Lehigh Water Tower

Lehigh Water Tower depicts an industrial water tower in Geneva, New York, surrounded by telephone poles and deep snow. As an artist Dove believed that all things—both natural and manufactured—possess a spirit or energy that animates them and sought to depict those unseen rhythms and powers in his art. Here he imbues the scene with energy by concentrating on its atmospheric conditions and “essence” over its physical details. Its potency comes from Dove’s energetic brushwork and expressive use of line and color. Washes of blue denote the winter sky while broad expanses of brown suggest factories or other urban buildings. At the same time, the artist left much of the paper’s ground bare to indicate snow, light, and icy conditions equally.