Sugaring Off

Grandma Moses' life experiences in her community were the basis for nearly all of her paintings. In the present work, she depicts a bustling farm which is composed of the many elements that make Moses' paintings some of the best loved and most popular in American art. Paintings such as Sugaring Off depicted Moses' belief that men, women and children all had a role in their daily work as a community. "Work and play were intimately connected in Moses' world view, but seldom were the two so closely combined as in her memories of 'sugaring off'. The artist's written account and depictions of this annual ritual stress the integration of children into the working life of the farm, whereby they learn early on to share in its burdens and pleasures." (J. Kallir, Grandma Moses in the 21st Century, Alexandria, Virginia, 2001, p. 142) According to Jane Kallir, "Of all Moses' favorite subjects, 'sugaring off' was the one she returned to most frequently. And like other recurring motifs, it combined lived experience with a venerable pictorial tradition. The process of tapping the maple trees in early spring to release the sap in order to make maple syrup and candy was familiar to the artist from early childhood." (Grandma Moses in the 21st Century, p. 134)

This work, executed on June 29, 1944, was assigned number 700 by the artist and entered in her record book on page 30.

The copyright for this painting is reserved to Grandma Moses Properties, Co., New York.