Daybreak

This dreamy 1922 painting by Maxfield Parrish became one of the most reproduced artworks of its time, hanging in countless American homes during the 1920s and 30s. Parrish was famous for his distinctive luminous blue skies and idealized classical scenes, and this work captures both perfectly. Two figures rest on a marble terrace framed by tall columns, gazing out at a fantastical landscape of mountains and ancient trees bathed in golden morning light.

Parrish created his signature glowing colors through a painstaking technique of layering thin glazes of oil paint over photographs and carefully prepared surfaces. The result is that impossibly vivid blue that came to be known as "Parrish blue," which gives the painting an otherworldly, almost magical quality. While some critics dismissed his work as overly romantic escapism, millions of people found comfort in these peaceful, beautiful visions during the uncertain years following World War I. The painting's popularity was so enormous that it reportedly appeared in one out of every four American homes at its peak.