Frederick Carl Frieseke (American, 1874-1939). Bather (Bather Undressing), by 1915. Oil on canvas. 3...

Description

Frederick Carl Frieseke (American, 1874-1939)
Bather (Bather Undressing), by 1915
Oil on canvas
32 x 32 inches (81.3 x 81.3 cm)
Signed lower right: F.C. Frieseke
Titled on the reverse: The Bather

Property from the Genevieve M. Braniff Trust

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
[With] Macbeth Gallery, New York, 1915;
Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, 1940;
Private collection, acquired from the above, 1943;
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 9-10, 1947, lot 61 (as The Bather);
Private collection;
By descent to the present owner.

EXHIBITED:
Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, "Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke," March 21-April 5, 1939, no. 13 (as Bather);
Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, "Founders Show," 1943;
Norman, Oklahoma, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, 2021-2025 (on loan).

At the start of 1915, after the outbreak of the war, Frederick Carl Frieseke remained abroad in France with his family. Despite the challenges of sending his art home to America, the artist managed to assemble a striking collection of paintings recently prepared during his time in Giverny. This suite of works he sent home were entered into the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco that June and were subsequently met with critical acclaim, culminating with Frieseke receiving the grand prize and gold medal for his entries. This marked a hugely productive period for the artist and the subject work, Bather (Bather Undressing), is characteristic of Frieseke's most inspired compositions from his years in Giverny.

Frieseke's large-scale figural works, for which he's best known, often depict either clothed or nude subjects, arranged in familial groups or isolated in repose. Frieseke explored variations of the same theme repeatedly and his female nudes in particular were often sunlit in striking patterns and placed in serene natural landscapes. In these paintings, the artist maintained a consistent interest in pattern, color and the tactile qualities of paint, blurring the line between representation and ornamentation. In Bather (Bather Undressing), the balance between figure and landscape is particularly intimate-the woman's lowered gaze and self-contained gesture suggest introspection, while the natural world around her becomes an extension of her presence.

The composition centers on a standing female nude, draped in a pale pink shawl behind her back, and fabric of white lace is wrapped around her hips. Dappled sunlight is cast upon the figure who stands delicately on a sunlit patch of rock. Surrounded by dense, shimmering foliage, a rippling blue river stretches across the background of the composition. A discarded sunhat lies nearby, reinforcing the sense of casual intimacy and leisure. Frieseke paints the scene with his characteristic staccato brushstrokes-the woman's skin is suffused with cool greens and pale blues, recalling the surrounding landscape rather than tones of natural flesh-the color harmony of pastel hues unifies the figure, foliage, and water.

In a letter sent to his representatives at Macbeth Gallery in New York in October of 1915, following his achievements at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, he wrote: "You may find too many nudes among my last shipment. But one cannot paint for the public entirely and as over here my reputation is chiefly with my nudes I see no reason why the American public should not recognize it" (as quoted in Nicholas Kilmer, Frederick Carl Frieseke: The Evolution of an American Impressionist," Savannah, Georgia, 2001, p. 36). Frieseke's continued musings on this topic, documented in further correspondence with Macbeth, offer insight into what shaped his distinctly Impressionist style. He suggested that his works were created purely for aesthetic purposes, the subject matter that appeared in his canvases was secondary-the experience of viewing his art was to examine the artist's unique interpretation of those figures, he did not seek to capture any of his subjects in a literal sense. In December 1915 he wrote:

"You speak of my last pictures being more brilliant in color. I should have explained before what I am aiming at in my work, which has [for] a number of years been constant-experimenting to attain the purity of color and truth of light effect. I feel that each year I get nearer this and my last year's work should suffer almost no change in brilliancy as my methods are as careful, honest and simple as oil painting will allow of. Perhaps if your salesmen should dwell on this quality in my work as the one which should interest the public, and by no means the subject, which I feel of secondary importance-it might tend for success" (ibid).

Bather (Bather Undressing) is included in the draft Frieseke Catalogue Raisonné, compiled by Nicholas Kilmer, the artist's grandson, with the support of the Hollis Taggart Galleries. That draft is now in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Art. We wish to thank Nicholas Kilmer for his assistance cataloguing this work.


More information about Frederick Carl Frieseke. See also: Frieseke, Frederick Carl, Frieseke, Frederick C. Artist.

Estimate: $80,000 - $120,000.

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