Name/Title
Untitled (spaceship landing)Entry/Object ID
2010.12Description
Bright green spaceship in a pink and yellow halo hovering above land in a dark blue sky.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). This painting differs from her usual style as it shows loose, visible brushstrokes. It does, however, align with Barton's interest of space, a theme in which she often worked.Acquisition
Notes
Collection of DePaul University, gift of Jeff ZurlindenMade/Created
Artist
Barton, Alberta, MacenaNotes
Creation Date: mid-20th centuryEthnography
Notes
North America
United States
Chicago
American
North America, United StatesInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
InscriptionLocation
BLTranscription
[signature]Material/Technique
in paintDimensions
Dimension Description
sheetWidth
15-1/2 inLength
15-1/2 inDimension Description
frameWidth
19-1/2 inDepth
1 inLength
19-1/2 inExhibition
Highlights from the Permanent Collection 2012Interpretative Labels
Label
Untitled (spaceship landing)
Barton, Alberta, Macena
mid-20th century
Spaceship landing in landscape.