THEODORE ROBINSON 1852-1896 THE RED GOWN (HIS FAVORITE MODEL) Measurements: 75.5in. by 38 .5in. Alternate Measurements: (191.8 by 97.8 cm) oil on canvas Painted circa 1885. This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonne of the artist's work being compiled by Ira Spanierman and Sona Johnston. Provenance: Florence A. Robinson (the artist's sister-in-law), 1912 The Macbeth Gallery, New York, 1919 John F. Braun, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ( sold: Kende Galleries, New York, Fine Paintings from the Collection of the late John F. Braun, January 16, 1942, 78) John Douthitt Gallery, New York Giovanni Castano, Boston, Massachusetts Francis Moro, New York Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, 1965 Acquired from the above, 1966 Exhibited: Rochester, New York, The Memorial Art Gallery, The University of Rochester, The Inaugural Exhibition, October 1913, no. 106, p. 30 New York, The Macbeth Gallery, A Collection of Paintings by Deceased Artists, March 1914, no. 21, illustrated Buffalo, New York, Albright Art Gallery, The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Catalogue of the Ninth Annual Exhibition of Selected Paintings by American Artists, May-August 1914, no. 98, p. 18 New York, Wickersham Gallery, Exhibition of Oils, Drawings, and Watercolors, October 1965, no. 24 (as His Favorite Model) New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Collects: Paintings, Watercolors and Sculpture from Private Collections, July-September 1968, no. 196, p. 23 Fort Worth, Texas, Amon Carter Museum, American Paintings, Watercolors, and Drawings from the Collection of Rita and Daniel Fraad, May-July 1985, no. 17, pp. 38, 40, illustrated p. 39 Literature and References: Paintings by American Artists and Colonial Portraits, New York, The Macbeth Gallery, circa 1914, no. 193, p. 81, illustrated p. 80 John I.H. Baur, Theodore Robinson: 1852-1896, Brooklyn, New York, 1946, no. 193, pp. 26, 74 Note: The 1880s were a time of transition for Theodore Robinson, whose brief career embraced a number of artistic pursuits in the quest for a direct, spontaneous portrayal of nature. Formal academic training in New York and Paris instilled a strong sense of draughtmanship in the artist. In the early 1880s, his work on mural painting and design campaigns under the artists John LaFarge and Prentice Treadwell fostered an appreciation for a decorative style. Of Robinson's works executed during this time, Sona Johnston writes, 'In essence, he scaled down the architectural decorations to easel size. The figures are strongly drawn, solid, and at times sculptural. Imbued with a sense of detachment from the viewer either through a turned head or trance-like gaze, they are rootless in time or place, their simple clothing suggesting some by-gone era' ( Theodore Robinson, 1852-1896, Baltimore, Maryland, p. xi). Painted circa 1885, The Red Gown was executed shortly after Robinson's second sojourn to France. The precise handling of the model's facial features and arms, the use of tight yet subtle brushstrokes, and the monumental size of the figure underscore the artist's collective experience in the United States and France. In 1887, the artist was introduced to Claude Monet and French impressionism, which would have an immediate and lasting impact on his subsequent works.