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Florine Stettheimer
Russian Bank, 1921
Florine Stettheimer -- painter, poet, and designer of theatrical sets and costumes -- spent much of her youth abroad, studying art in Germany and France. At the outbreak of World War I, her family returned to New York and quickly came to dominate the city's progressive art circles. Moving away from conventional academic practice, Stettheimer developer her own self-consciously "naive" modernism of simple forms and vivid colors, derived from both European and Asian sources. She is best known for a series of "conversation-piece" portraits depicting her illustrious friends and family with a wry intimacy and warmth.
In Russian Bank, Stettheimer captures the bright sanctuary of a walled garden within the bustle of Manhattan. The title refers to the card game played by her sisters, Carrie and Ettie, at left. The artist pictures herself exiting the garden in the distance, watering can in hand. |