Waterfront Mill
Artist: Niles Spencer (American, 1893–1952)
Original Dimensions: 30" x 36"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (1940) "Depicting an industrial mill complex in a flat, angular style, Spencer’s Waterfront Mill, like Charles Sheeler’s Water, notably lacks signs of human presence and activity. The mill is pristinely painted with clean edges and smooth brushwork; there is no evidence of age or wear-and-tear. Thus, Spencer’s composition, based on a historical mill in Bristol, Rhode Island, appears as an emblem of timeless efficiency. Interest in such examples of vernacular architecture spiked among artists after the end of World War I and through World War II, partly because their no-nonsense design seemed to exemplify the phrase "form follows function," coined by architect Louis Sullivan." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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