Rooster Weather Vane
c. 1945
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 40.7 x 32.7 cm (16 x 12 7/8 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16163
Art Historical Context
Behold the spirited *Rooster Weather Vane* by Robert Pohle, created around 1945 as part of the Index of American Design. This watercolor and graphite rendering on paperboard (40.7 x 32.7 cm) captures the iconic form of a traditional American folk art object—a vigilant rooster perched atop a vane, ready to swivel with the winds. Pohle's precise graphite underdrawing and vibrant watercolors bring to life the rooster's bold contours, glossy feathers, and proud stance, evoking the craftsmanship of early American metalworkers. Produced under the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project ...
About the Artist
Robert Pohle
Robert Pohle is an artist about whom the available historical record provides limited documentation. His dates and nationality have not been firmly established, and the circumstances of his training and career remain unclear from currently available sources. The works associated with his name suggest a practiced hand, but without reliable biographical anchors it is not possible to place him confid...