Mrs. Atkinson (Gwen John)
| Mrs. Atkinson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Gwen John  |
| Year | c. 1897 |
| Medium | Oil paint, panel |
| Dimensions | 30.5 cm (12.0 in) × 31.1 cm (12.2 in) |
| Location | Metropolitan Museum of Art |
| Accession No. | 1979.135.27 |
| Identifiers | The Met object ID: 481922 |
Mrs. Atkinson is a painting (portrait) by Gwen John. It is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1]
Description and interpretation
[edit]The work depicts John's cleaning woman, Mrs. Atkinson, sitting in a room covered with flocked wallpaper.[2] There is a sheep skull on the mantelpiece, though this is not thought to have symbolic meaning.[3]
Simon Schama writes that she is "glancing anxiously sideways, uncertain of what is wanted of her."[2] The painting was exhibited at the New English Art Club in the spring of 1900, marking a strong phase of her career that also saw her Self-portrait on display there about that time.[3] It is considered among the "carefully executed tonal paintings of rather detailed genre subjects" in her first mature oil works.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Mrs. Atkinson". Metmuseum.org. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
- ^ a b Schama, Simon (2016). The Face of Britain: A History of the Nation Through Its Portraits. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190621896.
- ^ a b Taubman, Mary (1985). Gwen John, the artist and her work. Cornell University Press. p. 24. ISBN 9780801418945.
- ^ Gaze, Delia (2013-04-03). Concise Dictionary of Women Artists. Routledge. p. 386. ISBN 9781136599019.