American art the_edith_and_milton_lowenthal_collection_the_metropolitan_museum_of_art_bulletin_v_54_no_1_summer_1996

American Art
The Edith and Milton Lowenthal Collection
LisaMintzMessinger
TheMetropolitanMuseumof Art

TheMetropolitanMuseumof ArtBulletin
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin
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Thispublicationwas made possiblethroughthe
generosityof the LilaAchesonWallaceFundfor
TheMetropolitanMuseumof Artestablished by
the cofounderof Reader's Digest.
Reprintof The MetropolitanMuseumof ArtBulletin
(Summer1996) ? 1996 byThe MetropolitanMuseum
of Art,1000 FifthAvenue,NewYork,N.Y.10028-0198.
Design:PatrickSeymourforTsangSeymourDesign.
Allphotographs,unless otherwisenoted, byThe
PhotographStudioof The MetropolitanMuseumof Art.
Photographers:Joseph CosciaJr.,KatherineDahab,
Anna-MarieKellen,Oi-CheongLee, PatriciaMazza,
CaitlinMcCaffrey,BruceSchwarz,EileenTravell,
KarinL.Willis,and CarmelWilson.
Photographysuppliedand photocopyrightheld bythe
institutionslistedinthe captionsaccompanyingthe
illustrations,except as noted.
Thefollowingphotographswereobtainedfromthe
LowenthalPapers,TheArchivesof AmericanArt,
SmithsonianInstitution,Washington,D.C.:John
Atherton,Bar Detail;DarrelAustin,TheFamily,Spirits
of the Stream;PaulBurlin,TheSoda Jerker,Merchant
of Pearls;DavidBurliuk,Blue Horse;JonCorbino,
FightingHorsemen;BriggsDyer,Streetin Galena;
RaphaelGleitsmann,StarkCounty-Winter;George
Grosz,StandingNude;RobertGwathmey,Endof Day;
PeterHurd,AnEveningin Spring;FrankKleinholz,
FlowerVendors;WaltKuhn,TheMandolinist;Rico
Lebrun,TheBeggar;LuigiLucioni,Variationsin Blue;
Joseph De Martini,TheLighthouse;HenryMattson,The
Wave;ElliotOrr,Heraldof Disaster;AnthonyPisciotta,
EnchantedCity;Josef Presser,MagicMountain;
AbrahamRattner,Temptationof SaintAnthony;
MaxWeber,GoodNews.
MadisonArtCenter,Wisconsin,photographsbyAngela
Webster.
Cover:StuartDavis,ReportfromRockport,detail.See
page 8.
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Director's Note
Edithand MiltonLowenthalwere pioneeringcollectors of con-
temporaryAmericanart, who, in a span of approximatelytwenty
years, amassed holdingsthat exemplifythe range of American
artof the 1930s and 1940s. Theirpassion and commitment
as collectors were instrumentalin increasingawareness and
appreciationof the worksof those decades among other collec-
tors and institutions.Theybecame champions of Americanart,
and theircontributionsto a heightened awareness of the merits
of that artare celebrated in this Bulletinand in the accompany-
ing exhibitionat the MetropolitanMuseum (October10, 1996-
January12, 1997). The publicationand the exhibitionhighlight
the 8 workspresented posthumouslyfromthe Edithand Milton
LowenthalCollectionto the Museum, as well as a selection of
fortyother paintings,sculptures, and drawingsfromtheir hold-
ings now in publicand privatecollections. The 48 worksare
illustratedin color and discussed in separate entries. A com-
plete checklist of the 155 worksthat at one time or another
constituted the Lowenthals'holdingsof twentieth-century
Americanart concludes the text.
The Museum received seven paintingsand a drawingfrom
the Lowenthals'collection in 1992, includingtwo paintingsby
StuartDavis (ReportfromRockportand Arboretumby Flash-
bulb);one byArthurDove (TheInn);two by MarsdenHartley
(AlbertPinkhamRyderand Mt. Katahdin,Maine, No. 2);
one by MaxWeber (Hasidic Dance); and one paintingand
one drawingby CharlesSheeler (Americanaand TheOpen
Door, respectively).Eacheither fills a lacuna in the Museum's
collection or adds strengthto alreadydistinguishedholdings.
These works,and the fortyothers accompanyingthem
in the exhibition,stand as testimony to the strengths of the
Lowenthals'collection. We are happyto give ourvisitorsthe
opportunityto examine these worksin one forum,and to
express our appreciationto the Lowenthalsand their heirs,
Mr.and Mrs.LouisM. Bernsteinand Mr.and Mrs.AlfredE.
Bernstein.We also extend our sincere thanks to LisaMintz
Messingerfor her role in mountingthe exhibitionand her
authorshipof this publication.
Philippede Montebello
Director
3
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Introduction
Notes to the texts can be found beginningon page 54.
InJanuary1943, when Edithand MiltonLowenthalacquired
theirfirstcontemporaryAmericanworks,they also kindleda life-
longpassion forthe artof theirowntime. Theirenthusiasm led
them to become staunch and earlydefenders of modernartas it
developed inAmerica.Overthe yearsthe Lowenthalswere hailed
as pioneersforboldlycollectingpieces fromthe 1930s and
1940s even beforethey were widelyreflectedinotherAmerican
collections and museums. Throughnumerousgifts made during
theirlifetimes,the Lowenthalsplayeda significantroleinincreas-
ingthe presence of AmericanartinAmericanmuseums and in
raisingnationalawareness of that art'sconsiderablemerits.
The Lowenthals'commitmentto contemporaryAmerican
artwas engendered in partbytheir manyvisitsto the large
juriedexhibition"ArtistsforVictory,"held at the Metropolitan
Museumduringthe winterof 1942-43. Duringits installation
fromDecember 7, 1942 (the one-year anniversaryof the
bombingof PearlHarbor),throughFebruary22, 1943, the
Lowenthalsvisitedabout twenty-sixtimes to studythe 1,418
workson view,all bycontemporaryAmericanartists. Infact,
theirfirstfourpurchases were made directlyfromthe exhibition.
Reflectingon this experience in 1952, MiltonLowenthalwrote:
Ourexperiencein collectingcontemporaryAmericanartcom-
menced withan excitingand wondrousdiscovery-that in this
magnificentcountryof ours there existed an artin whichwe
couldjustifiablytakegreat pride.Inone tremendouslythrilling
moment there fellfromourshoulders the weightof an apolo-
getic attitudethe Americanpeople have too long felt towards
the artof theirown country.No longerwere we a nationof
ingeniousmachines butalso a nationpossessed of a soul and
a spiriturgentlyand magnificentlyexpressingitself in canvas
and stone; a nationpossessed of poets, musicians and artists
equal to those of any othernation.... Eachartistspoke in his
own tongue, yet all merged in one gloriousresoundingvoice
crying,"Thistoo is you America."Canthere be any wonder
then that withthisjoy that filledourhearts we turnedto the
Americanartistforthe most thrillingexperience of ourlifetime
together,the collectingof contemporaryAmericanart?...Our
task is clear.TheAmericanartistdeserves oursupportand
encouragement. Wemust not failhim.
Thefeelings of nationalpridearoused inthe Lowenthals
echoed the intentof the exhibition'sorganizers,a nonprofit
groupcalled ArtistsforVictoryInc. Its members shared a desire
to involveartists inAmerica'swareffort,"sothat we shall
remaina free nation, dedicated to a creativeuseful life, prac-
ticingthe arts and sciences of peace." One of the firstprojects
EdithLowenthal,ca. 1935-40 MiltonLowenthal,ca. 1935
of this groupwas the competitionat the Metropolitan,and by
all accounts the patrioticmessage of the exhibitionwas well
receivedbythe publicand the press. As one reporterproclaimed,
the show "reaffirmsour beliefthat it is worthfightinga warso
that the individualmay continue to express himselfwithoutfear,
and that we value his freedom so preciouslywe willexhibit,in
the midstof war,the productof his expression."
Greatlyinspiredbywhatthey had seen at the Metropolitan,
the Lowenthalsbegan to frequentother NewYorkmuseums and
galleries, and withina yearthey had acquiredan astounding
forty-sevenworksfromsixteen differentvendors. Theyadded
eighty-threemore pieces between 1944 and 1949. Afterthat,
the rate of theiracquisitionsdeclined, but by 1965, when the
Lowenthalsmade their last purchase, the total numberof works
that had been partof theircollection had grownto an impres-
sive 155 items (eighty-eightpaintings, eight sculptures, and
fifty-ninedrawings).What is perhaps most astonishing, con-
sideringthe qualityof theirselections, is thatthe entirecollection
was acquiredforsomething under$100,000.
Atfirstthey patternedtheirchoices afterthose made bythe
museums and galleriesthey most respected. Itis verytellingthat
thirtyof the sixty-sixartistsinthe finalincarnationof the Lowenthal
Collectionwere representedinthe "ArtistsforVictory"exhibition.
Evenlater,when they had developed considerableexpertise,they
frequentlyacquiredspecific worksafterseeing them in museum
shows. Unlikesome collectors who had curatorsrecommend
purchases, the Lowenthalspreferredto consult installationson
theirownto determinethe artiststhey should consider.
Theirassociation withdealers, on the other hand, was
much more personaland direct. Forexample, the Lowenthals
4
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found a sympatheticand guidingspiritin EdithGregorHalpert,
owner-directorof the DowntownGallery,whomthey met during
theirfirstweeks of purchasing.Halpert'simpressiverosterof
artistsincludedsuch notables as StuartDavis,ArthurDove,
MarsdenHartley,YasuoKuniyoshi,Jacob Lawrence,Georgia
O'Keeffe,AbrahamRattner,Ben Shahn, CharlesSheeler, and
MaxWeber.Not surprisingly,these were the same artistswho
were the foundationof the LowenthalCollection.Intotal the
Lowenthalsacquiredforty-sixpicturesfromHalpertbetween
1943 and 1958. Althoughthey patronizedmanydifferent
galleries-Paul Rosenberg,forexample, sold the Lowenthals
twenty-oneworks-their relationshipwithHalpertwas the most
essential in shapingtheiraesthetic judgments and in defining
the emphasis of theirholdings.
Yet,inspite of the obvious influences exerted by museum
standardsand galleryadvice, the Lowenthalsremainedopen to
the meritsof manydifferentkindsof art.Theirselections, which
were sometimes eclectic or adventurous,showed an unusual
willingnessto take chances on the unproven.Inadditionto
pieces bythe well-knownartistsof the period,scattered through-
out the collectionare those by lesser-knownfigureson whom
they took a chance, sayingthat it required"nospecial courage
to buynames." Believingthat the process of collectingwas a
constant learningexperience, they shaped and reshaped their
holdingsmanytimes as their interests changed and developed.
Understandably,as theirknowledgeof twentieth-centuryart
expanded, so too didthe scope of theirholdings.Amongtheir
purchases were a few paintingsfromthe 1910s and 1920s,
whichindicatedsome of the earlyforces that shaped modern
artinthis country,as well as a limitednumberof pieces from
the 1950s and 1960s, primarilybyyoungerartists. Atthe core
of the collection, however,was alwaysthe remarkableconcen-
trationof artfromthe 1930s and 1940s, which, notably,they
acquiredat a time when few museums or privatepatrons
specialized inthis field.
Americanartcreated duringthese decades was character-
ized byan extraordinarydiversityinterms of style and subject
matter.No one ideologyor methodologywas followedbythe
majorityof artists, and manydifferentschools of thought
coexisted, makingit difficultto identifya primarystyle forthe
period.Whilesome artistswere willingto incorporatethe
lessons of EuropeanModernismintotheirwork,others assumed
a more isolationistattitude, lookingonlyto Americafor inspira-
tion. Realism,Expressionism,biomorphicand geometric
abstraction,Precisionism,Regionalism,Social Realism,and
Installationview of the 'Artistsfor Victory"exhibitionat The
MetropolitanMuseum of Art,1942-43. Atfar left is John
Heliker'spainting, Boat Yards,LongIslandSound (Newark
Museum), whichwas purchased by the Lowenthalsafter
the close of the exhibition.
Surrealismallflourishedduringthese decades, when the spirit
of aesthetic freedom and experimentationwas especially strong
inthe UnitedStates.
Thisbroadrange of often opposing ideas was as much a
productof the democratic system of free expression as it was a
symptom of the turmoiland uncertaintyfelt byAmericansfac-
ingthe social, political,and economic upheavals caused bythe
GreatDepression and WorldWarII.Feelings of nationalism,
fueled in partbygovernmentprograms-such as the Works
ProgressAdministrationFederalArtProject(1935-43), which
paidartiststo produce paintingsand murals-led artists of
vastlydifferentschools to search forthe one subject or style
that could be considered uniquely"American."A similarsense
of nationalismprovidedthe organizingprinciplebehindthe
Lowenthals'diverse acquisitions.
The pieces the Lowenthalsacquiredreflected the zeitgeist
of the 1930s and 1940s throughtheir use of color,expression-
istic techniques, and fractured imagery. Landscapes and
especially humanfigures interpretedmore abstractlythan real-
istically dominate the Lowenthals' selections. Eventhough
their aesthetic tastes favoredthe more Expressionisticstylings
of PaulBurlin,Hartley,Rattner,and Weber,the Lowenthalsdid
acquirea distinguishedsamplingof worksthat belonged to
other contemporaryart movements. Notablyabsent fromtheir
holdingsare the radicalpaintingsbythe AbstractExpressionists,
which began to gain recognitionin the late 1940s and early
5

