Sheldon Museum of Art Main Content

Maurer, Woman

Woman with Blue Background (Portrait of a Woman)c. 1907Oil on panel21 5/8 × 18U-799.1971University of Nebraska–Lincoln, bequest of Bertha SchaeferWoman with Blue Background (Portrait of a Woman) by Alfred Henry Maurer Alfred Henry MaurerKnown early in his career for his genre scenes of urban subjects such as cafés and dance halls, Alfred Henry Maurer abruptly abandoned this realist approach when he moved to Paris. By 1904 the artist had become well entrenched in Paris’s avant-garde circle and familiar with modernism. From this moment onward, his primary subjects became landscapes, portraits, and still lifes rendered in fauvist styles with an expressive use of high-keyed color. This canvas dates from Maurer’s time in France, and the sharp angles of the figure, along with the saturated colors and roughly applied paint, reveal his attempt to integrate avant-garde approaches into his art. American 18681932New York, NYNew York, NY