Face to Face: Selected American Portraits

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ortrait painters held a unique position in representing American culture at the turn of our 20th century. John Singer Sargent, Thomas Eakins, and Robert Henri became the great American masters – capturing portraits of the political and industrialist elite. With images of Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller and novelist Henry James, artist John Singer Sargent positioned these influential figures as icons of American society. After gaining their academic training in Europe, portrait artists returned to the U.S. to employ such techniques in their own works — declaring to the international art world that American society was bridging its Old World traditions with a uniquely American experience. Portraiture was the means of presenting such an image.

Traditionally, the genre of portraiture has been supported by patronage. For hundreds of years, European nobility, aristocrats, and the wealthy bourgeois sustained the great painters of portraiture. During the Gilded Age of

Portrait and figurative painting continues to exist as an unparalleled art — a compelling and accomplished articulation of the human character. A portrait reveals a moment in time and a person’s entire character without pretense or facade. A successful portrait by a skilled artist reveals a uniquely intimate interaction between artist and sitter – one that is pure, unguarded, and candid.

At the commencement of our new century, Sullivan Goss – An American Gallery explores the heritage of portraiture and the artists and patrons who honor the tradition. Along with a selection of vintage portraits by Colin Campbell Cooper, Don Freeman, and John Singer Sargent,we have organized a number of newly commissioned portraits by a notable selection of contemporary American painters.

Prominent collectors and patrons have commissioned pieces by Jack R. Smith, Hank Pitcher, and John Nava.

- Alissa Anderson

the1880’s, a new American “nobility” began to adopt the tradition of portraiture as a means of documenting their accomplishments and presenting an illustration of the essential American character. Artists from the Boston School were commissioned by East Coast art connoisseurs to depict figureheads of high society. Additionally, the rise in national incomes of all classes of society created by the Industrial Revolution enabled working-class families a means of commissioning portraits. Perhaps less refined than the works of Sargent or Chase – these commissions by second-tier artists gave families opportunities previously unavailable to them. Consequently, artists were empowered to represent all facets of the American experience.

OPPOSITE: John Nava | Portrait of Christine Emmons, 2004 | 80 x 43 inches | oil on canvas over board

JOHN NAVA

WILLIAM MERITT CHASE

William Merrit Chase (1849-1916) | Content Aline Johnson, nd | 64.125 x 40.375 inches | oil on canvas

Colin Campbell Cooper (1856-1937) Old Italian, December 8, 1879 21.375 x 18.25 inches oil on canvas

COLIN CAMPBELL COOPER

Colin Campbell Cooper (1856-1937) Study of a Woman, nd 20 x 17.25 inches oil on canvas

ERNEST MARTIN HENNINGS

Ernest Martin Hennings (1886-1956) | Self-Portrait, nd | 38 x 31.25 inches | oil on canvas

George Luks (1867-1933) Man in Green Sweater, nd 30 x 25 inches oil on canvas

William Frederick Foster (1867-1933) Orientalist Traveler, c. 1930s 37.5 x 32 inches oil on canvas

ANDREW DASBURG

Andrew Dasburg (1887-1979) | Portrait of Alfred, c. 1920 | 22 x 17.25 inches | oil on canvas mounted on masonite

MAX WEBER

Max Weber (1881-1961) | Blue Hair Ribbon, 1936 | 17.5 x 14.25 inches | oil on canvas

Grace Vollmer (1884-1977) Portrait of a Woman with a Purple Scarf, nd 24 x 18 inches oil on canvas

Willard Nash (1898-1942) Edith (Nash) in Green Beret, nd 30 x 24.25 inches oil on canvas

Ben Messick (1891-1981) Joey, c. 1930 29.5 x 21 inches casein on paper

Walter Frankl (1888-1963) Portrait of a Black Man, c. 1930 29 x 27.5 inches oil on canvas

JOHN BERNHARDT

John Bernhardt (1921-1963) Head, nd 8.5 x 7 inches woodblock on paper

John Bernhardt (1921-1963) Matriarch, 1956 28 x 28 inches polymer tempera on panel

Sueo Serisawa (b. 1910) Kabuki (Chushinoura), 1953 25 x 18 inches oil on canvas

SUEO SERISAWA

Sueo Serisawa (1910-2004) Portrait of a Red Haired Woman, 1942 10 x 8 inches oil on canvas

RICHARD HAINES

Richard Haines (1906-1984) | Rachel, 1969 | 16 x 18 inches | oil on canvas

Angela Perko Portrait of a Troubadour, Mason B Mason, 2004 24 x 20 inches oil on canvas

Hank Pitcher Portrait of John L., c. 1975 17.25 x 21.25 inches oil on canvas

JACK SMITH

JACK SMITH

Jack Smith 1. Portrait of Katie Meredith 2. Portrait of Will Meredith 3. Portrait of Tyler Goss (detail) 4. Portrait of Abby Meredith 5. Portrait of SarahMeredith 6. Portrait of Cosmo Goss (detail) 7. Portrait of Jack Foster 8. Portrait of Alex Foster 9. Portrait of Max Benton 10. Nude Portrait of Lynn (detail) 11. Portrait of Jake Welty 12. Portrait of Randy Welty All are black oil on copper

LIST OF ARTISTS: Bo Bartlett • John Bernhardt • Harry Carmean • William Merrit Chase • Colin Campbell Cooper Andrew Dasburg • Fremont Ellis • Anya Fisher • Frank Morley Fletcher • William Frederick Foster Robin Gowen • Richard Haines • Ernest Martin Hennings • Betty Lane • George Luks Larry McAdams • Ben Messick • Sherril Harriet Munson • John Nava • Angela Perko Hank Pitcher • John Hubbard Rich • John Singer Sargent • Sueo Serisawa Henrietta Shore • Jack Smith • Sally Storch • Ray Turner Grace Vollmer • Howard Warshaw • Max Weber

© Max Weber’s Blue Hair Ribbon is copyrighted by the Estate of Max Weber. © 2004 Unless otherwise indicated, all other material is copyrighted Sullivan Goss, Ltd. All rights reserved.

ON EXHIBIT:

NOVEMBER 10 - JANUARY 12, 2004

RECEPTION:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 | 5-7 PM 1266 COAST VILLAGE ROAD

Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery 1266 Coast Village Road Montecito, CA 93108 (805) 969-5112

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