#stettheimer

Happy 149th Birthday, Florine Stettheimer! Born on this day in Rochester, New York, Stettheimer became an icon of Modern art, creating exuberant paintings of the American Jazz Age using a vibrant palette. Unfortunately, some of the pigments Stettheimer chose can degrade over time. This detail shows a figure wearing a skirt that was painted with the pigment cadmium yellow. The arrow points to where the pigment has begun breaking down into whitish materials, lightening the bright yellow color. Under ultraviolet light, as seen in the second detail image, some of those whitish materials will appear bright orange.

Florine Stettheimer (1871–1944) Costume design (Ariadne on a Panther) for artist's ballet 'Orphée of the Quat-z-arts' c. 1912

Oil, putty, fabric, and beads on canvas

43.5 x 63.5 cm

"Spring Sale at Bendel’s” is one of American Modernist Florine Stettheimer’s most beloved artworks. In addition to making paintings that referenced her glamorous life, she hosted a salon that brought together important artists of the time, like Marcel Duchamp, Alfred Stieglitz, and Georgia O’Keeffe. By examining this work with different light sources, we gain an understanding of the way Stettheimer painted. Like “black light,” ultraviolet light causes certain materials in the painting to fluoresce differently, which reveals aspects of Stettheimer’s process and paint colors.

Florine Stettheimer (1871–1944) The Cathedrals of Broadway 1929

Oil on canvas 152.7 x 127.3 cm

Florine Stettheimer (1871–1944) Heat 1919

Oil on canvas 127 x 92.7 cm

646-10-3