Edithand MiltonLowenthal(seated) withLloydGoodrich,
associate directorof the WhitneyMuseum of AmericanArt,
in the installationof the LowenthalCollectionat the Whitney
Museum, 1952.
1950s, just as the Lowenthalswere beginning to curtail
their collectingactivities.
The Lowenthalsfocused particularlyon the oldergen-
erationof Americanartists (those bornbetween 1875 and
1895)-such as Hartley,Davis,Weber,and Rattner-most of
whom had established reputationsas avant-gardeModernists
inthe 1910s and 1920s and continued in this vein for de-
cades. Recognizingthe hardshipsfaced byartists in our society,
the Lowenthalsmade a pointof buyingthe workof those still
living(one notable exception being Hartley,whose paintings
they began to collect a year after his death). Theirpurchases
led to lifelongfriendshipswitha numberof prominentartists.
The Lowenthalscame to representa new breed of American
collector,drawnnot fromthe wealthiest sector butfromthe
professionalclass, collectors whom HermonMore,directorof
the WhitneyMuseum, identifiedin 1952 as being "unliketheir
predecessors, [because they] do not wait untilthey have accu-
mulatedgreat fortunesto seek redemptionon theirdeathbeds,
byturningto art."
The Lowenthalswere generous donorsto museums and
lendersto exhibitions.Overthe years the Lowenthalsgave
twenty-nineof theirAmericanworksto three New York-area
museums-the BrooklynMuseum;the NewarkMuseum, New
Jersey;and the WhitneyMuseumof AmericanArt,NewYork-
in additionto sixty-sevendonations made to institutionselse-
where aroundthe country.Between 1943 and 1948 they lent
a total of fifteen pieces to seven differentexhibitionsat the
Museumof ModernArt,NewYork.Largergroups of worksfrom
their holdings were also displayed at the Modernand at the
Whitneyin installationsdrawnfromNewYorkprivatecollections.
Twice,in 1952 and 1981, NewYorkmuseums exhibited
the Lowenthals'complete collection as itthen existed. Thefirst
occasion inauguratedforthe WhitneyMuseum a series of
installationsfeaturingprivatecollections of contemporaryart.
The 101 worksbythirty-twoartists revealedthe breadth-and
unevenness-of the Lowenthals'earlypurchases. Besides
being the publicdebut of the collection, it was also the first
time that the Lowenthalshad had a chance to evaluate their
acquisitionsas a whole. Whilethey were "thrilled"withthe pre-
sentation, the exhibitionprecipitatedtheir makingfurtherrefine-
ments to their holdings.Almostthirtyyears after its debut,
when the entire collectionwas again on view,this time at the
BrooklynMuseum, it was considerablyreduced in size and
much more specialized in its focus on earlyAmerican
Modernism.The sixty-seven pieces bytwenty-threeartists in
that exhibitionrepresentedthe final incarnationof the
LowenthalCollection.The Lowenthalswere willingparticipants
in these events and others because they firmlybelieved that it
was everycollector's dutyto share his or her holdingswiththe
publicso that the artists could gain widerrecognition.
The Lowenthals'beneficence continuedeven aftertheir
deaths, witha finalgiftof fortypaintings,sculptures, and draw-
ingsfromthe estate of EdithLowenthalto the Brooklynand
MetropolitanMuseums in 1992-93. Thedecision byher heirsto
make a bequest to the Metropolitanof seven paintingsand one
drawing-by Davis,Dove, Hartley,Sheeler, and Weber-seems
particularlyfitting,since itwas here that the Lowenthalsfirstdis-
coveredthe artthat wouldengage them forthe rest of theirlives.
Itwas the Metropolitan'sgood fortuneto receive the eight
picturesfromthe LowenthalCollectionthat best enhanced its
permanentholdings. Eachacquisitionfills a crucialplace either
by representing a defining moment from the artist's career
not previouslyreflected in the Metropolitanor by being an
outstanding example of the painter'sartistry,supplementing
already existing strengths withinthe collection. Often both
criteriacan be applied to the pieces received from this
bequest, whichconstitutes a groupof worksof exceptionally
fine quality.
Inthe case of Davis,who is considered one of America's
most inventiveartists, the paintingsacquired-Report from
Rockportand Arboretumby Flashbulb-exemplify the key
breakthroughperiodin his art, which occurredduringthe early
1940s, when color and shape exploded across the canvases
accordingto his newlydeveloped "color-space"theories. Until
the acquisitionof these pictures bythe Museum in 1992, this
all-importantperiodof Davis'sworkhad been unrepresented in
the collection. Withtheir addition,the Museum can now show
the full progressionof Davis'sartisticdevelopment.
Thecareerof Dove, one of America'sfirstabstractionists,is
extensivelychronicledinthe seventy-seven paintingsand draw-
ings of the Metropolitan'scollection. Addingto this strength,
the Museumobtained his paintingTheInn. Itis a boldlyabstract
compositionwithformsthat are based on images found inthe
realworld.Itsunusualuse of waxemulsion and aluminumpaint
as media for paintingon canvas epitomizes Dove's lifelong
experimentation withtechnical means to achieve richvisual
effects. Althoughthis last, highlyabstract, experimentalperiod
6

TheLowenthals'apartmenton FifthAvenue, 1991. Displayed
are Stanton Macdonald-Wright'spaintingSynchromyNo. 3
and John B. Flannagan'ssculptureJonah and the Whale:
RebirthMotif.
of the artist'soeuvre is alreadydocumented inthe permanent
collectionbya series of fortypostcard-sizestudies on cardboard,
this is the Museum'sonlylarge-scale example on canvas.
LikeDove, Hartleywas alreadyextremelywell represented
inthe Metropolitan'scollection,withtwenty-onepaintingsand
drawingsthat span the artist'sentirecareerfrom1909 to 1941.
These picturestouch on most of the majorthemes that he
explored-abstract Cubistportraits,groupfigurestudies, still
lifes, and landscapes of Maine,Provincetown,and New Mexico.
Addingto this extraordinarystrength,the two oil paintings
receivedfromthe LowenthalCollection-Albert PinkhamRyder
and Mt.Katahdin,Maine, No. 2-contribute two characteristic
subjects not previouslyseen inthe Museum'sholdings,an
"archaic"portraitand a late, expressionisticMainelandscape.
Eachpaintingis a masterworkof its owngenre.
Amongthe verybest pieces inthe LowenthalCollection
are the two interiorscenes bySheeler-a largeoil painting,
Americana,whichis an icon of the period,and a small, exqui-
sitely beautifulblack-and-whitecrayondrawing,TheOpenDoor.
Datingfromthe early1930s, both picturesepitomizethe sharp
clarityof the artist'sPrecisioniststyle at the heightof his mas-
tery.Theirinclusioninthe Metropolitan'scollection is warranted
not onlybecause of theirsuperioraesthetic qualities, butalso
because the Museumwas sorelymissinga majorexample of
Precisionism,a lacunafilledbySheeler's impressivecanvas.
Weber'slargefigurativepaintingHasidicDance completes
the giftmade to the Museum. Executedin 1940, duringthe lyri-
callyexpressionisticphase of the artist'slate career,the compo-
sitionconveysthe ferventmotionsof a groupof OrthodoxJews.
Althoughotheraspects of Weber'svariedoutputare recordedin
the Metropolitan'sholdings,there has neverbeen an opportunity
to show his interpretationsof religioussubject matterbeforenow.
The Lowenthals'livingroom, 1991, showing (fromleft to right)
CharlesSheeler's Americana,MarsdenHartley'sGulland
EveningStorm, Schoodic, Maine, No. 2, and MaxWeber's
Russian Ballet.
The Lowenthalsconsidered collecting "themost thrilling
experienceof ourlifetimetogether"and "anintegralpartof our
existence."When, inthe late 1950s and 1960s, illhealth began
to deter Miltonfromparticipatingfullyinthe process of looking
and learning,the couple significantlydecreased theiracquisi-
tions, finallydecidingto stop altogetherin 1965. Fromthen on
the Lowenthalsderivedenjoymentfromtheircollection byliving
withitand sharingitwithothers, primarilythroughloans. Despite
the largenumberof giftsthey had made priorto that date, the
Lowenthalsnow preservedthe integrityof theirholdingsbykeep-
ingthem together intheirpossession. Theyproudlydisplayeda
largeportionof theircollection intheirhome, understandingfully
that, as Miltonsaid, "anobjectof artis much likea humanbeing.
Itmust be wantedand lovedbysomeone. Hiddendeep ina vault,
unknownor unremembered,it loses its reason forbeing."
The Lowenthalswere motivatedbya deep-seated patriotism
intheirpassionate and persistentdefense of the arts inAmerica.
Elevatingthe public'sperceptionand appreciationof the essen-
tialcontributionsmade bycontemporaryartiststo society gave
purposeto theircollection and theirmanyarts-relatedactivities.
Because of theirfocus on contemporaryworksthe Lowenthals
may be considered pioneers. Yet,beyondthe social or political
implicationsof these facts, what distinguishedthe Lowenthals
most as collectorswas theirgenuine loveforthe artintheircare
and the respect they felt forthe people who created it.These
feelings ledto a desire to share the worksthey owned withas
broadan audience as possible, even beyondtheirown lifetimes.
The recent giftto the Metropolitan,in additionto their gifts to
other museums aroundthe country,ensures that the legacy of
Edithand MiltonLowenthalwillcontinueto remindmuseum goers
of the importantcontributionsmade byAmericansto the history
of modernart.

PaintingsinTheMetropolitanMuseumofArtfrom
the EdithandMiltonLowenthalCollection
STUART DAVIS
American,1892-1964. Reportfrom
Rockport,1940. Oilon canvas, 24 x 30 in.
(61 x 76.2 cm). Edithand MiltonLowenthal
Collection,Bequest of EdithAbrahamson
Lowenthal,1991 (1992.24.1)
BoughtinFebruary1944, ReportfromRockport
was the firstworkbyDavisto be purchasedby
the Lowenthals.Threemonthsafteracquiringit,
the Lowenthalslentthe paintingto the Museum
of ModernArt'sfifteenth-anniversaryexhibition,
"ArtinProgress,"andthe followingyear
(1945-46) itwas againon viewthere in Davis's
retrospective.
AlongwithArboretumbyFlashbulband
TheMellowPad (see page 22), also inthe
LowenthalCollection,ReportfromRockportis
consideredto be among Davis'smost impor-
tant canvases fromthe 1940s. Itis one of the
keyworksin his career because itwas the first
to utilizehis newlyarticulated"color-space"
theory.Inthis theorycolorcould be used to
indicatespatial relationshipsthroughits posi-
tioningnextto othercolors.As Davisobserved,
"Itis impossibleto puttwo colorstogether,
even at random,withoutsetting up a number
of otherevents. Bothcolors have a relative
size: eitherthey are the same size orthey are
not. Andthey are eitherthe same shape or
they are notthe same shape." Some colors
advanced, whileothers receded, whichsug-
gests the illusionof a three-dimensionalspace
on a two-dimensionalsurface. Inthis paintinga
profusionof colors, lines, shapes, and decora-
tive patternsalmost obscures identificationof
the outdoorscene that inspiredthe artist.The
setting is the town square at Rockport,Mass-
achusetts, whichis filledwithgas pumps,
trees, and storefronts.Agarage is centered
inthe distance. Thedisjunctionof so many
elements and colors successfully conveys
the vitalityof modernAmericanlife.
8

STUART DAVIS
Arboretumby Flashbulb,1942. Oilon canvas,
18 x 36 in. (45.7 x 91.4 cm). Edithand
MiltonLowenthalCollection,Bequest of Edith
AbrahamsonLowenthal,1991 (1992.24.2)
Arboretumby Flashbulbwas the second
paintingby Davisto be purchasedbythe
Lowenthals.Followingits acquisitionin
January1945, they agreed to lend it and
ReportfromRockportto Davis's 1945-46
retrospectiveat the Museumof Modern
Art,NewYork.Althoughnot yet partof the
Lowenthals'collection, Landscape (1932 and
1935; see page 21) was also in this show
and was used to illustratethe frontcover of
the exhibitioncatalogue.
Paintedinthe springand summer of
1942, Arboretumby Flashbulbis a lively
example of the expanded role played by color
in Davis'sworkof the 1940s. Here,the entire
composition is fracturedinto manysmall,
irregularshapes and patterns, painted in
multiplebrightcolors. The effect is vibrant
and kaleidoscopic, reverberatingwiththe
rhythmsof Americanjazz and the dynamism
of moderntravel.Althoughthe particularsof
the scene are almost unrecognizable,the
imagerywas inspiredby nature-the canvas
is one of three related landscapes painted
by Davis in 1942-43 (the other two are
UrsinePark [collection unknown]and Ultra-
Marine[PennsylvaniaAcademyof FineArts,
Philadelphia]).Daviswrotethat this painting
was based on "agardenwhich I loved. The
pictureis an objective recordof manyof the
forms and perspectives whichwere present
there....But that is not all, because I have
integrated...manyother observations, remote
in time and place." References to trees (left
and right),an aloe plant (lowerright),a red-
and-blackbird(center left), and blue water
and sky have been discerned among the
abstract shapes, and the single yellow band
with red star has been identifiedas the
illuminatedflashbulbof a camera.
9

