Portrait of My Teacher, Fräulein Sophie von Prieser
Florine Stettheimer, Portrait of My Teacher, Fräulein Sophie von Prieser, 1929, oil on canvas, Gift of the Ettie Stettheimer Estate, public domain, 57.14
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Portrait of My Teacher, Fräulein Sophie von Prieser
- Artist
- Date
1929
- Medium
oil on canvas
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
38 in x 20 in
- Inscriptions & Markings
date: Summer 1929, brushed, stretcher verso bottom Description: Written on reverse of stretcher member in black paint on bottom
inscription; artist's initials: F. S., brushed, stretcher verso left side Description: Written on reverse of stretcher member in black paint on left side
inscription; title; artist's name: Frln. von Prieser by Florine Stettheimer, brushed, stretcher verso top Description: Written on reverse of stretcher member in black paint on top
signature; date: Florine Stettheimer // 1929, brushed, lower left
- Collection Area
American Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
American
- Credit Line
Gift of the Ettie Stettheimer Estate
- Accession Number
57.14
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
Influenced by such artists as Marcel Duchamp, Henri Matisse, and Charles Demuth, Florine Stettheimer combined seemingly naïve elements with a sophisticated awareness of modernism. Stettheimer's paintings are characterized by bright, pure colors, a thick buildup of Chinese white pigment, and a strongly calligraphic use of line. In 1928 and 1929, Stettheimer completed a number of portraits of people from her childhood, including her governess, Fraülein von Prieser. The formidable, black-clad figure contrasts with the fanciful touches and brilliant, often discordant colors of her environment. Stettheimer has placed herself in the picture as a pensive, composed schoolgirl, reflected in the mirror above the mantel.
