314

Catharine Carter Critcher

(1868 - 1964)

Self Portrait

oil on canvas
signed lower left: CCRITCHER
inscribed verso: C C / 32 x 39 1/2
38 3/4 x 31 1/4 in. (98.4 x 79.4 cm.), frame: 44 1/2 x 37 3/8 x 1 7/8 in. (113 x 94.9 x 4.8 cm.)

  • Provenance: Private Collection, New York

    Catharine Carter Critcher holds a significant place in the history of the Taos art community, as she was the only female member among the Taos Society of Artists. Critcher's inclusion in this male-dominated group, which included Bert Phillips, Ernest Blumenschein, E.I Couse and Joseph Henry Sharp, not only highlights her exceptional talent but also underscores her pioneering role in a time when opportunities for female artists were often limited. She established an art school for American artists in Paris in 1905, and later, was an instructor at the Corcoran School of Art, and opened the Critcher-Hill School of Art with sculptor Clara Hill. The influence of her associates William Merritt Chase and Robert Henri can clearly be seen in her formal portraits and still lifes. Critcher's legacy is also preserved in several prominent collections, including the New Mexico Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

    Critcher started her career with portraiture, becoming well-established on the east coat. This self portrait, likely painted around 1900, shows the artist in her early 30s, holding a paintbrush and meeting the viewer's gaze. It was created before the artist visited Taos for the first time in 1920, although she never settled there permanently. She continue to travel, creating still lives and some landscapes, although portraiture remained her focus.
  • Condition: Restored condition. Lined. Stable alligatoring overall (primarily visible in darks). Small area of impact craquelure upper left (measuring approximately 2 x 2 inches). Examination under blacklight reveals small areas of inpaint (please refer to photos: upper left measuring approximately 1 x 1 inches, right measuring approximately 1 x 1 inches, fine line approximate 3 inch line across chest, a few scattered spots/lines under hat, lines around extreme perimeter margins adjacent to frame).

    The condition reports for the lots offered by Santa Fe Art Auction (SFAA) are provided as a courtesy and convenience for potential buyers. The reports are not intended to nor do they substitute for physical examination by a buyer or the buyer's advisors. The condition reports are prepared by SFAA staff members who are not art conservators or restorers, nor do they possess the qualifications needed for comprehensive evaluation. Each condition report is an opinion of the staff member and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply anything as to the condition of a particular lot. Buyers are reminded that the limited warranties are set forth in the Terms and Conditions of Sale and do not extend to condition. Each lot is sold as-is.

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November 9, 2024 1:00 PM MST
Santa Fe, NM, US

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