Name/Title
Untitled [artist's mother]Entry/Object ID
2007.01Description
Portrait of an older woman sitting in an upholstered chair against a burnt orange background and a red curtain in the far right. The woman is wearing a black dress and her hands are folded in her lap with a magazine under them.Context
By the 1930’s, Macena Barton was a known name in the Chicago art scene. She became known for her stately portraits painted in robust and vivid colors as well as her space-themed surrealist paintings done later in her career. It is also important to note that many of her paintings hold a strong feminist tone. Chicago art critics wrote in high regards about Barton, which certainly elevated her status but never stabilized her career financially. In 1931, critic Eleanor Jewett named Barton “the most surprisingly dynamic young painter in Chicago” (Chicago Daily Tribune). In a 1941 letter, C.J. Bulliet urged Illinois governor Dwight H. Green to choose Barton as his portrait painter, comparing her to the “old masters” and asserting that “her portraits are as interesting to onlookers who are unacquainted with the sitter as they are to his friends” (Smithsonian Archives of American Art). The portrait shown here, of Barton’s mother, is typical of her work as it displays rich colors and defined, intense features.Acquisition
Notes
Collection of DePaul Art Museum, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harlan J. BerkMade/Created
Artist
Barton, Alberta, MacenaDate made
circa 1930Ethnography
Notes
American
Chicago
North America, United States
United States, Chicago
North America
United StatesInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
SignatureLocation
recto LLCTranscription
Macena Barton, (illeg. date below)Dimensions
Dimension Description
imageWidth
36 inLength
29-1/2 inDimension Description
frameWidth
31-3/8 inDepth
1 inLength
37-7/8 inInterpretative Labels
Label
Untitled (artist's mother)
Barton, Alberta, Macena
ca. 1930
Portrait of artist's mother