MARSDEN HARTLEY
American,1877-1943. AlbertPinkham
Ryder, 1938. Oilon Masonite, 28 x 22 in.
(71.1 x 55.9 cm). Edithand MiltonLowenthal
Lowenthal,1991 (1992.24.4)
Hartley'sportraitof AlbertPinkhamRyder
(1847-1917) is a profoundlymovingtribute
to this Americanartist,whom Hartleygreatly
admiredand with whom he closely identified.
Ryder'sreclusive, isolated existence, deep
melancholy,and financialpovertystrucka par-
ticularlysympatheticchordwithHartley,who
suffered from these same circumstances
throughout his life. His first encounter with
Ryder'sartworkwas in a gallery in 1908,
followedclosely in 1909 by a shortvisitto the
olderartist'sstudiowhileboth men were living
in NewYorkCity.ForHartley,the memories of
these briefevents lasted a lifetime. The ex-
ample of Ryder'slife and workprovidedinspi-
rationfor Hartley'screativity.LikeRyder,Hartley
triedto injecthis paintingswitha romantic
mysticism.Ryderwas also the subject of sev-
eral of Hartley'swritings:two majoressays,
publishedin 1917 and 1936, two smaller
unpublishedpieces, and a poem titled "Albert
Ryder,Moonlightist."
Ryder'sactual physical appearance in
Hartley'spaintingsoccurredjust this once.
Whilespending several months in Vinalhaven,
Maine,Hartleybeganto producea numberof
stark, iconic, figurativecompositions and por-
traits, some based on memory,that he called
archaic. Hisportraitof Ryder,created from
thirty-year-oldmemories, is partof this group,
although it is uncharacteristicallymono-
chromatic. Ryder'sdeep browneyes stare
out vacantlyfrom underdarkbushyeyebrows,
which Hartleysaid were "likelichens over-
hangingrocksof granite."Ryder'slongwhite
beardis tucked inside his graywool coat like
a scarf, and his tight knitcap is pulled low
over his forehead, "alla matterof protective
colorationwithoutdoubt, havingsomething
to do with Ryder'sshyness." Althoughtradi-
tional portraitureheld littleinterestforthe
Lowenthals,they were evidently moved by
Hartley'sattempts to capture not onlya physi-
cal likeness but a psychological one as well.
Theirpurchaseof this paintingin 1946 was
followedin 1950 bytheiracquisitionof Hartley's
portraitof John Donne (see page 28).
10

MARSDEN HARTLEY
Mt. Katahdin,Maine, No. 2, 1939-40. Oilon
canvas, 30'/4 x 401/4 in. (76.8 x 102.2 cm).
Edithand MiltonLowenthalCollection,
Bequest of EdithAbrahamsonLowenthal,
1991 (1992.24.3)
Between 1939 and 1942 Hartleycreated more
than eighteen paintingsof MountKatahdin,
which led himto characterizehimselfas the
"portraitpainter"of the site. (Hartleypreferred
the Indianspelling "Ktaadn,"whichwas also
used byThoreauinTheMaineWoods.)Located
in BaxterState Parkin north-centralMaine, it
is the highestmountainin Hartley'shome state.
He visitedtherewitha guideforeight days in
mid-October1939. Thetripinvolvedan eighty-
mile car ride and a four-mile hike through
arduousterrain,undertakenmostlyinthe dark.
Forthe sixty-two-year-oldartist, however,it
was a spiritualreawakeningand providedhim
witha potent motiffor his late-periodwork.
Hartleystayed on KatahdinLakeina log
cabin at CobbsCampinthe park.Fromhis
roomhe had a viewof the water,and from
the edge of the lake he could lookuptoward
BaxterPeak,the summitof the mountain.His
firstpicturesmade at the scene were drawings
andsmalloilsketches. Later,immediatelyafter
returningto Bangor,Maine(andforthree years
thereafter),the artistused these preliminary
sketches and his memories to paintthe larger
canvases on thistheme. Mt.Katahdin,Maine,
No. 2 was the second inthe series. ByFebruary
1940 Hartleyhadcompletedfourmore.None
of the MountKatahdincompositions replicate
exactlywhat he saw. Rather,the artisttook
some libertiesinalteringthe placement or per-
spective of certainkeyelements. Allof the
works,however,depictthe mountainfromthe
northeast,so that its most recognizableconical
shape is clearlysilhouettedagainstthe sky.
Belowit, inthe immediateforeground,are the
lake, rollinghills,and trees. Differencesamong
the paintingsoccur in Hartley'smanipulation
of spatial perspective and in his depictions of
color,light,and changingweatherconditions.
Inthis versionof Mt.Katahdinthe sky,
clouds, mountain,hills,and lakeare all pre-
sented as separate large,flatshapes. Eachis
clearlydefined byits precise formand color.
Thestrongautumnalredof the intermediate
hillsis dramaticallyset off against the deep
blues of the lake, mountain,and sky.The bright
whiteclouds and the thinstripof whitespray
aroundthe shoreline providethe onlylight
notes inthis somewhat subdued yet majestic
viewof the mountain.Itseems to exemplify
Hartley'ssentiments about the beautyand
wonderof the place and to conveythe spiritual
meaningthat he found in nature:"Ihave
achieved the 'sacred' pilgrimageto Ktaadn
Mt....l feel as if Ihad seen Godforthe first
time-I findhimso nonchalantlysolemn."
11

CHARLES SHEELER
American,1883-1965. Americana, 1931.
Oilon canvas, 48 x 36 in. (121.9 x 91.4 cm).
Edithand MiltonLowenthalCollection,
Bequest of EdithAbrahamsonLowenthal,
1991 (1992.24.8)
Between 1926 and 1934 Sheeler produced
a series of seven paintings-among them
Americana-that depictthe interiorof his home
and his prizedcollectionof earlyAmericanfur-
nishings(includingShakerpieces), whichhe
hadbegunto acquirebythe mid-1910s.
Dominatedbya profusionof preciselyrendered
objects-but no people-these roomsare
oddlyfrozenintime andemotionallydistant.
Theyare bothan intimateand up-close por-
trayalofthe artist'slivingspace anda more
generaland impersonalstatement about
nationalismandthe values of home andcrafts-
manship.Americanamayhave been based on
one ofthe interiorphotographsthat Sheeler
tookof hisSouth Salem, NewYork,house about
1929, some shots ofwhichweretakenfroman
elevatedvantagepoint.(Sheelerworkedfora
whileas a professionalphotographerandoften
made photographsofthe same subjects that he
painted.)Fromthe highperspectiveofthe pho-
tographsthe floorandfurnitureseem to be
tippedupwardtowardthe viewer,makingthem
lookoff-balanceand rathertwo-dimensional.
Thissame effect is achieved inAmericana,in
whichthe longtrestletable andtwoside
benches seem to hoverlikeflatboardsoverthe
otherfurnitureandthe tiltedfloor.Theconflict-
inggeometricand linearpatternsofthe four
rugs,two pillows,wovensofa covering,back-
gammonset, and cast shadows addto our
visualdiscomfort,as does the unusualcropping
of objects, whichobscurestheiridentitiesand
confuses theirspatialposition.Theverityof
Sheeler's realism,however,makes us willing
to accept these inconsistencies.
Thissuperbexampleof Precisionistpainting
was acquiredbythe Lowenthalsabout 1946
fromthe DowntownGallery(twoyearsafterthey
purchasedSheeler's drawingTheOpenDoor).
Priorto the purchasethe paintinghadalready
acquireda lengthyexhibitionhistory,including
Sheeler's one-man show at the Museumof
ModernArtin1939. Likethe artist,EdithHalpert
(ownerof the DowntownGallery,NewYork,
whereSheeler's workhad been shownsince
1931) also appreciatedearlyAmericanhandi-
craftsandsold fineAmericanfolkartinaddition
to paintingsanddrawings.Uponhearingfromthe
Lowenthalsthattheyhadboughtthispainting,
Sheeler respondedenthusiasticallyina letter:
"Iam gladthatAmericanahas a good home for
itis one of myfavoritesamong mywork."
12

CHARLES SHEELER
The Open Door, 1932. Conte crayonon
paper,mounted on cardboard,233/4x 18 in.
(60.7 x 46.7 cm). Edithand MiltonLowenthal
Lowenthal,1991 (1992.24.7)
Sheeler was a versatileartistwho movedeasily
between the mediaof painting,drawing,print-
making,photography,andfilm. Forhim, pho-
tographywas not onlya tool used to derive
compositionsforhis paintingsand drawingsbut
was also an independentartformthat often
preceded byseveralyears his productionof
relatedpaintings.Inthe case of TheOpen
Door,drawnin 1932, Sheeler returnedto a
sequence of twelve photographshe had made
about1917 of his stone cottage in Doylestown,
Pennsylvania.Thehouse, builtin 1768 bya
Quakersettler,was used bySheeler and his
artist-friendMortonSchambergas a summer
and weekend studio between 1910 and 1918,
when Schambergdied, and thereafterby
Sheeler alone until1926.
As inthe photographuponwhichthis
conte crayondrawingis closely based, Sheeler
presents a small cornerinterioroccupied by
two open doors, a darkenedwindow,and a
small mirror.Thestrongrectilinearcharacterof
the house, withits widefloorboards,thickceil-
ingbeams, and plankdoors, is emphasized in
the tightlycroppedscene. Thedramaticartifi-
cial lightingof the photograph,whichcreates
strongchiaroscuroeffects and bringsout every
flawinthe plasterwalland door,is somewhat
softened inthe drawing.Withartisticlicense,
Sheeler here has cleaned upthe room's
defects and eliminatedcertainsmall architec-
turaldetailsthat detractfromits pristinequality
and dramaticpower.
TheOpenDooris one of aboutsixteen
conte drawingsSheeler made between 1930
and 1937 that deal withmysteriouslightand
shadows (fourof them, includingthis one, were
created in 1932). Theexquisiterangeof tones
andtexturesachieved solelywithblackconte
crayonattests to Sheeler's masteryof the
medium,which,he noted, was used "tosee
howmuchexactitudeIcouldattain."
13

ARTHUR DOVE
American,1880-1946. The Inn, 1942. Wax
emulsion and aluminumpainton canvas,
241/8x 27 in. (61.2 x 68.5 cm). Edithand
MiltonLowenthalCollection,Bequest of Edith
Dovewas one of three artistswhom photogra-
pher-turned-art-dealerAlfredStieglitzregularly
showed in his influentialNew YorkCitygal-
leries (ca. 1910-19). The other two were
GeorgiaO'Keeffeand John Marin,who are also
represented inthe LowenthalCollection.The
worksof these three artists,togetherwiththose
of MarsdenHartley,CharlesDemuth, and Max
Weber(whose paintingswere also shown by
Stieglitz,butforfeweryears), exemplifythe
directionof avant-gardeAmericanModernism
in the firstquarterof the twentieth century.
AfterStieglitzdied in 1946 and his gallery
closed, EdithHalpertat the DowntownGallery
began to show the workof Dove (who had
recently died), Marin,and O'Keeffe.The
Lowenthals'close association withthe Down-
town Gallerybeganwiththeirpurchasethere of
RaymondBreinin'sAtGolgotha(ButlerInstitute
of AmericanArt,Youngstown,Ohio)in 1943.
Theiradmirationof Halpert'sstrongcommit-
ment to contemporaryAmericanart led them
to frequent her galleryon a regularbasis. The
resultwas that manyartistsin herstable found
a place in theircollection, if onlywitha single
work(as inthe case of Dove and O'Keeffe).
Dove's paintingThe Inn entered the
LowenthalCollection in November 1947,
after being includedintwo exhibitionsat the
DowntownGallery:a one-man show inJanuary
1947 and a groupexhibitionin September-
October 1947. (Priorto that, Stieglitz had
shown it in 1942.) The paintingis an impor-
tant late workby Dove, who since the 1910s
had consistentlyabstractedformsfromnature.
Althoughits shapes are difficultto identify,the
composition suggests an aerial view from a
windowonto a landscape, perhaps lookingout
of or towardone of the two inns near Dove's
house in Centerport,LongIsland.Aerialpho-
tographsof the neighborhood,taken bythe
owner of one of the inns, were shown to
Dove in 1940, and his paintings of that
year reflected this new perspective. Made
two years later,TheInnmay be a returnto
this intriguingpoint of view. Dove's experi-
ments with combining various media (here,
oil and aluminumpaints and wax emulsion),
particularlyduringthe last years of his life,
and his continuoussearch forthe essential
distillationof formseem to have culminated
in this complex and enigmatic picture.
14

