Before Ethel Mars and Maud Hunt Squire moved to Paris, the pair traveled to Europe in 1902, visiting Germany and Switzerland as well as France. The two women met while they were students at the Cincinnati Art Academy and then moved to New York City to work as illustrators.
They also showed their work together, as well as separately, with their first joint exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum of Art in 1903. From that show, the museum purchased a Mars print, The Japoniste Lamp. It's worth noting that Mars acknowledged the influence of Japanese art without being overly serious, just as she would later wear flamboyant outfits in Paris to 'epater les bourgeoises.'
Her subject matter changed in Paris, too. Perhaps she felt freer to portray women together in its more tolerant atmosphere, along with her new interest in the works of Kandinsky and the Nabis. Mars experimented with the effects of light on water, like her contemporary, Bertha Lum (1869-1954), but Mars used a grittier texture, a more naturalistic look.
You may also be interested in Another Part Of the Story: Maud Hunt Squire, posted here 19 December 2009.
Images:
They also showed their work together, as well as separately, with their first joint exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum of Art in 1903. From that show, the museum purchased a Mars print, The Japoniste Lamp. It's worth noting that Mars acknowledged the influence of Japanese art without being overly serious, just as she would later wear flamboyant outfits in Paris to 'epater les bourgeoises.'
Her subject matter changed in Paris, too. Perhaps she felt freer to portray women together in its more tolerant atmosphere, along with her new interest in the works of Kandinsky and the Nabis. Mars experimented with the effects of light on water, like her contemporary, Bertha Lum (1869-1954), but Mars used a grittier texture, a more naturalistic look.
You may also be interested in Another Part Of the Story: Maud Hunt Squire, posted here 19 December 2009.
Images:1. Ducks, 1904, Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington, DC. 
2. Flamingos, 1903, Mary Ryan Gallery, NYC.
2. Flamingos, 1903, Mary Ryan Gallery, NYC.
3. Black Forest, 1906, Mary Ryan Gallery, NYC.
4. River Boats-Lucerne,c. 1906, Mary Ryan Gallery, NYC.
5. Le Soir, 1904, Mary Ryan Gallery, NYC.
6. The Japoniste Lamp, c. 1903, Cincinnati Museum Of Art, Ohio.
4 comments:
Fascinating. I have never heard of them, but their works are outstanding. Those Cincinnati artists are really under-rated both within and outside the USA. This is art that deserves to be seen. Well done
Clive,thnak you. I think the best publicity any museum can do in the internet age is to digitize its collection. These works have been waiting for someone to look at them. And now we can.
That grittier look is astounding. Especially with those colours.
Long before she met B. J. O. Nordfeldt, Mars was experimenting with the use of white in various ways. Although her palette is similar to the faded Japanese prints that were popular in her day, Mars xperimented with other effects.
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