The Irvine Museum
Irvine, CA
949-476-2565
http://www.irvinemuseum.org
A Woman's View: Paintings
by Women Artists
January 27, 2001 - May 19, 2001
Far from being limited
to a dilettante role, women artists in California were important figures
in the early part of the twentieth century and excelled in landscape painting,
as well as portrait, figural, and still-life. Moreover, they set the standard
in such diverse media as oil painting, watercolor, and sculpture.
As
one of the founders of the Laguna Beach Art Association (see our story on
the Laguna Art Colony), in 1917, Anna Althea Hills (1882-1930) played a
key role in organizing and, later as its president, in charting the course
of the California Plein-Air style. A popular art teacher, she helped guide
the careers of numerous artists of the period, including George Kennedy
Brandriff (1890- 1936). The Irvine Museum exhibition, A Woman's View,
shows several works by Hills, including the small and charming outdoor sketch
entitled By the Roadside Near El Toro, 1914. (left: Elanor
Colburn, Bathing Baby '30, oil oil canvas, 36 x 33 inches)
One of the most popular artists whose works are on display
at The Irvine Museum is Jessie Arms Botke (1883-1971). Her elegant and 
brightly
colored paintings of exotic birds and plants stand out for their sheer power
to dazzle the eyes of the viewer. Nationally known as one of the important
American Art Deco painters, Botke's works shimmer with color and graceful
detail, often times accompanied by large areas of gold leaf as part of the
design. (right: Elsie Payne (1884-1971), Red Cliffs, gouache
on paper, 11 1/2 x 14 inches)
Not
all California painters were Impressionist inspired. Starting in about 1914,
a group of progressive artists began to show works of strong modernist ideals.
Among these were Mabel Alvarez (1891 -1985), Elanor Ruth Colburn (1866-1939),
Meta Gehring Cressey (1882-1964), Helen Katherine Forbes (1891-1945), Donna
Norine Schuster (1883-1953) and Elsie Palmer Payne (1884-1971). Their bold
use of color and line is in stark contrast to the realistic appearance of
the Plein-Air paintings usually associated with this period. (left:
Donna Schuster (1883-1953), On the Beach, c. 1917, Collection of
The Irvine Museum)
Readers may also enjoy related articles in our 20th Century
Pacific Painting magazine.
Resource Library editor's
note:
For biographical information on artists referenced in this
article please see America's Distinguished
Artists, a national registry of historic artists
Click on images bordered in red to enlarge them.
This article was originally published in 2000.
Rev. 8/27/09
Read more articles and essays concerning this institutional
source by visiting the sub-index page for the Irvine
Museum in Resource Library.
Search Resource
Library for thousands of articles and essays on American art.
Copyright 2009 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights
reserved.
As
one of the founders of the Laguna Beach Art Association (see our story on
the Laguna Art Colony), in 1917, Anna Althea Hills (1882-1930) played a
key role in organizing and, later as its president, in charting the course
of the California Plein-Air style. A popular art teacher, she helped guide
the careers of numerous artists of the period, including George Kennedy
Brandriff (1890- 1936). The Irvine Museum exhibition, A Woman's View,
shows several works by Hills, including the small and charming outdoor sketch
entitled By the Roadside Near El Toro, 1914. (left: Elanor
Colburn, Bathing Baby '30, oil oil canvas, 36 x 33 inches)
