Study for 'Lake Afternoon'

Of the related oil painting Lake Afternoon in The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Ann Lee Morgan writes, "Lake Afternoon, with its monsters rising from the waters, along with a few other paintings, seem today like naive, almost childish attempts to represent the forces that animate the universe. We should not underestimate the extent to which Dove was attempting to be humorous...Nonetheless, their intended meaning--and ultimate seriousness of purpose--should be appraised in light of more sophisticated parallels to be found among the surrealist artists. For instance...in the contemporary work of [Jean] Arp and [Joan] Miró for Lake Afternoon." (Arthur Dove: Life and Work, With a Catalogue Raisonné, Newark, Delaware, 1984, p. 72n69)