Bust portrait of a man in a grey, pinstripe suit and striped tie. Background is light blue.
Artwork Details
Medium
Oil on Canvas
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 is typical of her work as it displays rich colors and defined, intense features.
Acquisition
Notes
Collection of DePaul University, gift of Jeff Zurlinden
Made/Created
Artist
Barton, Macena Alberta
Notes
Creation Date: mid-20th century
Ethnography
Notes
North America
United States
Chicago
North America, United States
