Elizabeth Nourse (American, 1859-1938)

Etude, Fleurs
Signed "Elizabeth Nourse" l.r., inscribed "Artists Elizabeth Nourse/Adresse 80 rue d'Assas, Paris/Sujet ?tude. Fleurs./Prix/Salon 1911" on two partial labels affixed to the stretcher, inscribed "Exp. Am?ricaine/Miss E. Nourse/Nombre 3/donn? re?u" on an unattributed label affixed to the stretcher bar, with an exhibition label from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (see below), and labels from Vose Galleries, Boston, and Godel & Co. Fine Art, New York, all affixed to the frame backing.
Oil on canvas, 26 x 26 in. (66.0 x 66.0 cm), framed.
Condition: Scattered small areas of retouch, minor surface grime.

Provenance: Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Ryan, Cincinnati, from 1980; private collection.

Exhibitions: Exposition Nationale des Beaux-Arts (Salon of the Soci?t? Nationale des Beaux-Arts), Paris, 1911, no. 1015; Elizabeth Nourse (1859-1938): A Salon Career, National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, January 14-April 17, 1983, and Cincinnati Art Museum, May 12-July 3, 1983, no. 42 (lent by Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Ryan, Cincinnati).

N.B. Cincinnati-born artist, Elizabeth Nourse, travelled to Paris in 1887 with her sister, Louise, and made the city her home for the remainder of her life. Her first submission to the Salon, La m?re (Cincinnati Art Museum), was an academic-style portrayal of mother and child that was not only accepted, but was hung "on the line," at the prime eye level reserved for the jury's favorite entries. Nourse signed La m?re "E. Nourse" because she believed she would have more opportunity for success if it was not obvious that she was a woman. It was not until 1911, when she had achieved critical and commercial acclaim that she began to sign paintings with her full name, as she did Etude, Fleurs. During the 1890s, as French Impressionism gained attention, she began to use the brighter colors and bolder technique evident in this vibrant, thoughtfully composed still life.

Condition: There is very fine craquelure evident in raking light and under magnification, and slightly more prominent craquelure in some areas of impasto.

Framed dimensions: 38 1/4 x 38 1/4 x 2 1/4 in.

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