Pruett Carter captures the quintessential look of the 1950's in this loosely rendered but charming work for Redbook. Bright, punchy colors define each object. They are arranged in a simplified but complex composition of intersecting and overlapping planes of color.
The double portrait of the girl expresses a peak moment of introspection. She ponders her situation while preparing to get dressed for her special occasion. The whole scene is imbued with suspense about her future. The profile and frontal view of the girl clearly are the same person. Carter is a great academic painter. With just a few light touches of the brush, he quickly defines the form of the subject and achieves the X factor of the work. He nails her look. This is hard to do. Do not underestimate it. Sadly, very few contemporary artists can actually paint and draw without tracing photographs, using photoshop or resort to naive painting. It's hard to be a painter in the traditional sense. You can not fake it. Most contemporary artists did not have teachers who taught them how to do any kind of structured art. Artist and illustrators of the " Golden Age " and "Post Golden Age: had rigorous academic training. Pruett Carter studied at the Art Students League, perhaps with academician George B. Bridgman or Frank Vincent Dumond and with Robert Henri. Students were taught to construct a figure rather than copy them. "Champagne for the Honeymoon" is a deceptively simple, painting with vivid colors and an underlying structure. Pruett Carter is a testament to how great the illustrators of the 40's and 50's were. Unfortunately, today there are few advocates in museum and art criticism world for this overlooked but high art genre.
Pruett Alexander Carter, American, 1891–1955
20.25 - 20.25 Oil on Canvas, US$19,000
