November Issue 1999
Margaret M. Law Exhibit at Spartanburg County Museum of Art
Margaret M. Law: Painter of Southern Life
(1871-1956) is an exhibition on view
at the Spartanburg County Museum of Art in Spartanburg, SC, through
Nov. 21. It is an exhibition of paintings and prints representing
intimate glimpses of life in South Carolina during the early decades
of this century. Law's images of everyday folk remind us of the
social changes that have taken place this century.
Law, a Spartanburg native, graduated from Converse College in
1895. She continued her studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of
Art, Art School in NY, the Art Students League and the Chase School
(officially called the New York School of Art). She studied under
the famous American artists William Merritt Chase, best categorized
as a an impressionist, and Robert Henri, a realist. Because a
number of social and professional restrictions discouraged a woman's
success, Henri and Chase provided a more liberal environment for
women and minorities. "The Eight" or the Ashcan School,
lead by Henri, was a group of urban realists in NY whose style
became the first uniquely American art. The belief in the dignity
and worth of common folk which was the hallmark of the "The
Eight" became the focus of Law's work. The flattened, simplified
forms in her works also portray a modern influence.
Although known for her depictions of African Americans, she also painted still lifes and landscapes. She used a variety of media such as oils, watercolor, and printmaking (lithography, etching, woodblock, linoleum, and monotype)
In 1907, Margaret Law co-founded the Arts and Crafts Club which evolved into the Spartanburg Museum of Art and in 1936, she was the art supervisor for the Spartanburg School District.
The exhibit is part of Views From the Edge of the Century A project of SC Arts Commission and Bank of America. The exhibition is sponsored by Swaim, Brown, and Elliott.
For further information check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings or call the gallery at 864/948-5353.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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