Lebduska, Lawrence Henry (1894-1955) Wild Horses on a Dale

Name/Title

Lebduska, Lawrence Henry (1894-1955) "Wild Horses on a Dale"

Entry/Object ID

2025.900.FA18197

Tags

Oil Painting

Description

Two horses run along an earthen path through what appears to be a stockaded chute, but upon examination the vertical columns turn out to be strata of rock, and four more horses are joining the pair from atop a stylized landform. Through a crack a blossoming tree has pushed its way into daylight; along the base of rocks grow unlikely flowers. In the distance can be seen grassy hills that might be expected in a valley, or “dale.” Lebduska gives his incongruous elements a dreamlike coherence: the similar expression upon each horse’s face; the way brown coats of hair transform into otherworldly colors upon joining the chase.

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil

Collection

Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP Collection

Made/Created

Artist

Lebduska, Lawrence Henry

Date made

1938

Dimensions

Height

24 in

Width

30 in

Location

Location

* Untyped Location

Buffalo State

Date

September 23, 2025

Condition

Overall Condition

Poor

Date Examined

Jul 27, 2025

Notes

15+ cracks on horses bodies, 5 chips upper left corner/lower left corner/lower center/upper middle left, 1 scratch upper right corner to upper middle/lower right and left corners/right middle edge, water stains/fading top middle edge to center and left side/bottom edge

Recommendations

requires cleaning

Provenance

Provenance Detail

Created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project (1930s–1940s), this collection of easel paintings was originally installed at the Mount Morris Tuberculosis Sanitorium in Livingston County, New York. Following the sanitorium’s closure in 1970, the artworks were abandoned and remained in storage until their rediscovery decades later. Now preserved and exhibited by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA), the collection is housed at the New Deal Museum in Mount Morris. Current efforts include digitization, high-resolution photography, and the creation of an online archive to ensure long-term public access and research availability.

General Notes

Note Type

Donation

Note

Tom Taylor: $100

Note Type

Cataloging Note

Note

See the entry titled 'New Deal Collection Documents' for supporting documents, and general historic and research information.