Name/Title
Two O Clock in the AfternoonEntry/Object ID
2017.17Description
Exterior view of storefront with green lit up store sign reading "Bobby's Hobby Shop."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). Though she is best remembered for these dramatic and highly acclaimed portraits, it seems also produced a number of Chicago related city scenes such as this.Acquisition
Notes
Collection of DePaul Art Museum; gift of Arthur D. JamesMade/Created
Artist
Barton, Alberta, MacenaDate made
1975Lexicon
Getty AAT
Concept
urban, culture-related conceptsHierarchy Name
Associated Concepts (hierarchy name)Facet
Associated Concepts FacetDimensions
Dimension Description
overallWidth
32 inLength
24 in