MAX WEBER
American,1881-1961; bornin Russia.
Hasidic Dance, 1940. Oilon canvas, 321/4x
40 in. (81.8 x 101.6 cm). Edithand Milton
LowenthalCollection,Bequest of Edith
HasidicDance was acquiredinthe
Lowenthals'firstinspiredyear of collecting
(1943), duringwhichthey purchasedforty-
seven worksfromsixteen differentgalleries
and arts organizations.Itwas the most expen-
sive workthey boughtthat year,and marked
theirfirstdealingwith PaulRosenbergand
Company,fromwhomthey wouldalso acquire
importantpaintings by Avery,Hartley,and
Rattner.TheLowenthals'admirationforWeber's
workbegan withthis initialpurchase, and
they remainedgreat friendswiththe artistfor
almost two decades. Theirpapers contain
numeroussmall woodcuts made byWeber
that were sent out as greetingcards through-
out the years. In1961 MiltonLowenthal
wrote a eulogyforWeberthat is filledwith
personal reminiscences and passionate rever-
ence forthe artist'sdedicationto his work:
"Forhimartwas a temple, a holyof holies, it
was life itself, to be approachedwith pietyand
devotion.Totreat it otherwise, a desecration."
HasidicDance is a primeexample of
Weber'smature, expressionisticstyle, which
emerged about 1940 and in whichfluidlines
define the loosely drawnelements of the
compositionand color is intensified.Inthese
picturesJewish subjects-prophets and
Talmudicscholars-and women at home pre-
dominate, reflectingboth Weber'sstrongcul-
turalidentityand his happyhome life. Hasidic
Dance, paintedwhen the artistwas fifty-nine
years old, presents a vividmemoryfrom
Weber'searlychildhoodin Russia. Six bearded
OrthodoxJews are engaged in a ferventdance
of religiousecstasy. The men are dressed in
traditionalblack garb with tall black hats. As
membersof the Hasidicsect, originallyfounded
in Poland in the eighteenth century, these
pious men express theirjoyous praise of God
throughmusic and dance. Theymove together
in a trancelikestate, arms and faces stretched
upwardtowardthe heavens. Afterthe
Lowenthalsboughtthis painting,Webergave
them a copy of his poem "MelodicRage
Hebraic,"which recounts a similarscene:
"Loudervoices, / Louderdrums,/ Loudercym-
bals... / Theirbodies leap in fittingtime... /
Andtheirsouls again illumined."
15

Selected Worksfromthe Edithand MiltonLowenthalCollection
MILTON AVERY
American,1885-1965. Artist's Daughter by
the Sea, 1943. Oilon canvas, 36 x 42 in.
(91.5 x 106.7 cm). The BrooklynMuseum,
NewYork. Bequest of Edithand Milton
Lowenthal,1992
Avery'spaintingcombines two of hisfavorite
subjects: his onlychild, March(hereabout
eleven years old), and a tranquilbeachfront
setting complete withshells, gulls, and rippling
water.Thecanvas is characteristicof Avery's
maturestyle, whichincorporatesa naiveren-
deringof formwitha Modernistflatteningof
space and a generalsimplificationof colorand
pattern.Themutualartisticinfluenceof the
friendshipbetween Averyand the somewhat
olderartistMarsdenHartley,whichbegan
in 1938, encouragedthe developmentof
this style.
AlthoughAveryoften paintedseascapes
of Gloucester,Massachusetts, and various
locales in Maine,this particularcomposition
was inspiredbya tripthat he took to the Gaspe
PeninsulainQuebec, Canada,duringthe
summerof 1938. Therehe conceived of the
paintingGulls,Gaspe (AddisonGalleryof
AmericanArt,Andover,Mass.), an amusing
tableau of hungryseagulls encirclingan array
of cut-upfish. Theimageryis remarkablysimi-
larto the moresomber interpretationpainted
byHartleyin his 1938-39 GiveUs ThisDay
(Shaklee Corporation,San Francisco),which
was intendedas a memorialto three young
men lost at sea. WhenAveryrevisitedhis own
1938 compositionfiveyears laterinArtist's
Daughterbythe Sea, he paidtributenot only
to his belovedchildbutalso to hisfriend
Hartley,who had died on September 2, 1943.
16

MILTON AVERY
The Baby, 1944. Oilon canvas, 44 x 32 in.
(111.8 x 81.3 cm). The ButlerInstituteof
AmericanArt,Youngstown,Ohio.Giftof Mr.
and Mrs.MiltonLowenthal,1955
In1943 Averyjoined the prestigiousNewYork
galleryPaulRosenbergand Company,with
whichhe was affiliateduntil1950. The period
of that association was markedby a prolific
outpouringof work,a consolidationof his
artisticstyle, and a new sense of financial
security,as he receiveda stipend and his pic-
tures sold. Between 1943 and 1945 alone
Averycreated morethan 228 oil paintings,
in additionto numerousdrawingsand water-
colors. Duringthose two years Avery'swork
was seen in several one-man and group
shows and museum exhibitions,whichgener-
ated sales such as the Lowenthals'purchase
of two oils in 1944 from PaulRosenbergand
Companyand a gouache on paper in 1945
fromthe KootzGallery(TheRooster,
ca. 1943, whichthey gave to the Butler
Instituteof AmericanArt,Youngstown,Ohio).
Paintedin 1944, TheBabytypifiesAvery's
worksof this period:preciselystructuredcom-
positionsof broad,flat colorareas contained
withinsharplydefined edges, withfew descrip-
tive details, patterns,ortextures. Here,a
small faceless infantrests diagonallyacross
a blanket,proppedup against an armchair.
UnlikeAvery'sportraitof his daughter,March,
on the beach, this child is not identifiedby
facialfeatures or a name, butthere is a famil-
iarintimacyto the scene that suggests that
Averybased the figureon a real baby-per-
haps a friend'sor relative's-or on the many
earlierdrawingsand paintingshe made of his
own daughter.
WILLIAM BAZIOTES
American,1912-1963. White Silhouette,
1945. Oilon canvas, 36 x 42 in. (91.4 x
106.7 cm). Collectionof the Newark
Museum, NewJersey.Giftof Mr.and Mrs.
MiltonLowenthal,1951
Ofthe sixty-fiveartistsrepresentedinthe
LowenthalCollection,Baziotesis the onlyone
who can be classifiedas an active memberof
the avant-gardeAbstractExpressionistgroup,
whichhas exertedan enormous influenceon
the directionof Americanartsince the mid-
1940s. Hiswork,however,often remainedout-
side the mainstreamof AbstractExpressionism,
since itassumed neitherthe gesturalapplica-
tion of paintthat made headlinesforJackson
Pollockand Willemde Kooningnorthe extreme
minimalismthat characterizedthe maturework
of MarkRothkoand BarnettNewman.Rather,
Baziotesremainedconstant inusing biomor-
phicand anthropomorphicimagery,whichhe
had adoptedfromSurrealism,and in his intent
to portraymythicand primevalsubjects.
Such steadfast commitmentto one's own
vision,despite outside pressures, wouldhave
appealed to the Lowenthals(whosaw them-
selves as pioneeringcollectors inthe fieldof
contemporaryAmericanart)and mayhave
promptedtheiracquisitionof WhiteSilhouette
in 1945. Inthis composition Baziotes placed a
large,white, irregularlyshaped figureinthe
immediatecenter foregroundof a darkened
space. Itsshape suggests bothanimaland
humanforms but is clearlyneither.Theprece-
dents forthis type of image maybe found in
the artist'sknowledgeof Precolumbianobjects
at the AmericanMuseumof NaturalHistory,
NewYork,and inthe artof Joan Miroand Pablo
Picasso, regularlyshown in NewYorkmuseums
and galleriesinthe 1940s. Picasso's Minotaur
prints,inwhichman and bullare literallyjoined
intoone mythiccreature,offereda particularly
close exampleforBaziotesto follow.Thesur-
realovertones and starkabstractness of this
paintingmake itverydifferentfromthe other
worksinthe LowenthalCollectionand may
explaintheirdecision to place WhiteSilhouette
at the NewarkMuseumin 1948, three years
afterthey had acquiredit.
17

ROMARE BEARDEN
American,1911-1988. The Agony of Christ,
1945. Watercoloron paper,18 x 24 in.
(45.7 x 61 cm). The ButlerInstituteof
AmericanArt,Youngstown,Ohio.Extended
loan fromthe Estate of EdithA. Lowenthal
In1945, afterseeing the horrorsof warfirst-
handforthree years inthe infantryduring
WorldWarII,Beardencreated a series of
twenty-fouroils and watercolors,titledThe
Passion of Christ,that was meant to convey
the sufferingof humanityand the possibilityof
redemption.Theallusionto the Passionwas
not strictlyreligiousbutalso humanistic,as the
events inChrist'slifewereto be interpretedas
universalsymbolsforall humanexperience.
Referencesto ancient and contemporarylitera-
ture (such as Homer,the Bible,Rabelais,and
GarciaLorca)frequentlyinspiredBeardendur-
ingthe mid-to late 1940s. Exhibitedjust after
itwas producedin 1945-first inWashington,
D.C.,and Parisand then in NewYork-the
Passionof Christseries was botha criticaland
financialsuccess forthe thirty-four-year-old
artist. Exhibitedat the KootzGalleryOctober
8-27, 1945, and markingBearden'sfirstone-
manshow at a mainstream NewYorkgallery,
the picturessold immediately,with purchases
made byDukeEllington,Samuel A. Lewisohn,
RoyR. Neuberger,the Lowenthals,and the
Museumof ModernArt,among others.
TheAgonyof Christ,whichis the onlywork
byBeardeninthe LowenthalCollection,typifies
his dramatic,graphicapproachto the entire
series. Bolddivisionsof space, strongdiagonal
lineswithsharpangles, and extremedistor-
tions of the abstractedfigurescontributeto the
emotionalimpactof the narrative.Thesuffering
of Christis here heightened bythe agonized
backwardarchof his bodyand head and the
extremetension of his bent leg.
BYRON BROWNE
American,1907-1961. Still Lifewith City
Window,1945. Oilon canvas, 47 x 36 in.
(119.4 x 91.4 cm). WhitneyMuseumof
AmericanArt,NewYork.Giftof Edithand
MiltonLowenthal
Between 1944 and 1945 the Lowenthalscol-
lected fourpaintingsbyBrowne(twodating
from1943, one from1944, andthe one shown
here).These picturesdemonstrateBrowne's
strongcommitmentto an abstractidiom,which
hademergedinhisartby1930. Althoughhe had
hadfouryearsoftraditionalacademic training
at the NationalAcademyof Design in NewYork
(1924-28), his paintingsreflectthe factthat
on his own he had studied Cubistworksby
GeorgesBraque,JuanGris,and PabloPicasso,
whichcouldbe seen (beginningin1927) inthe
A. E.GallatinCollectionat NewYork'sGalleryof
LivingArtandinperiodicalssuchas Cahiersd'Art.
Some of hisabstractionsmayappearto be
nonobjective,buttheywere rarelyexecuted
withoutmakingreferenceto an actualobjector
person.Threeofthe Brownepicturesacquired
bythe Lowenthals-those purchasedin1944-
arefigurativesubjects:a woman recliningon a
beach, a personreading,and a head of a man.
Thefourth,StillLifewithCityWindow,acquired
in1945, is a largestudyof objects placedon a
table inan apartmentroomand is one of many
still-lifesubjects that he executed inthe 1930s
and 1940s.
Brownedepicts the tabletopas ifitwere
precipitouslytiltedupwardtowardthe viewer.
Fillingthe lowerportioniswhatappearsto be
some sortof elaboratebasket, decoratedwith
two crisscrossingbranchesanddiamond-
shaped pieces. Atthe upperend areseveral
objects-some silhouetted, othersdescribedin
moredetail-a few of whichcan be identified.
Amongthem are a footed bowlcontainingthree
apples (at left),an open bookand a single apple
(atcenter), and a talldecanter (attop center).
Inhisquasi-CubistanalysisBrownedepicts
solidformsandtheirshadows as flatgeometric
18

planes,juxtaposingthem withthe more
painterly,tactile renderingofthe tablecloth,
wherewhitepainthas been thinlybrushedover
darkunderpainting.Atallverticalwindow
occupies the lefthalfofthe background,and
throughitcan be seen the relatedgeometry
ofthe city'sarchitecture,illuminatedbya full
moon.Althoughthe subjectof Browne's
paintingis clearlya still-lifearrangement,his
toweringconstructionoftable andobjects also
suggests the formand monumentalpresence
of a humanfigure.
Whenthis picturewas shown inBrowne's
1946 exhibitionat KootzGalleryinNewYork,
itwas singledoutforpraiseinvariousarts
reviews.Unlikethe otherthree Brownepaint-
ingspurchasedbythe Lowenthals,whichwere
presentedto variousinstitutionswithintwo or
threeyearsoftheiracquisition,StillLifewith
CityWindowremainedintheirpossession until
1957, when itwas givento the Whitney
Museum.
PAUL BURLIN
American,1886-1969. Homunculus, 1947.
Oilon canvas, 42 /8 x 297/8in. (107 x 76 cm).
The BrooklynMuseum, NewYork.Giftof the
Edithand MiltonLowenthalFoundationInc.
Withinthe LowenthalCollectiononlysixartists
are representedbya largenumberofworks.
Amongthem are Jacob Lawrence,whose
twenty-twogouaches actuallyforma single
opus, and MarsdenHartley,whose thirteenoil
paintingswereallpurchasedafterthe artist's
death.Theworksofthe otherfour-Burlin,
Stuart Davis,AbrahamRattnerand Max
Weber-were acquired bythe Lowenthals
duringthe artists' lifetimes, and allthe men
became personal friends of the Lowenthals.
Burlin'sassociationwiththe Lowenthalsproba-
blydatestothe 1940s, whentheymadesixof
theirten acquisitions of his work,beginningin
1943. Theirscrapbookof 1944-45 contains
an amusingsketch byBurlinof a couple appre-
ciating countryliving.Theman inthe drawing
bears some resemblance to Miltonand is
shownplayinggolf,a sportboththe Lowenthals
regularlyenjoyed,so itmaybe thatthe sketch
is meantto representthe couple. Thesheet is
inscribed:"ToEdithand Mickey,/Withmemo-
riesof happyDays/ Paul(Burlin)."
Homunculuswas purchasedfromthe
DowntownGallery,NewYork,in1947, the same
yearthat Burlinhadthe firstof hisfourone-man
shows there. Theliteralreadingofthe painting
appearsto be a figureseated at a table, wield-
inga knifeon some sortoffish orshellfish.
However,the artist'stitleforthis piece suggests
that he intendedto depictsomething more
symbolicthanjust an ordinarydomestic scene.
Thewordhomunculus(Latinfor"littleman")is
variouslydefinedas a manikin,dwarf,orpygmy.
Webster'sThirdNewInternationalDictionary
adds that itis "amanikinthat is artificiallypro-
duced ina cucurbit[avessel used indistillation]
byan alchemist."Such a creature,withthe
name Homunculus,is created inpart2 of
Goethe's Faust. ForBurlin,whooften lookedto
mythsforartisticinspiration,the artificialcre-
ationof new lifemayhave been a metaphorfor
the artist'screativeendeavors.
19

