Arthur Bowen Davies and Juno and The Three Graces

'Juno and The Three Graces' (1902) by Arthur Bowen Davies; Hunter Museum Of American Art, Chattanooga

The choice was a bit meagre today but I'm happy to choose Arthur Bowen Davies, born on 26 September 1863, an American painter unknown to me. Davies studied art in Chicago and moved to New York to study at the Art Students League. He was a member of The Eight, a realist artistic movement of eight American artists who had one show together in 1908 that created a sensation. Davies was influenced by the painters of the Hudson River School and in particular by the dreamlike landscapes of George Innes, a painter whom I got to know while doing this blog and whose work I really like. I think the painting I chose for today has that same dreamlike quality that Innes displays in his work. The subject here is mythological. We see Juno, wife of Jupiter, with The Three Graces in the background. The Three Graces were attendants of Juno (among others) and were usually depicted as nude women dancing in a circle while holding hands (click here if you want to read more). I love the green and the splash of yellow!

George Benjamin Luks and Society Girl

'Society Girl' (1920) by George Benjamin Luks; Weatherspoon Art Museum,
University of North Carolina, Greensboro

George Luks, born on August 13, 1867, was an American Realist painter that I have never heard of but his Wikipedia page is quite long so I guess he was an important painter. It could have something to do with the fact that he was one of the members of the Ashcan School, a group of American painters who depicted urban scenes in a realistic style. The movement grew out of a group called The Eight. Eight artists, led by Robert Henri, exhibited their work at Macbeth's Gallery in New York in 1908 in a purposeful attempt to free artists from the artistic restrictions imposed by the National Academy. This was the only time that the group acted together. If you click here, you can see one of Luks' urban scene paintings (Allen Street, c.1905). I've chosen 'Society girl', a painting from his later period. Probably not so difficult to guess why. With this painting Luks wanted to interpret wealth and the importance of society. I think it's beautiful.