Painting in a Man's World by Diane Broeckhoven

Yet, these women have remained largely unstudied, and virtually unknown, even among art historians. Collectively, the stunning variety and power of their work in painting, sculpture, printmaking, textiles, decorative arts, and furniture broadens our understanding of American modernism and illuminates the role of women artists in shaping it. Giving heed to his teachings, his women students engaged in a wide variety of artistic production. He preached equality among different media and approaches to art. Henri encouraged an art that was expressive of personal emotions and experience and that was grounded in life. They reveal that scores of women artists of the period produced works that were significant, influential, and indubitably modern.Īll the women considered in this study were once the art students of the popular and perhaps most influential American art teacher of the twentieth century, Robert Henri (1865≡929). But, Marian Wardle and the contributors to this long-overdue collection issue a powerful challenge to this narrow view. Typically, Georgia OKeeffe is the solitary acknowledged exception to these male-dominated modernist circles. This book demonstrates Knight's impressive skills as a painter and draftsman and her compassionate approach to the sitters with whom she worked, while also presenting a distinctive picture of twentieth-century Britain.Īmerican Women Modernists: The Legacy of Robert Henri, 1910-1945 by Sarah Burns Paperback: 274 pages Rutgers University Press (Aug 25, 2005)Įarly American modernist art has been defined for decades by a narrow range of works by almost entirely male New Yorkbased artists in the circles of Alfred Stieglitz and Walter Arensberg. This long-overdue reappraisal of a pioneering female artist features over 35 of her finest works from across her long and prolific career, demonstrating both the variety of her subjects and her consummate skills as an artist.ĭuring the course of an extraordinarily productive career that spanned over 70 years, Knight's work reflected her commitment to depicting modern life and her fascination with the human figure, as asserted in her iconic 'Self Portrait' (1913). However, her rejection of modernism and her association with the mainstream led to a decline in her reputation, and since her death she has fallen into obscurity. Laura Knight (1877-1970) was one of the leading British painters of the twentieth century. Laura Knight: Portraits by Rose Bradley – Paperback: 128 pages National Portrait Gallery (Aug 31, 2014)

Painting in a Man's World by Diane Broeckhoven