hymn; Lower- Religious Motto)

Art Historical Context

Behold *Fractur Paintings (Upper—a Hymn; Lower—Religious Motto)*, a delicate watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite rendering on paper by Albert Levone, created around 1940. Measuring 33.7 x 25.2 cm overall, this work meticulously documents two original Pennsylvania German folk art pieces: a compact upper hymn ( 3/4 x 3 inches) and a wider lower religious motto (36 x 4 3/4 inches). Part of the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design collection, it captures the vibrant, ornamental essence of Fraktur—a cherished 18th- and 19th-century tradition among German settlers in Pennsylvania. Fraktur, or "fractur" paintings, feature hand-lettered scripts adorned with floral motifs, hearts, birds, and pious inscriptions, often for birth records, hymns, or moral sayings. Levone's precise technique—layering translucent watercolors with fine colored pencil details and graphite outlines—exemplifies the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project (1935–1942) that employed artists to document vanishing American crafts through faithful reproductions. This artwork highlights the cultural vitality of Pennsylvania Dutch communities, preserving their devotional folk art amid modernization. Its inclusion in the Index underscores a New Deal-era effort to celebrate everyday American creativity, inviting us to appreciate the spiritual whimsy and skilled draftsmanship of these humble treasures.

About the Artist

Albert Levone · 1855–present

Albert Levone was an American artist who contributed to the Index of American Design, the Works Progress Administration's landmark program to document the nation's decorative arts heritage through precise watercolor rendering. Active during the late 1930s and early 1940s, Levone focused his work on the material culture of the Pennsylvania German community, producing renderings of objects that incl...