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In Stuart Davis, Newman has placed his sitter in front of a record player whose open square top frames his head. To the right on the stand is a long-playing record. Davis sits slightly off center, with his arms folded, and looks directly at the camera. He wears a plaid shirt, open at the neck and with sleeves rolled up. His expression verges on annoyance, or boredom. Behind the artist on the left is a large canvas turned inward, which casts a triangular shadow on the wall.
Stuart Davis (1892–1964) was a modernist painter influenced by Cubism. He was one of the youngest artists to be included in the controversial 1913 Armory Show. His colorful paintings reflect modern urban life, often include signage, and are enlivened by a pulsating rhythm that mirrors Davis’s passion for jazz music. He frequented New York nightclubs and became friendly with many musicians, including Duke Ellington. Paintings like Reynolda House Museum of American Art’s For Internal Use Only, 1944–1945, with its bright colors and almost audible rhythms, is typical of Davis’s mature work.
Newman’s portrayal of the painter is subtle in its reference to jazz and does not attempt to recreate the rhythms that Davis favored. Instead, the image is straightforward and belies Davis’s energetic paintings. At times, Newman found himself caught between two artists; he recalled, “Léger and Stuart Davis, for example, were eager to learn about each other, but neither would arrange a meeting. Instead, each questioned me intensely about the other.” [1] Perhaps Davis’s expression reflects his frustration on this issue.
Notes:
[1] Newman, quoted in Arnold Newman and Henry Geldzhaler, Artists Portraits from four Decades by Arnold Newman (Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1980), 13.
ProvenanceFrom 1983
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, purchased from Arnold Newman Studios, Inc., New York on January 21, 1983. [1]
Notes:
[1] Invoice, object file.
Exhibition History2006
Self/Image: Portraiture from Copley to Close
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (8/30/2006 - 12/31/2006)
2019
Portraits of the Artists
Reynolda House Museum of American Art (2/1/2019-8/4/2019)
Published References
DepartmentAmerican Art
Stuart Davis
Artist
Arnold Newman
(1918 - 2006)
Subject
Stuart Davis
(1892 - 1964)
Date1941
Mediumgelatin silver print
DimensionsFrame: 16 1/4 x 20 1/4 in. (41.3 x 51.4 cm)
Image: 9 1/4 x 12 5/8 in. (23.5 x 32.1 cm)
Signed© Arnold Newman
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
CopyrightDue to rights restrictions this image can not be enlarged or viewed at full screen.
Object number1983.2.2
DescriptionWhile the series that launched Arnold Newman’s career, Artists Look Like This, emphasized painters and sculptors, he also made indelible portraits of performing artists. Among his most famous images is the one of composer and conductor Igor Stravinsky, who sits in the lower left corner of the composition marginalized by a grand piano. The spare arrangement is totally dominated by the solid black shape of the instrument.In Stuart Davis, Newman has placed his sitter in front of a record player whose open square top frames his head. To the right on the stand is a long-playing record. Davis sits slightly off center, with his arms folded, and looks directly at the camera. He wears a plaid shirt, open at the neck and with sleeves rolled up. His expression verges on annoyance, or boredom. Behind the artist on the left is a large canvas turned inward, which casts a triangular shadow on the wall.
Stuart Davis (1892–1964) was a modernist painter influenced by Cubism. He was one of the youngest artists to be included in the controversial 1913 Armory Show. His colorful paintings reflect modern urban life, often include signage, and are enlivened by a pulsating rhythm that mirrors Davis’s passion for jazz music. He frequented New York nightclubs and became friendly with many musicians, including Duke Ellington. Paintings like Reynolda House Museum of American Art’s For Internal Use Only, 1944–1945, with its bright colors and almost audible rhythms, is typical of Davis’s mature work.
Newman’s portrayal of the painter is subtle in its reference to jazz and does not attempt to recreate the rhythms that Davis favored. Instead, the image is straightforward and belies Davis’s energetic paintings. At times, Newman found himself caught between two artists; he recalled, “Léger and Stuart Davis, for example, were eager to learn about each other, but neither would arrange a meeting. Instead, each questioned me intensely about the other.” [1] Perhaps Davis’s expression reflects his frustration on this issue.
Notes:
[1] Newman, quoted in Arnold Newman and Henry Geldzhaler, Artists Portraits from four Decades by Arnold Newman (Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1980), 13.
ProvenanceFrom 1983
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, purchased from Arnold Newman Studios, Inc., New York on January 21, 1983. [1]
Notes:
[1] Invoice, object file.
Exhibition History2006
Self/Image: Portraiture from Copley to Close
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (8/30/2006 - 12/31/2006)
2019
Portraits of the Artists
Reynolda House Museum of American Art (2/1/2019-8/4/2019)
Published References
Status
Not on view