JOSE DE CREEFT
American,1884-1982; bornin Spain.
Iberica, 1938. Granite,h. 24 in. (61 cm). The
BrooklynMuseum, NewYork.Bequest of Edith
and MiltonLowenthal,1992
TheLowenthalsfirmlybelievedthat private
patronsof Americanartshouldacquireex-
amples of contemporarysculptureinaddition
to workson canvas, whichwere morepopular
withcollectorsinthe forties. Intheirownapart-
ment severalsculptureswere prominentlydis-
playedalongsidetheirpaintings.Thetwo stone
figuresthat they owned bythe Spanish-born
sculptorde Creeftwere both purchasedfrom
the GeorgettePassedoit Gallery,NewYork,
earlyinthe couple's collectinghistory:Iberica
in 1944 and UneAme in 1944-45. Liketwo
othersculptures, byJohnB. Flannagan,that
they acquiredinthose same years (Jonahand
the Whale, see page 24, and Dragon Motif),
these pieces were handcarvedfromstone by
the artist,ratherthan byartisans.Thismethod
of "directcarving"was revitalizedinAmericaby
de Creeftand Flannagan,who considered itto
be a progressivemode fortheirtime. De Creeft
didmuchto disseminatethese ideas to younger
artists when he taught in NewYorkat the
NewSchool forSocial Research (1932-48,
1957-60) and the ArtStudents League
(1944-48).
Trainedin Madridand Paris(wherehe
knewRodin,Picasso, and Braque),de Creeft
had alreadyestablished a considerablereputa-
tion in Europepriorto movingto the United
States in 1929. Hisarrivalhere was markedby
solo shows inSeattle and NewYorkand, there-
after,almost annualexhibitionsthroughoutthe
1940s. Hisinclusioninthe 1942-43 "Artists
forVictory"show, heldat TheMetropolitan
Museumof Art,may have been the Lowenthals
firstexposureto his work.Thefirstprizethat he
receivedthere forone of his two sculptures
(Materity, now inthe Metropolitan'scollec-
tion, acc. no. 42.171) certainlywouldhave
attractedthe Lowenthals'attentionand proba-
blypromptedtheiracquisitionof Ibericashortly
thereafter.Thetitle Ibericarefersto the ancient
Latinname forthe IberianPeninsulaof Spain.
As in muchof his work,the naturalshape of
the stone suggested to the artistthe image he
wouldcarve;inthis case, an elegantlyelon-
gated oval head. The primitive,masklikeface
finds precedents inthe indigenousartof Spain
and in Africansculpture, two sources that
also inspiredhis fellow countrymanPicasso.
Accordingto the Lowenthals,the blackgranite
used forIbericawas found inthe waters of
LongIslandSound and kept bythe artistuntil
he had a strongdesire to carve it.
20

JOSE DE CREEFT
Une Ame, 1944. Carraramarble,h. 151/2in.
(39.4 cm). Collectionof Mr.and Mrs.AlfredE.
Bernstein
UneAmewas producedthe same yearas
de Creeft'smarriageto histhirdwife, Lorrie
Goulet,an Americansculptor.Themarble's
exquisitelysensuous curves, undulating
rhythms,smoothlypolishedsurfaces, and
dreamlikeauraseem to celebratethis happy
union,whichlasted untilthe artist'sdeath in
1982. Itspoetic Frenchtitle, whichmeans "a
soul,"contributesa spiritualreadingforthis
workthat transcends the purelyphysicalbeauty
of itsform.Likealmost allof de Creeft'swork,
this piece exaltsthe humanfigure,especially
the female nude. Hismasterfuljuxtapositionof
smooth and roughsurfaces, both in Ibericaand
UneAme, heightensthe expressivequality
inherentin his materials.UnlikeFlannagan,
whofrequentlyworkedwithsofter,moregranu-
larstones of dullercolor,de Creeftpreferred
hard,smooth-texturedstones, likemarble,that
could be highlypolished, andthose that were
stronglycolored.Thelightnessof the Carrara
marbleused here and the darknessof Iberica's
blackgraniteproduceverydifferentcharacters
forthe figures.
Whenthis workwas includedinde Creeft's
annualexhibitionat the GeorgettePassedoit
Gallery,NewYork,in November-December
1944, the Lowenthalsimmediatelyreservedit
fortheircollection.Theycompleted the finan-
cialtransactioninearlyJanuary1945. As in
otherinstances, the Lowenthalsmaintained
a long-termfriendshipwithde Creeftand his
family,andthe handmadeChristmascardsthat
they receivedfromthe artistoverthe years
were keptwiththe Lowenthals'papers,which
have nowbeen microfilmedbythe Archivesof
AmericanArt.In1962 MiltonLowenthalper-
suaded de Creeftto donate his own papersto
the Archives,wherethey currentlyreside.
STUART DAVIS
American,1892-1964. Landscape, 1932
and 1935. Oilon canvas, 25 x 22 in. (63.5 x
55.9 cm). The BrooklynMuseum, NewYork.
Giftof Mr.and Mrs.MiltonLowenthal
Between 1944 and 1952 the Lowenthals
amassed an impressivecollectionof seven
picturesbyDavis:sixoils on canvas and one
watercoloron paper.These paintingsrangein
date from1932 to 1947 and illustratevarious
phases inthe artist's development of his
abstractidiom.Allwere purchasedfromthe
DowntownGallery,NewYork,fromEdith
Halpert,whowas Davis'sdealerforthirtyyears,
from1927 to 1936 andfrom1941 to 1962.
Inrecognitionoftheirpatronage,the Lowenthals
were given the rightof first refusalto buy
Davis'sworkfromthe DowntownGalleryexhibi-
tions. Halpert'senthusiasm for Davis'swork
must have influencedthe Lowenthals'initial
acquisitions, buttheirsubsequent friendship
withthe artistand hisfamily-which began in
1944 withtheirfirstpurchaseofone of hispaint-
ings (ReportfromRockport;see page 8)-
continuedto fueltheirsupportof hiswork.The
friendshiplasted long afterthe Lowenthals'
yearsof artcollectinghadended, and in 1964
MiltonLowenthal(whowas also Davis'slawyer)
spoke at the artist'sfuneral,characterizinghim
as beingpartof a "breedof creativegiants."
Davis'sapproachto abstractartwas care-
fullypredicatedupona series of complexart
theories that he began to devise inthe 1920s
and continuedto evolve in his notebooks and
paintingsthroughouthis life. Inhis workof the
earlyto mid-1930s, such as Landscape and
Coordinance(an oil paintingand a watercolor,
respectively)inthe LowenthalCollection,Davis
often reliedon darklines to providethe struc-
tureforhis imagery(colorwas eitherexcluded
completelyorextremelylimited).Such line
drawings,althoughwithoutformor modeling,
were intendedto denote three-dimensional
objects inspace. Landscape, painted in 1932
and 1935, was based on a small pen-and-ink
drawingof September 1932 that depicted a
waterfrontscene inGloucester,Massachusetts
(witha fish-processingplant,a tower,and a
wharfat whicha schooner is docked). Davis's
annotationon the drawingalso applies to the
painting:"Visualizationinsimple shape terms
disregardingmoredetail incidentthan is the
habit-with the idea of gettinga simultaneous
viewinstead of a sequential one." Inlaterver-
sions of the same composition (paintedin
1939, 1954, and 1956) Davisreintroduced
fullcolorwithinthe linearframework.
21

STUART DAVIS
American,1892-1964. The Mellow Pad,
1945 and 1950-51. Oilon canvas, 26 x
42 in. (66 x 106.7 cm). The Brooklyn
Museum, NewYork.Bequest of Edithand
MiltonLowenthal
Pad No. 4, 1947. Oilon canvas, 14 x 18 in.
NewYork.Bequest of Edithand Milton
Lowenthal
FormorethanfiveyearsDavisworkedonthe
extremelycomplexcompositionofTheMellow
Pad,exhibitingitatvariousstages ofdevelop-
mentbetweenitsinceptioninJune1945 andits
completionin1951. Alongthewayhealsocre-
atedfivesmallerpaintings,PadNos. 1-5
(1946-49) andnumerousnotebooksketches
containingtheoreticalnotations.Ofthe related
paintings,PadNo.4, inthe LowenthalCollection,
executedin1947, displaysthe mostsimilarityof
alloverembellishmenttoTheMellowPad,
althoughitdoes notfollowthelargerwork's
bipartiteformat.Inbothofthese paintingsDavis
attainedhisgoalofusingabstractformto pro-
duce meaningfulcontent.Thesurfacesarefilled
withmyriadsmallsignsandsymbols,numbers,
letters,andwords,coloredshapes andpatterns,
allofwhichoverlapandcollide.Thesensation of
chaoticandconstantmotion,however,ismas-
terfullycontrolledbythesolidbackgroundinPad
No.4 andbythepainted"frame"aroundthe
edges ofTheMellowPad.Davis'schoice oftitles
andthe insertionofthe wordspadandmellow
padwithinthe paintingsthemselves, reflecthis
interestinwordassociations andpuns.Herethe
possiblemeaningsforpadrangefromanartist's
sketchbook,to aslangexpressionfora person's
home,to ajazztermart-historianJohnLane
definesas a "personalworldwitha mellifluousand
genialemotionaltenorsuch as thatcreatedbya
jazzmusician'sexpertandheartfeltperformance."
AftercompletingTheMellowPad,Davis
embarkedonthe creationoflargerpaintingswith
brightercolorsandfewerelements, anendeavor
thathewouldcontinuethroughoutthe 1950s.
22

LYONELFEININGER
American,1871-1956. LunarWeb, 1951.
Oilon canvas, 21/4 x 36 in. (54 x 91.5 cm).
The BrooklynMuseum, NewYork.Bequest of
Edithand MiltonLowenthal
In1937, afterfiftyyears in Germany,the sixty-
five-year-oldAmerican-bornartistFeininger
returnedhome to NewYork,where he explored
in his paintings,drawings,and printsarchitec-
turaland landscape subjects similarto those
that had interested him in Europe.Thethree
pieces by Feiningerinthe LowenthalCollec-
tion-two watercolorsand one oil painting-
were allmade inthe UnitedStates and illustrate
the qualitiesthat informedhis laterwork:ele-
gant graphicdelineationand atmosphericcolor.
Thetwo watercolors-one a churchfacade, the
other a marinescape-were acquired in the
early1940s shortlyafter Feiningertook third
prizein the 1942-43 "Artistsfor Victory"
exhibitionfor his large oil paintingGelmeroda
(whichwas purchased by the Metropolitan,
acc. no. 42.158). Adecade later,in 1952, the
Lowenthalspurchaseda largecanvas, Lunar
Web,from Feininger'sone-man show at the
CurtValentinGallery,NewYork,held in honorof
the artist'seightiethbirthday.Itwas to become
one of the Lowenthals'favoritepaintings.
Unlikethe more representationalimagery
depicted in the earlierwatercolors,this paint-
ing eliminates most ties withthe realworld,
creating instead a nocturnaldreamworld
meant to inspirespiritualcontemplation. A
few years after completingthe work,the artist
wrote, "Iam nearingthe stage where Iam
even commencing to annihilateprecise forms,
in the interest-as it appears to me-of unity.
Thisis a precariousstage to enter into."In
LunarWeb, however,he has found a suc-
cessful balance between formand formless-
ness. Despite the unrealityof the scene, we
recognize it as some sort of desolate land-
or seascape. The horizontalgroundis filled
withdarkcraggymasses (mountainsor
waves?) that have been given definitionbythe
thin white lines that skim diagonallyacross
theiredges. The upperportionis illuminated
by a largeorb, identifiedbythe painting'stitle
as the moon. Feininger'sfriendthe artistMark
Tobey,fromwhom he may have adopted the
idea of creatingcompositions withwhite lines,
explainedFeininger'sworkin 1954: "Recog-
nitionof the knownis in all his paintingsbut
never realism. He does not abstractfor
abstraction'ssake. He drawsthe essence
fromthe real, reshapes and relates in color,
formand line-and gives us his worldwhere-
in, ifwe have the willingmindand take the
time, we are rewardedby becoming more
aware, and more sensitive withinourselves."
23

