Gertrude Abercrombie, (1909-1977)
Reverie, 1947
Oil on masonite, 18 by 22 inches 
Illinois State Museum collection

How does Abercrombie pull the viewer into the space of this landscape? 

What mood does the placement of objects create? Why?

Gertrude Abercrombie's paintings often showed a world of nearly empty rooms and almost unpopulated landscapes. The fantasy worlds she created in her paintings show both her urban life in Chicago and her rural background. 

Abercrombie's surrealist paintings were done in a simple representational style with careful drawing. Although the landscapes lead toward a distant horizon, the painter shortens the distance with flatly painted skies and use of dark middle tones of color.