Music c. 1895

Thomas Wilmer Dewing painted "Music," likely in the late 19th century, during the American Gilded Age. Dewing’s paintings often featured women in refined, aesthetic settings. He was part of the American Renaissance, a movement that sought to elevate American art and culture to the levels of Europe. Yet this movement was complicated, as it upheld the ideals of beauty and leisure for a select class, often excluding the experiences of women and people of color. In "Music," we see two women in a verdant, dreamlike space. One stands, poised and elegant, while the other sits, strumming a stringed instrument. Their attire suggests a world of leisure, but also a constraint; their roles defined by beauty and domesticity. Dewing has captured a moment of quiet, artistic expression, but one wonders about the untold stories of these women, their ambitions, and the societal expectations that shaped their lives. The painting invites us to consider the complexities of beauty and the unspoken narratives of women within the landscape of American art.