AFA Summer 2018

2018 Antiques & Fine Art 89 overuse the word “virile,” as they looked for a distinctive American style. Paintings described in this way had a robust quality, with a depth of technique and strong evidence of the artist’s hand. Not surprisingly, Gertrude Fiske’s work was described as virile. Appointed as the first woman ever to the Massachusetts State Art Commission in January 1930, the Boston Globe described her many achievements and awards, one of which was as “the founder of the Concord Art Association, another virile and high-class organization.” More importantly, they go on to say that Fiske “always had a strong artistic individualit y of her own, commenting, “There is a note of personal distinction in all of her work—a virile note” ( Boston Globe , January 9, 1930). It was Charles Woodbury who, as mentor and friend, supported Fiske in her exploration of her authentic and distinct voice in art. He encouraged all of his students to paint the forces they saw in front of them, and the stylistic singularity seen in Fiske’s portraits, landscapes, and figure paintings, shows her response (Fig. 12). Gertrude Fiske: American Master, will be on view at Discover Portsmouth in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from April 6 through September 30, 2018. For more information, see www.portsmouthhistory.org. It is accompanied by two companion exhibitions: Sisters of the Brush and Palette, which includes works by Susan Ricker Knox, Anne W. Carleton, and Margaret Patterson, all contemporaries of Fiske, and Seacoast Masters Today, with paintings by Amy Brnger, Pamela duLong Williams, Donna Harkins, and Sydney Bella Sparrow, all of whom work in the vibrant tradition of the arts on the Seacoast.  Lainey McCartney is curatorial associate at the Portsmouth Historical Society and the curator of Gertrude Fiske: American Master. This article is based on Gertrude Fiske: American Master, with Sisters of the Brush and Palette and Seacoast Masters Today , by Lainey McCartney, with contributions by Carol Walker Aten and Richard M. Candee (Portsmouth, N.H.: Portsmouth Marine Society Press, 2018). Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are by Jeremy Fogg. clockwise from upper left Fig. 10: Gertrude Fiske (1879–1961), Nude in Interior, ca. 1922. Oil on canvas, 30 x 36 inches. Private collection. Fig. 12: Gertrude Fiske (1879–1961), The Carpenter, ca. 1922. Oil on canvas, 54¼ x 40¼ inches. Farnsworth Museum of Art; Gift of the Estate of Gertrude Fiske (66.1529). Photo by Alan Lavallee. Fig. 11: Gertrude Fiske (1879–1961), Bird of Paradise, Sleeping Nude, ca. 1916. Oil on canvas, 33½ x 42 inches. Private collection. Photo courtesy of Vose Gallery.