Summer Landscape
1875-1957
Oil on canvas
26 in x 30 in
Circa 1909
Label:
The only child of a prominent Mississippi family, Kate Freeman Clark negotiated the precarious balance between societal mores of the day and an undeniable talent. Escorted by her highly protective mother, Clark pursed advanced studies in New York, first at the Art Students League and then during summers at Shinnecock with William Merritt Chase. The charismatic Impressionist introduced Clark to painting en plein air, or out-of-doors, a technique evident in Summer Landscape.
Utilizing brisk brushstrokes, Clark captures the verdant greenery and wispy blue clouds of a New England summer. The artist intermittently submitted her paintings for juried shows and influential exhibitions, signing her work as “Freeman Clark” to disguise her gender. Despite these successes, Clark never sold any of her work in deference to her mother, who strongly disapproved of ladies conducting business.
As Published In:
Central to Their Lives: Southern Women Artists in the Johnson Collection, 2018
Scenic Impressions: Southern Interpretations from the Johnson Collection, 2015
As Exhibited In:
Central to Their Lives: Southern Women Artists in the Johnson Collection, Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, GA, June 30–October 23, 2018, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS, November 16, 2018–January 20, 2019, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV, March 2–June 30, 2019, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN, July 28–October 13, 2019, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC, January 1–August 9, 2020, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC, September 7–December 18, 2020, Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA, February 6–July 18, 2021
Scenic Impressions: Southern Interpretations from the Johnson Collection, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN, November 1, 2015–January 3, 2016, Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA, January 16–April 10, 2016, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN, January 16–April 10, 2016, McKissick Museum, Columbia, SC, May 19–August 5, 2017, Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA, October 13, 2017–March 25, 2018, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC, August 28–December 13, 2018