AFA Summer 2018

Summer 84 www.afamag.com |  www.incollect.com Fig. 4: Gertrude Fiske (1879–1961), Woman in White, ca. 1917. Oil on canvas, 36 x 29 inches. Private collection. This meant painting en plein air, capturing fleeting moments of light, and using luminous colors. Most importantly, they emphasized the traditional technical skills of drawing and composition, and understanding the past masters. Added to these, were the underlying tenets of the Boston School: to paint genteel subject matter with a conservative approach (Fig. 4). For women painters in those years, Boston was a paradox. It was at once accepting and even welcoming of female artists. The vast majority of students in the fine art schools were women. And unlike other parts of the country, Boston galleries readily opened their doors to the swell of women painters. But they were encouraged only as long as they stayed within the conventions of the day (Fig. 5). A woman’s success was not necessarily dependent on her talent, but rather on her willingness and ability to “paint within the lines” of social protocol. For instance, rendering the female form in a sophisticated, yet contained and banal manner, was expected from the Boston School. Many women artists resisted this lack of authenticity and sought instead an independent vision. Change came to Boston as a result of global events. The heavy toll of World War I meant, among other things, fewer men, which