Robert Lewis Reid was an American Impressionist painter and muralist whose work tended to be very decorative, much of it centered on depiction of young women set among flowers. He later became known for his murals and designs in stained glass. In 1897-1898, he co-founded the “Ten American Painters”, a group of Impressionists who rebelled against traditional Realism. He and his fellow members of “The Ten” were largely French educated, and they often focused on elegant compositions with bright, luscious colors. Reid favored the soft, dappled brushstrokes of Impressionism, allowing colors and strokes to blend into one another. This effect creates a welcoming image, inviting viewers to peer closer at the painting. In “Defiant Autumn,” a pale-skinned woman is seated comfortably with her left arm resting in her lap and her right arm reaching up to gently clutch the foliage that envelops her. She is staring boldly out at the viewer — defiant in the face of change. She has a large number of flowers gathered in her lap, so many she’s barely able to contain them in her arms. She is almost one with the flowers – her clothing and hair are loose, and the color is close to that of the petals around her. Through Reid’s use of loose brushwork, the edges between the foliage and her are blurred. Reid’s painterly style is wholly Impressionistic with his use of scumbling to achieve an all-over fuzzy or airy quality. The melting colors and forms capture movement, implying a moment in a continually changing scene as his muse becomes an embodiment of nature. The background strengthens this illusion, as it combines hues from her skin tone, clothing, and the flowers, bringing everything to the same compositional plane and portraying them as one dynamic subject. Source: Fort Wayne Museum of Art
“Defiant Autumn” by Robert Reid (American) - Oil on Canvas / 1890 - Fort Wayne Museum of Art (Indiana) #womeninart #art #oilpainting #scumbling #scumble #RobertReid #impressionism #womensart #ArtText #RobertLewisReid #FWMoA #TheTen #AmericanImpressionism #TenAmericanPainters #FortWayneMuseumofArt
