Horse's Head
1935/1942
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
overall: 28.6 x 32.9 cm (11 1/4 x 12 15/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.17162
Art Historical Context
Behold *Horse's Head*, a captivating watercolor, graphite, and pen-and-ink drawing on paper by Donald Donovan, between 1935 and1942. Measuring 28.6 x 32.9 cm, this work is part of the esteemed Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) the Great Depression. The Index commissioned artists across the U.S. to produce meticulous renderings of everyday American folk art, crafts, and decorative objects, preserving cultural heritage through precise, colorful documentation. Donovan's piece exemplifies the project's goal of celebrating vernacular desi...
About the Artist
Donald Donovan
Donald Donovan (c. 1905–1944) was an American artist whose career centered on the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project initiative under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. This ambitious endeavor commissioned artists across the United States to create meticulous watercolor renderings of everyday folk art objects, preserving the nation's vernacular design heritage ...