Weather Vane
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 32.1 x 46.7 cm (12 5/8 x 18 3/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 30 1/2" wide; 15 3/4" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.17015
Art Historical Context
Chris Makrenos's *Weather Vane* (c. 1940) is a captivating watercolor, pen and ink, and graphite rendering paper, measuring 32.1 x 46.7 cm. Created as part of the Index of Design (IAD), this work meticulously documents a folk art weather vane—originally 30 1/2 inches wide by 15 3/4 inches high—that exemplifies early American craftsmanship. Makrenos, a skilled artist in the Federal Art Project, captures the's dynamic form with precise lines and subtle shading, evoking the whimsical ingenuity of colonial-era weathervanes often shaped like animals or figures to top barns and homes. The IAD, laun...
About the Artist
Chris Makrenos
Chris Makrenos was an American artist active in the mid-twentieth century who contributed a substantial body of work to the Index of American Design, the New Deal-era federal project that documented American folk art and decorative culture through meticulous watercolor illustration. His works are held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and span a wide range of subjects drawn from ...