I love that you're keeping your mother's legacy alive by sharing these beautiful works in her sketchbook. My mother was also an artist, and I only unearthed her sketchbooks when going through her effects after she passed in 1918 - at almost 101. I learned a lot about Mom's muses and influences by flipping through.
We organized a retrospective for her for a benefit for the Art Academy of Cincinnati, where she was their oldest known alumna, having studied there in some capacity from her high school years in the 1930s through the 1960s. The art curator at CAA gave the most remarkable tribute by comparing elements of her work to the influences of her teachers, among Cincinnati's finest. I only wish Mom had been there to enjoy the posthumous celebration. (But then again, maybe she was!)
Thank you, Robin. How lovely you were able to do that for your mother. How lucky she kept such careful records! I enjoyed reading your piece. My father also attended the Art Institute of Chicago (1950). I had a retrospective for my mother in NYC at her loft with guests from her Alma mater, University of Illinois.
Thank you, Eliza. Interesting that your father also studied at the Chicago Art Institute. So formative to be able to benefit from those opportunities.
I have to say that, while my mother kept a careful inventory of her paintings, awards and people who acquired her work ( to the extent she could without a computer), it was the archivist at the Art Academy who was able to trace her history, her teachers and their influences on her work. They did a beautiful job memorializing her work.
How wonderful (and what a lot of work!) that you were able to organize an event for your mom in her loft! Such meaningful tributes.
Your mother's sketchbooks are fascinating to look at and interesting to contemplate the influence of Pollock on her at the time of this abstract sketch. It is interesting to see how she played around with abstraction in the sketch from her window. I'm captivated!
Love this sketch! She talked often about those years and the pressure to go abstract… thanks liza for all these great indepth texts. I am trying to imagine a respond from mimi in the comments -). Hugs from tel aviv
I love that you're keeping your mother's legacy alive by sharing these beautiful works in her sketchbook. My mother was also an artist, and I only unearthed her sketchbooks when going through her effects after she passed in 1918 - at almost 101. I learned a lot about Mom's muses and influences by flipping through.
We organized a retrospective for her for a benefit for the Art Academy of Cincinnati, where she was their oldest known alumna, having studied there in some capacity from her high school years in the 1930s through the 1960s. The art curator at CAA gave the most remarkable tribute by comparing elements of her work to the influences of her teachers, among Cincinnati's finest. I only wish Mom had been there to enjoy the posthumous celebration. (But then again, maybe she was!)
In case you're interested, ere's a blog I wrote about Mom's artistic career--and limitations--in the lead up to her retrospective https://www.artacademy.edu/news/dottie-stevens-100-years-impressions/
Thank you, Robin. How lovely you were able to do that for your mother. How lucky she kept such careful records! I enjoyed reading your piece. My father also attended the Art Institute of Chicago (1950). I had a retrospective for my mother in NYC at her loft with guests from her Alma mater, University of Illinois.
Thank you, Eliza. Interesting that your father also studied at the Chicago Art Institute. So formative to be able to benefit from those opportunities.
I have to say that, while my mother kept a careful inventory of her paintings, awards and people who acquired her work ( to the extent she could without a computer), it was the archivist at the Art Academy who was able to trace her history, her teachers and their influences on her work. They did a beautiful job memorializing her work.
How wonderful (and what a lot of work!) that you were able to organize an event for your mom in her loft! Such meaningful tributes.
Fascinating how edgy this sort of expression must have been at the time.
And yet the pressure to conform to it was so intense
Try it you’ll like it 😂
Your mother's sketchbooks are fascinating to look at and interesting to contemplate the influence of Pollock on her at the time of this abstract sketch. It is interesting to see how she played around with abstraction in the sketch from her window. I'm captivated!
Thank you, Jill
Love this sketch! She talked often about those years and the pressure to go abstract… thanks liza for all these great indepth texts. I am trying to imagine a respond from mimi in the comments -). Hugs from tel aviv
Oh .. that’s Very interesting. I wish I’d heard her talk about it. Thank you for sharing, Dafna
I like Mimi’s abstract expressionist phase, even if it lasted for just the one painting! Stunning colours.
Thank you, Wendy. Me too!
I so appreciate the art history lessons, and your writing!
Thank you, Amy 😊