An American Painting

Stacks in Celebration, 1954 Oil on canvas 22 X 28 inches signed and dated lower: Sheeler 1954 Museum purchase with funds provided by the Eloise Spaeth Fund, the Virginia Rike Haswell Fund through exchange and other sources, 1998-52

How many triangles can you find in this painting? Sheeler used triangles to break up the blue of the sky. Although all of the sky is blue, it is many different shades and tints of blue. A shade is a color mixed with black and a tint is a color mixed with white. Can you find a shade of blue and a tint of blue in the painting?

Hands-On Art Connection: Geometric Cityscape

1. Print the Sheeler’s shape guide. 

2. With a pencil, draw buildings on the printed guide. Use buildings you see in your everyday life such as your school, library or house. 

3. Lightly color each building with one color. 

4. When one color crosses a line, lightly add white or black to create a shade or tint.

Materials

• Colored pencils, pastels or crayons
• Sheeler shape quide
• Pencil