JOHN B. FLANNAGAN
American,1895-1942. Jonah and the
Whale: RebirthMotif, 1937. Bluestone,
h. 35 in. (88.9 cm). The BrooklynMuseum,
Lowenthal
In1939 Flannagan'sstated aim as a sculptor
was "tocreate a plasticidiomaliveas the
spoken word;sculptureas directand swiftin
feeling as a drawing,sculpturewithsuch ease,
freedomand simplicitythat it hardlyseems
carvedbutto have enduredalways."Jonah and
the Whale:RebirthMotif,producedtwo years
beforethis statement, seems to epitomizeall
of these qualities.Itis one of fiftystone
sculptures,primarilydepictinganimals,that
Flannagancreated between 1933 and 1939.
Itssimple eloquence is derivedfromthe
organicshape of the stone, the fluidlines
incisedbythe artist,and the readilyrecog-
nizableBiblestory,as wellas fromthe direct-
carvingmethods Flannaganemployed.The
artiststartedeach projectwitha clear planin
mindand even sought out the specific stone
inwhichhe perceivedthe image "justbound
up...awaitingrelease." However,since he did
not use preparatorydrawingsor models, he
was able to incorporatespontaneous changes
and accidentaloccurrences intothe makingof
the finishedsculpture.
Jonahand the Whalewas carvedfroma
largepiece of bluestone that the artisthad kept
inhis studiofortwo years. Itwas found near
Woodstock,NewYork,whichthe artistvisited
frequentlybetween 1924 and 1936. The
incised image of Jonahcurledfetallyinsidethe
bellyof the whale relatesto two majorthemes
that recurin Flannagan'swork:a pantheistic
beliefthat all livingthingsare integrallyrelated,
whichled himto producemanyanimalfigures;
and a fascinationwiththe lifecycle-birth,
growth,decay, death-and the hope fora
rebirth.Here,Jonah, one of the minorprophets
inthe OldTestament,is alreadycaptive inside
the greatwhale,hispunishmentfortryingto avoid
divineordersto reformthe people of Nineveh.
Jonah'seventualrelease fromthe whale
and his acceptance of God'swillare often
relatedto Christ'sResurrectionand explainwhy
the artistappended RebirthMotifto the title.
Jonah and the Whale,one of three Flannagan
sculpturespurchasedbythe Lowenthals
between 1943 and 1945, was prominently
displayedintheirNewYorkapartment(see
page 7).
O. LOUIS GUGLIELMI
American,1906-1956; bornin Egypt.Totem
and Bridge, 1952. Oilon canvas, 325/8x
261/2in. (82.9 x 67.3 cm). Rose ArtMuseum,
BrandeisUniversity,Waltham,Massachusetts.
Giftof MiltonLowenthal,New York,1959
Guglielmibecame a recognizedfigurein
Americanartinthe mid-1930s, when his real-
istic (some called it magic-realistic)paintings
were created to providesocial commentary.His
workwas includedinseveral groupshows at
the Museumof ModernArtinthe 1930s and
1940s, including"AmericanRealistsand Magic
Realists"in 1943, when he showed fifteen
paintings.The DowntownGalleryalso held
three one-man shows forGuglielmi,in 1938,
1948, and 1951. Despite the acclaim he
receivedduringhis lifetime,his untimelydeath
in 1956, when he was just fifty,broughta swift
end to the popularityof his works.
Thepicturethe Lowenthalspurchased,
Totemand Bridge,is a brightlycoloredabstrac-
tionthat exemplifiesGuglielmi'sattempts to
finda new style of paintingafterWorldWarII.
(Hisearlier,Social-Realisticworkdid not con-
formto the Lowenthals'artisticinterests.) After
1945 the artistbecame much moreexperi-
mental, and his picturesreflecteda dramatic
change fromsharp, almost illustrationalreal-
ismto geometricallyabstractedscenes of
urbanlife. Guglielmiexplainedhis intentionsin
1950: "Thecreativeartistdoes not tryan
escape to the past. Itis his creativeresponsi-
bilityto create new formnew shapes new
images that are adjustedto his time." For
Guglielmithis meant creatingpicturesthat
expressed the "exuberanceand organicmeans
of lifeitself. Freefromrestraint,fullof imagery
of shapes movinginspace." InTotemand
Bridgethe flat, strictlygeometric organization
of the compositionalelements is offset bythe
garishcolors, the small painterlypassages, and
the whimsical"cutout"figures,whichseem
incongruousinthe otherwisestrictprecisionism
of the work.Thesubject is an urbanscene,
most likelyof NewYorkCity,wherethe artist
lived.Aconstructionsite withworkersand a
huge diagonalcrane (the "totem")is set
against a backdropof massive buildingsand
the delicate frameworkof a bridge.
24

ROBERT GWATHMEY
American,1903-1988. Vacationist, 1945.
Oilon canvas, 501/16 x 30 in. (127.2 x
Giftof Mr.and Mrs.MiltonLowenthal
Gwathmey,whose workwas includedin the
"ArtistsforVictory"exhibition,was among the
veryfirstartiststhat the Lowenthalscollected
when they began to buyAmericanworksin
1943. Thatyear they purchased both the oil
Endof Day (1942) and the watercolorPick
Untilthe RainHits (1941-43). Vacationist,a
much largerand more monumentaloil paint-
ing, was added to theircollection in 1946,
afterthey saw it in Gwathmey'sone-man
show at A.C.A.Galleryin NewYork.(The
Lowenthalsalso loaned Endof Dayto that
show.)
AlthoughGwathmey'sworkoften has an
underlyingsocial message about the injustices
caused by race and class, his paintingsare
not confrontationalor overtlypolitical.Rather,
they present a sympatheticview of the human
condition, particularlyof the ruralfarmworkers
and field hands inthe South, where the artist
was bornand raised. Thispainting,however,
presents a lighter,more drollcommentaryon
the circumstances of the average middle-class
workerwho, after day in and day out at a rou-
tine job, finallygets to enjoythe freedom of
vacation onlytwo weeks out of the year. Inthe
artist'swords,this is the person who will"go
to the beach and get some sunshine, a tan,
and...goes backto the office and talks about
the crab he caught." Ifthe wearylookon the
man's face is any indication,however,the
attempt to attain a year's worthof pleasure
in two weeks' time is as tiringas the job he
left behind. Standing before us, net and crab
in hand, the lumberingfigurefillsthe entire
space with his toweringpresence. The seg-
mented body,darkoutlines, decorativedesign,
and vibrantcolors are characteristicof the
style of paintingthat Gwathmeyhad developed
bythe mid-1940s.
25

MARSDEN HARTLEY
American,1877-1943. FlowerAbstraction,
1914. Oilon canvas, withpaintedframe,
493/8x 42 in. (125.4 x 106.7 cm). Collection
of Dr.and Mrs.MeyerP Potamkin
In1944 the Lowenthalsboughtthe firstof
thirteenpaintingsthey wouldown by Hartley.
These constitute the largestgroupof individual
worksbya single artistin theircollection. That
Hartleywas so prominentlyrepresented not
only reflectedtheirown personaltaste but
also (albeitposthumously)acknowledgedthe
importantrolethat Hartleyplayed inthe devel-
opment of modernart in America.No other
artistof his generationwas so well able to
synthesize the lessons of pre-WorldWarI
EuropeanModernismand then applythem to
an Americanpreferencefordirectsubject
matterand style. By 1952, when the
Lowenthalsobtainedtheir last Hartley,they
had amassed an impressiveand variedarray
of the artist'soutput, rangingin date from
1914 to 1943. Allbuttwo of their acquisi-
tions were purchasedfrom PaulRosenberg,
who showed Hartley'sworkin his New York
galleryfrom1942 to 1960. Thetwo excep-
tions-Flower Abstractionand Handsome
Drinks(1916)-were bought bythe
Lowenthalsat auction in Marchof 1946 from
the collection of NewYorkdealer CharlesL.
Daniel,an earlycollectorof Hartley'soeuvre.
FlowerAbstractionis a primeexample of
the workthat Hartleyproducedduringhis sec-
ond stay in Berlin(March1914-December
1915). Evidenthere are variousaspects of
EuropeanModernismthat Hartleyassimilated
duringhis tripsabroad,forexample the com-
positionalstructureof SyntheticCubism,the
brightcolors of GermanExpressionism,and
the radiatingdisks of FrenchOrphism.Robert
Delaunay'shuge OrphicpaintingHomage to
Bleriot(1914; Kunstmuseum,Basel), which
Hartleysaw in Pariswhen he was en routeto
Berlin,may have been the catalystforFlower
Abstraction.Hartley'soverlappingdisks, arcs,
and bands, however,unlikeDelaunay's,are
presented in extreme close-up and seem to
be croppedfroma much largercomposition.
Theirexplosiveenergy is hardlycontained
withinthe edges of the canvas and, indeed,
continues onto the pictureframe, whichwas
painted bythe artist.Althoughthe "sunflower"
disk inthe upperleft cornerof the composi-
tion and the yellows, pinks,and greens used
throughoutmay have suggested the title
(whichis indicatedin the Lowenthals'hand-
writteninventory),FlowerAbstraction'sclose
connection to another 1914 work,titled Pre-
WarPageant (ColumbusMuseumof Art,
Ohio),relates it more convincinglyto Hartley's
famous earlyseries of abstract military
emblems.
26

MARSDEN HARTLEY
Handsome Drinks,1916. Oilon composition
board,24 x 20 in. (61 x 50.8 cm). The
BrooklynMuseum, NewYork.Giftof Mr.
and Mrs.MiltonLowenthal
When Hartleyreturnedto NewYorkfrom Berlin
in December 1915, he foundthat stronganti-
Germansentiment inAmericacautioned
against his paintingor showingany more
Germanmilitarypaintings.Deniedthis power-
ful stimulus, which had been the focus of his
workforthe precedingtwo years, Hartley
attempted to ingratiatehimself intothe
Americanartscene by producinga series
of more neutralstill lifes. Amongthese,
Handsome Drinkswas immediatelyincluded
in "TheForumExhibitionof ModernAmerican
Painters,"held at the AndersonGalleries,New
York,in March1916. AlthoughHartleyinsisted
that paintingslikethis contained "nohidden
symbolismwhatsoever"and that "theforms
are onlythose which I have observed casually
fromday to day,"criticsof the time, and we
today,suspect some covert meaning.
Handsome Drinkspresents a careful-
and probablysymbolic-placement of four
drinkingvessels on a roundedtable. Presiding
overthe scene, inthe center rear,is a large
chalice, fromwhichthe top halfof a mandorla
arises. Theshape also appears in other
Hartleyworksof the periodand may be a ref-
erence to the mandorlasin whichChristis
often painted. Inthe foregroundbelowthe
chalice are three smallervessels. At lowerleft
is a stem goblet containingabsinthe, identifi-
able by its green colorand bythe sugar cube
on a spoon. Absinthewas a popularliqueurin
the late nineteenth and earlytwentiethcen-
turies, even though it was thoughtto cause
hallucinations,mental deterioration,and steril-
ity.Inthe center frontis a Manhattancocktail
witha cherryinside, and at rightare a cup
and saucer. Thecup-and-saucer motiffigured
prominentlyin another Hartleypaintingof the
period,One Portraitof One Woman(University
of Minnesota, Minneapolis),thoughtto be an
abstract portraitof the writerGertrudeStein.
IfHandsome Drinksalso was meant to be an
abstractportrait,the identityof the subject or
subjects has remaineda mysteryfor eighty
years. Eventhe letters writtenon either side
of the chalice, whichdo not seem to formany
recognizablename or word,do not providethe
necessary clue.
27

