Beckwith's Vision for the Woman

For our Art Talk, Rachel and I examined the painting Mrs. Beckwith by James Carroll Beckwith. James Carroll Beckwith’s depiction of Mrs. Beckwith is consistent with the image of the “modern woman” we have been studying in our class. The modern woman is self confident, successful and astute.

Beckwith regards his time spent in Paris as when his “real Art life began” (nationalacademy.org). Beckwith’s careful approach to his work was shaped first under Carolus-Duran and then William Merritt Chase. After his return to America from France, Beckwith began painting portraits and “ideal” female figures.

His women were different from those of his counterparts who often depicted women sitting and emotionless. These humdrum portraits left viewers with feeling that the subject of the painting was indifferent or bored. Beckwith was one of the first to adopt a new way to portray women. His portrayal of the female image resulted from his experience in France as well as the growing movement supporting women’s rights.

The French women Beckwith encountered in Paris were elegant, mysterious, confident and alluring. One might say “modern”, relative to the way a woman was painted in the past. The certain “je ne sais quoi” of the French woman left an impression on Beckwith and that is seen in his women, including Mrs. Beckwith. It is their movements, expressions and fashion that set Beckwith’s women apart. Beckwith effectively captures and demonstrates this indefinable, elusive quality through his precise brush strokes and deep romantic colors which contribute to an overall realistic magnificence in his portraits.

In portraits such as Mrs. Beckwith, James Carroll Beckwith leads this transition in the image of a woman in his painting style, which also reflects that time’s change in thinking about the new role of a woman.