Anna Richards Brewster Views
The struggles and achievements of her career are documented in Anna Richards Brewster: American Impressionist, on view at the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art & Science through June 14. Comprising 50 plein air scenes, still lifes and portraits in oil, watercolor, gouache and pen, it is organized by independent curator Judith Kafka Maxwell in collaboration with Susan Brewster McClatchy, a grandniece and longtime admirer of Brewster.
Anna Richards Brewster was active at the turn of the 20th Century, a time when it was acceptable for women to study art, particularly upper-class women who were becoming n“culturede”; but that cultural training was meant to make them better wives, not prepare them for an active career. Women artists often had difficulty being accepted in exhibitions, were frequently left out of consideration for prizes or reviews and generally treated as :“not seriouso” as contributors to the art world.
Anna Richards Brewster was an accomplished painter who, among her several stylistic variations, is primarily thought of as an American Impressionist, though she is seldom mentioned in the books and articles you encounter on the subject. She was successful in her time, however, and received recognition during her career, winning the noted Dodge Prize from the National Academy of Design at the age of 20 (for best picture by a woman artist), and showing her work throughout her life, up until the 1930o′s.
Editor's note: The following article relates to the exhibition Anna Richards Brewster, American Impressionist, being held at the Hudson River Museum June 21 through September 7, 2008. The article was published in Resource Library on July 17, 2008 with permission of the author. If you have questions or comments regarding the text, please contact the Hudson River Museum directly through either this phone number or web address:
Anna Richards Brewster Images