MARSDEN HARTLEY
American,1877-1943. The Last Lookof
John Donne, 1940. Oilon academy board,
281/8x 22 in. (71.4 x 55.8 cm). The Brooklyn
Museum, NewYork.Giftof Mr.and Mrs.
MiltonLowenthal
Twoyears after Hartleypainted his "archaic"
portraitof AlbertPinkhamRyder(see page
10) he producedthis homage to the great
seventeenth-century Englishmetaphysical
poet John Donne (1572-1631), whose work
Hartleygreatlyadmired. Interms of style,
color, medium, size, and composition, the
two workswere conceivedof as companion
pieces, each payingtributeto a great creative
mind.ForHartley,Donne's intellectualanalyses
of complex human emotions, conveyed
throughmacabreimagery,irony,and paradox
and expressed invernacularlanguage,provided
a shiningexample for his own paintings.
Hartley'spainted portraitis based on an
engravedlikenessthat was used as the frontis-
piece fora posthumouslypublishedvolume of
Donne's last sermon, "Death'sduell,"deliv-
ered when Donne was dean of Saint Paul's
Cathedral,London.Thesame image was also
used to carvethe marbleeffigyof the poet
that still lies in the cathedral. Bothengraving
and sculpturewere based on a portraitdraw-
ing, in which he is covered witha shroud,that
Donne commissioned duringthe last days of
his final illness. Here, in Hartley'spainting,the
corporealityof the poet's waningexistence is
entirelyhidden beneath the heavy pleated fab-
ricthat entombs himwithinits stonelike col-
umn. Onlyhis gaunt face, completely impas-
sive, is visible;his eyes are closed, his mouth
is slightlyopen. Inpositioningthis paintingas
the companion piece to AlbertPinkhamRyder,
Hartleyoffers interestingcomparisons between
the two men, each at the end of his life. Both
figuresfillthe space of the compositionwith
theirenormous presence, but where Ryder's
body is robustand massive, Donne's has all
but disappeared inside its covering.Both
seem to be no longerconnected to this world.
Ryder'sdarkeyes are wide open, butthey
stare out at the viewer,blankand unfocused;
Donne's lids, on the other hand, are shut with
fatigue but seem to suggest a repose of deep
introspectionas the poet reckonswith his
imminentdeath.
MARSDEN HARTLEY
EveningStorm, Schoodic, Maine, No. 2,
1942. Oilon fabricatedboard,30 x 40 in.
Lowenthal
InEveningStorm,Schoodic, Maine, No. 2
Hartleyuses a compositionalarrangementand
shapes verysimilarto those inMt.Katahdin
(see page 11) butfora marinescape. Asthe
conicalfocus of the painting,Hartleysubsti-
tutes forthe mountaina highjagged wallof
wateras it rises and peaks above rocks.Cloud
formationsmuch likethose inMt.Katahdin
also animate the sky,and a stripof blocklike
rocksreplaces the lake inthe foreground.
Althoughthe scene suggests the ebb and flow
of tumultuousmovement (as does the title),
Hartleyrendersthe wave as a largesolid mass.
One historianwrotethat Hartley"hasimmobi-
lizedthe form,makingthe crashingwave as
substantialand monumentalas a mountain.
Thewaterhas the brutalforce of Homer'slate
paintings,but notthe effervescence. Hartleyis
insearch of permanence, not movement. For
himeven liquidsmust acquirepermanence."
Thispaintingis one of at least three ver-
sions (of comparablesize and medium)that
Hartleymade of this subject between 1941
and 1942 (the othertwo are inthe Worcester
ArtMuseum, Mass., and the Museumof
28

ModernArt,N.Y). Forallthree the scene
depictedseems originallyto have derivedfrom
the lowerthirdof Hartley'sslightlyearlier
seascape TheLighthouse(1940-41; William
A. M.Burden,N.Y).Whilethe locale forThe
Lighthouseis PortlandHarbor,Maine,the set-
tingforthe otherthree paintings(as indicated
bytheirtitles) is Schoodic Point,inAcadia
NationalPark,nearthe remotefishingvillageof
Corea,where Hartleylivedfrom1940 to 1941.
In1942, the yearthat this paintingwas done,
Hartleyhad movedto an inlandsection of
northeasternMaine,awayfromthe coast. This
fact supportsthe knowledgethat he often
paintedpicturesfrommemory.
Interestin his Maineseascapes (whichhe
had begunto do onlyin 1936) evokedsome
criticalacclaim. Hartley'sworkdidnot sell well
duringhis lifetime,leavinghimin perpetual
financialcrisis.TheMaineseascapes, however,
werefairlywell receivedinthe marketplace
(some sellingto museums duringthe last years
of his life).TheMuseumof ModernArtpur-
chased theirversionof EveningStorm,
Schoodic, Mainein 1943 and includedit in
their1943-44 exhibition"RomanticPaintingin
America."Thatexhibitionwas surelyseen by
the Lowenthals,who had lentto ittwo paint-
ings (JohnPellew,East RiverNocture No. 2,
and MaxWeber,HasidicDance; see page 15).
In1945 they purchasedthis painting,their
thirdbyHartley.
JOSEPH HIRSCH
American,1910-1981. The Prisoner, 1942.
Oilon canvas, 44 x 301/4in. (111.8 x
76.8 cm). WhitneyMuseumof AmericanArt,
NewYork.Giftof Edithand MiltonLowenthal
Evenbeforehis workwas seen bythe
Lowenthalsin "ArtistsforVictory,"Hirschhad
exhibitedwidelyand had receivedseveral pres-
tigiousawardsand fellowships.ThePrisoner,
whichwas one of the Lowenthalsveryfirstpur-
chases (inFebruary1943), had previouslywon
honorablementioninthe "Fifty-thirdAnnual
Exhibitionof AmericanPaintingsand Sculpture"
at the ArtInstituteof Chicagoin 1942 and had
been reproducedon the coverofArtDigest in
Novemberof that year.
Thesubject of the paintingwas particularly
timelyfor1942. AyoungGermansoldier,still
dressed infulluniform,speaks to an unidenti-
fied interrogator,whose presence is indicated
onlybythe hands, inthe lowerleftcornerof
the painting,holdinga clipboardand writing.
Thesoldier'sdemeanor is surprisinglycasual
and nonthreatenedas he wearilyimpartsmili-
taryinformationto his captorwhiledrinkinga
cup of coffee. Hirschpresents the humanface
of the war,enablingoursympathiesto lie as
muchwiththe predicamentof the young
Germanprisoneras withthe noble cause of
the Alliedforces. Ina statement made in 1942
inthe catalogue forthe Museumof Modern
Art'sexhibition"Americans1942: Eighteen
ArtistsfromNineStates," Hirschexplainedthat
the functionof his artwas to instillinothersthe
artist'sworldview...InmypaintingIwant to
castigate the thingsIhate and paintmonu-
ments to whatIfeel is noble....Ours is an
era of accelerated transition,this is the sea-
son forweapons....The real men of arthave
invariablybeen keenlyaware of the world
aroundthem. So itstrikesme that a re-
affirmation...in the common ordinaryman
willbe as naturalas was, forexample, the
emphasis by ElGreco,in his day,on his faith
in the Church.Thecause of democracyis
the cause of creativeart, and the contempo-
raryartistwho cherishes his artfreedomwill
accordinglyfightforthe democracyin which
it flourishes.
ThePrisoneris one of several warimages
that Hirschproducedabout 1940-42, prior
to his becomingan officialartist-correspondent
between 1943 and 1944. Thispainting
remained withthe Lowenthalsuntil 1953,
when itwas one oftwoworksgivento the
WhitneyMuseumof AmericanArtfollowing
its 1952-53 exhibitionof the Lowenthal
Collection.
29

No. 9
No. 11No. 6
JACOB LAWRENCE
American,born1917. John BrownSeries,
1941. Gouache on paper.The DetroitInstitute
of Arts.Giftof Mr.and Mrs.MiltonLowenthal
No. 6: John Brownformed an organization
among the colored people of the Adirondack
woods to resist the capture of any fugitive
slave, 20 x 14 in. (50.8 x 35.6 cm)
No. 9: Kansas was nowthe skirmishground
of the CivilWar,14 x 20 in. (35.6 x 50.8 cm)
No. 11: John Browntook to guerrilla
warfare, 14 x 20 in. (35.6 x 50.8 cm)
FromDecember4 to 29, 1945, Lawrence's
twenty-two-partJohn Brownseries was exhib-
ited at the DowntownGalleryin histhirdone-
man show there infouryears. Thesequence
recountsthe thoughtsand actions of the white
abolitionistJohn Brown,whose finalraidon a
federalarsenalat HarpersFerry,Virginia(in
December 1859), led to his captureand exe-
cutionand heightenedtensions priorto the
CivilWar.Areviewof the show called these pic-
tures "powerfuland compelling"and reported
that the Lowenthalshad purchasedthe entire
groupof workson openingday.Overthe next
two years (1946-48) the paintingscirculated
aroundthe countryinan exhibitionorganized
bythe Boston Instituteof ModernArtand the
AmericanFederationof Arts.Bythe time the
Lowenthalsacquiredthe series, the twenty-
eight-year-oldLawrencehad alreadyachieved
considerablerecognition,not onlythroughhis
galleryshows butalso because of the purchase
of his sixty-panelMigrationof the Negroseries
(bythe Museumof ModernArt,N.Y,and the
PhillipsCollection,Washington,D.C.,in 1942)
and his winningof a $500 purchaseprizeat
"ArtistsforVictory"(whereTheMetropolitan
Museumof Artacquiredhis gouache on paper
Pool Parlor,acc. no. 42.167).
Althoughthe John Brownpictureswere
firstexhibitedin 1945, they had actuallybeen
paintedfouryears earlier,whilethe artistand
his bridewere in NewOrleanson an extended
tripthroughthe South. Preparationsforthe
series had been started beforetheirtrip,
includingintensiveresearch inthe NewYork
PublicLibrary.There,Lawrencehad read
FranklinB. Sanborn's1885 bookTheLifeand
LettersofJohn Brown,Liberatorof Kansas and
Martyrof Virginia,which likened Brownto
Christ.InLawrence'srenderingof Brown's
abolitionistcrusade and eventual martyrdom,
he, too, drawsthis analogy,makingthe point
visuallyby includingthe crucifixin several pic-
tures and bybeginningthe sequence withan
image of Christon the cross and ending itwith
Brown'sbodyhangingina similarcomposition.
As he had done in his fourpreviousmultipart
works-Toussaint-L'ouverture(1937), Frederick
Douglass (1938), HarrietTubman(1939), and
Migrationof the Negro(1940)-Lawrence
wrotea captionforeach panel to describethe
depicted narrative.Thetexts tend to be simple
30

No. 12 No. 20
No. 12: John Brown'svictory at Black Jack
drove those pro-slaveryto new fury,and
those who were anti-slavery to new efforts,
20 x 14 in. (50.8 x 35.6 cm)
No. 15 No. 21
andfactual, buttheirmeaningis enhanced
when readintandem withthe images, which
do not alwayscorrelateexactlyto the words.
Inthe John Brownseries the compositions
are graphicallydramatic,filledwithstrongdiag-
onal movementand recedingspaces. Most
scenes containfiguresengaged in meetings
orcombat, butsome are morecontemplative
orpoignantlyempty.Thecomplexitiesof
Lawrence'sdesigns and narrativesare offset by
the flat, simplifiedformsandthe use of strong
color,dramaticlight,and darkcontrasts. The
gouache mediumthat the artistfavored
enabled himto workquicklywithgreatfresh-
ness of effect. However,his experimentsat
producinga homemade gouache (made from
groundpigments, rabbit-skinglue, and water,
drippedthroughcheesecloth) have not proved
durable.Overtime, severe flakingof the
surfaces has forcedthe DetroitInstituteof Arts
(whichnowowns the series; see note) to deny
any loan requests forthese works.Instead,the
museum is onlyable to lenda set of silk-
screened printsmade in 1974-77 afterthe
originalgouache paintings(withthe artist's
cooperation).Comparingthe gouaches, illus-
tratedhere, to the silkscreens, visitorsto the
LowenthalCollectionexhibitionat the Metro-
politanMuseumwillsee that the silk-screened
printswere not intendedto be precisetran-
No. 15: John Brownmade many trips to
Canada organizingfor his assault on
Harpers Ferry,20 x 14 in. (50.8 x 35.6 cm)
No. 20: John Brownheld Harpers Ferryfor
twelve hours: his defeat was a few hours
off, 14 x 20 in. (35.6 x 50.8 cm)
No. 21: AfterJohn Brown's capture, he was
put on trial for his life in Charles Town,
Virginia,20 x 14 in. (50.8 x 35.6 cm)
scriptionsof the originals.Whilethey do repli-
cate the compositions and the vibrantmatte
effect of the paint,they do not followthe exact
colorsof the originalsnordo they revealthe
texturalbrushworkand tonal variationsthat
enlivenedthe surface of the Lowenthalpieces.
31

