CHARLES E. PRENDERGAST (1863-1948)

In the 1930s and 40s, Charles Prendergast increasingly turned toward fanciful scenes of everyday life. "In contrast to his heavily gilded 'celestial' works of the 1910s and 20s, which drew from art historical sources in their evocation of idyllic lands, Charles’s art of the late 1930s and 40s shifted to scenes of everyday life and experience, rendered in his signature folk art aesthetic." (New Britain Museum of American Art, "The Late Works of Charles Prendergast, 1930s-40s," nbmaa.org) The present work, executed circa 1936, depicts a colorful fair, complete with acrobatic performances, amusement rides and carnival games.