JACK LEVINE
American,born1915. CityLights, 1940. Oil
on canvas, 54 x 36 in. (137.2 x 91.4 cm).
MemphisBrooksMuseumof Art,Memphis,
Tennessee. Giftof Edithand MiltonLowenthal
CityLights,byLevine(whowas a second-prize
winnerinthe "ArtistsforVictory"exhibition),was
the thirdworkacquiredbythe Lowenthalsfrom
the DowntownGallery,in1943. Althoughit
remainedtheironlyexampleof Levine'spaint-
ing,itwas an intriguingpictureandwas keptin
theircollectionforthirty-fiveyears, until1978,
when itwas givento the MemphisBrooks
MuseumofArt,Memphis,Tennessee. Levine's
workofthe 1930s and 1940s maybe classified
as Social Realism,as arethe paintingsof Ben
ShahnandJacob Lawrence(bothalso repre-
sented bythe DowntownGallery),Robert
Gwathmey,andJoseph Hirsch,allofwhomhad
worksinthe LowenthalCollection.Together
these pictures,whichoffersocial commentary,
forma special subset withinthe collection. Not
surprisingly,consideringtheiranomalous rela-
tionshipto the restofthe holdings,these pieces
wereallacquiredduringthe formativeyears
ofthe collection(1943-46), beforethe
Lowenthals'taste inarthadfullydeveloped.
Bornand raisedinBoston, Levinespent the
firstfortyyearsof his lifethere beforerelocating
to NewYorkCityin1945. Hisdepictionsofpeople
and places reflectedthe details (i.e., street
signs and buildings)ofthe locale inwhichhe
livedat the time. Levinefrequentlyproduced
severalversionsof a particulartheme overthe
course of a yearortwo. Inthe case of City
Lights,the meetingofthree men (facingleft,
center,and right)anda skeleton on a brick
street inBostonis closely based on a much
smalleroilpaintedthe previousyear(City
LightsNo. 1, 1939; MidtownGalleries,N.Y),
itselfa variationon his large1938 canvas The
Street (Museumof ModernArt,N.Y),and allof
the relatedpaintings.AlthoughLevineoften
used such worksto makesatiricalstatements
aboutcorruptioningovernment,odd political
bedfellows,orpersonalityconceits ofvarious
membersof society, his motivationherewas
muchmorepersonal.Thedeath of hisfatherin
1939 led himto paintthis homagewhilefeeling
"acertainkindof preoccupationwithblackness
anddeath andsorrow."Justas hisfatherhad
been a simpleworkingman,the men inthis pic-
turesymbolizeEveryman."Behindand above
them [is]some sortof ghostlyfigure,which
couldeven be myfatherlaidout inhiscoffin...
a skeleton, butthere's something likea white
skullcap and a prayershawlwrappedaroundit
and underthejaws."Thelanternat lowerleft,
whichoften appears inLevine'swork,mayrep-
resentthe one beacon of hope inthis otherwise
macabreand melancholyscene.
JACQUES LIPCHITZ
American,1891-1973. Portraitof Marsden
Hartley, 1942. Bronze,edition1/7, h. 141/2in.
(36.8 cm). The BrooklynMuseum, New York.
Giftof the Edithand MiltonLowenthal
FoundationInc., in memoryof CarlSelden
Althoughthe realisticsculpturebyLipchitzdoes
not seem to fitstylisticallyorthematicallywith
the rest of the Lowenthals'holdings,itwas
probablyacquiredbecause its subject, the
painterMarsdenHartley,figuredso prominently
intheircollection. Inthe same year (1952)
that the Lowenthalspurchasedtheirlast
Hartleypaintingthey also acquiredthis
monumentalhead.
Themakingof the portraitcame about in
1941-42, afterthe two artistsmet unexpect-
edly at an exhibitionopening. Lipchitz,a pri-
marilyExpressionistsculptor,hadjust emigrated
to NewYorkfromFranceand was on the alert
fora good portraitsubject, whichhe hoped
would generate future commissions and
income. He recalledseeing a man at the open-
ing partywho seemed "tohave a typicalAmer-
icanface" and asked whetherhe would
consent to pose forhimbefore he even knew
whothe man was. Lipchitzwas drawnto
Hartley's"marvelous"head withits highfore-
head, largesunken eyes, and beaklikenose,
whichthe sculptordescribedas being "strong
and...very,verysweet and almost feminine in
his face." OnHartley'spart,he had admired
Lipchitz'sworksince 1935, when he firstsaw it
inan exhibitionat the BrummerGalleryin New
York.Inhis writtenaccount "PosingforLipchitz"
(ca. 1942-43, publishedposthumously),
Hartleycalled him"theonlymodernsculptor
that has ever moved me."Althoughthe two
were neverclose, they respected one another
and admiredeach other'swork.(Hartleyowned
a drawingbyLipchitz.)
Aftertwenty-eightsittings Lipchitzmade
two portraitheads: a largeone of Hartleylook-
ingstraightahead and a smallerone of him
asleep withhis head restingon his hand. Both
poses were producedin uniqueterracottas
and incast-bronzeeditions. The Lowenthals
owned one of the seven bronzecasts made
of the moreformalhead; the Metropolitan
acquiredthe relatedterracottain 1942
(acc. no. 42.142).
32

STANTON MACDONALD-WRIGHT
American,1890-1973. Synchromy No. 3,
1917. Oilon canvas, 39 x 38 in. (99 x
Bequest of Edithand MiltonLowenthal
Oneof the gems of the LowenthalCollection
is this colorfulSynchromistpaintingby
Macdonald-Wright,whichis the onlywork
bythis innovativeearly-twentieth-century
Modernistto be representedinthe Lowenthals'
holdings.Itwas acquiredfromWeyheGalleryin
NewYorkon January13, 1953 (the onlywork
they acquiredthat year),just after101 pieces
fromthe LowenthalCollectionwent on view
ina touringexhibitionthat was seen at the
WhitneyMuseumof AmericanArt,NewYork
(October1-November 2, 1952), and the
WalkerArtCenter,Minneapolis(November28,
1952-January 17, 1953). Theexhibition
allowedthe Lowenthalsto reviewtheirentire
collectionforthe firsttime. Theirsubsequent
purchaseof this paintingand one byGeorgia
O'Keeffe(in1958; see page 35)-works by
two importantartistsnot previouslyincluded
intheircollection-may have been an attempt
to present intheirholdingsa moredefinitive
surveyof AmericanModernism.
Asa picturefrom1917, SynchromyNo. 3
falls outside the mainscope of the Lowenthal
Collection.Itsacquisition,however,added
strengthto theirfew select examples of World
WarIModernismbyMarsdenHartley,John
Marin,and MaxWeber.Togetherthese paint-
ings indicatethe stronginfluencethat Cubism
had on the developmentof early-twentieth-
centuryAmericanart. ForMacdonald-Wright
and hisfellowartistMorganRussell, bothof
whomwere workingin Franceabout 1912,
Cubism,particularlythe Orphismof Robert
Delaunay,providedthe structuralfoundation
fortheirtheories of painting,based on color
relationships,whichthey called Synchromism.
Macdonald-Wrightfollowedthe Synchromist
principlesfromabout 1912 to 1919. As evi-
denced by-SynchromyNo. 3, his best workwas
a livelymixof intersectingtranslucentplanes
and a spectrumof brightcolors. Humanfigures
and everydayobjects were his primarysub-
jects. Here,a roominteriorbecomes a shifting
kaleidoscope inwhichformsadvance and
recede, some solidifying,others beingfractured
bylightintothinveils of color.Althoughthe
scene is not easily read,we can make out a
wooden chairwithverticalslats at the farright,
a table set witha plate of fruitat center left,
and perhapsthe green leaves of a plantfarther
left.Asthe artistwroteabout his Synchromist
worksinthe forewordof the catalogue forhis
1917 exhibitionat Stieglitz's"291" gallery:
"Myambitionis to create an artwhichstands
halfway between music and architecture."
33

JOHN MARIN
American,1870-1953. Street Movement,
New YorkCity, 1932. Watercoloron paper,
255/8x 205/8in. (65 x 52.3 cm). The
BrooklynMuseum, NewYork.Bequest
of Edithand MiltonLowenthal
Throughoutthe twentiethcenturyNewYorkCity
has been a favoredsubjectforboth realistand
abstractartistsof manydifferentschools. For
artists,such as Marin,whose rootswere found
inCubism,the citywas a three-dimensional
realizationof that movement'stheories of
simultaneityand faceted construction.
Aftertrainingin Europefrom1905 to
1910, Marinreturnedto NewYorkinearly
1911 and created a numberof Cubo-Futuristic
worksthat glorifiedsites such as the Brooklyn
Bridge,the sixty-storyWoolworthBuilding,and
the steeple of Saint Paul'sChapel(at Broadway
and FultonStreet). Inthe forewordto the cata-
logueforhis 1913 exhibitionof NewYork
watercolors,Marinexpressed hisfeelings about
the city,whichcontinuedto informhis later
workas well:"Isee greatforces at work;great
movements;the warringof the greatand the
small....Whilethese powersare at workpush-
ing, pulling,sideways, downwards,upwards,I
can hearthe sound of theirstrifeand there is
greatmusic being played.Andso Itryto
express graphicallywhata greatcityis doing."
InStreet Movement,New YorkCityMarincre-
ates a dense abstractreliefof overlappingrec-
tangles and diagonallinesthat suggests a busy
intersectionin midtownManhattan.Buildings,
billboards,lights,streets, and people are
blurredtogether bythe pulsatingrhythmthat
drivesthe cityforward.
JOHN MARIN
Movement, Nassau Street, No. 2, 1936.
Watercolor on paper, 261/8 x 20 /8 in. (66.3 x
51 cm). The BrooklynMuseum, NewYork.
Bequest of Edithand MiltonLowenthal
By 1920 Marin'sviews of NewYorkCityno
longerfocused on single buildingsbut on the
entire environmentof buildingsand people
involvedin what he called a mad dance in
which "everythingbecame alive...Buildings-
streets-people-become a solid mass of
movingaliveness...with a kindof orderto it
all."The underlyingsense of orderthat he
perceivedwithinthe dynamicmovement is
particularlyapparentin this late schematic
watercolor.Here, Marinhas visuallydemarcat-
ed differentelements of the scene withdark
borders,for example, a woman in the lower
rightcorner,the collected mass of pedestrians,
and a rowof buildings. Together, however,
these individualpieces fit intoone another
likean odd-shaped jigsaw puzzle.Movement,
Nassau Street, No. 2 is one of at least seven
variations on this same composition that
Marinmade in 1936. Whileothers inthe series
evoke a greatersense of outwardmotion,this
one is extremely stylized, controllingall of
the street's energy as if it were pullinginward
on itself.
Althoughoverthe years Marindid create
oil paintingson canvas, the largest partof his
oeuvre consisted of-and his artisticreputa-
tion restedsolelyon-the masterfulwatercolors
that he producedfor almost fiftyyears. Ever
since his earlyexhibitionsat Stieglitz'sgallery,
beginningin 1909, Marin'sworkhad sold
well. Bythe time the Lowenthalspurchased
theirfirstMarinwatercolor,Pine Tree(1917),
in 1945 and his two laterwatercolorsof New
Yorkin 1952, the prices commanded for his
workson paperwere considerablyhigherthan
for manyartists on canvas. The acquisition
of Street Movementand Movement, Nassau
Street just priorto the entire collection being
shown at the WhitneyMuseum in October
1952 may reflectthe Lowenthals'desire at
this time to exhibita fullerrepresentationof
the early masters of twentieth-century
Americanart.
34

GEORGIA O'KEEFFE
American,1887-1986. Ram's Head, White
Hollyhock-Hills, 1935. Oilon canvas, 30 x
36 in. (76.2 x 91.5 cm). The Brooklyn
Museum, NewYork.Bequest of Edithand
MiltonLowenthal
In1929 O'Keeffemade the firstof many
extendedvisitsto NewMexico(whereshe
eventuallymoved in 1949), and almost imme-
diatelyherpaintingswere filledwithimages
that evokedthat partof the country.Ofparticu-
larinterestto herwerethe majestic landfor-
mationsand animalbones that she collected in
the desert. Whatto some mightseem an eerie
specter of skeletal remainstook on a deep sig-
nificanceforthe artist,whowrotethat "they
are as beautifulas anythingIknow....The
bones seem to cut sharplyto the center of
somethingthat is keenlyaliveon the desert."
These powerfulmotifswere readilyadapted
to O'Keeffe'salreadydevelopedstyle, which
combinedan almost photographicrealismwith
a strongsense of abstractdesign.Theintensity
of lightand colorthat distinguishesherNew
Mexicopaintingsfromherpreviouswork
reflectednotonlythe naturalconditionsof
the Southwesternsetting butalso the artist's
renewedenthusiasmforpaintingafterseveral
difficultyears. She beganto experimentfreely
withjuxtaposingdisassociated images in
the same picture.InRam'sHead, WhiteHolly-
hock-Hills, forinstance-the Lowenthals'only
exampleof O'Keeffe'swork-the artistinter-
jects into a panoramic landscape two close-up
studies, of an animalskulland a flower.The
incongruityof scale and perspectivebetween
these elements is dramaticand startling.The
gentlyrollingsand hillsof the RioGrandeValley
(westofTaos),whichforman undulatingmass
at the bottomof the canvas, are depictedwith-
out muchspecificity,as ifseen froma greatdis-
tance andfroma highvantage point.Theskull
andflowermotifs,on the otherhand,are shown
inscrupulousdetailat close range.Thestrictly
frontalviewof the ram'shead emphasizes its
exoticcontour,whilethe slightlyupwardtiltof
the hollyhockrevealsitsshallowdepth.Although
the individualimages are realisticallydescribed,
there is noverisimilitudeto the scene.
O'Keeffe'spaintingjoined the Lowenthal
Collectionin 1958 as a relativelylate addition
and was exhibitedthe followingyearat the
WhitneyMuseumof AmericanArtina group
show, "TheMuseumand ItsFriends:Second
LoanExhibition."
35

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