Florence Smithburn Charcoal and Sanguine Figure Studies

Item Details

Unknown
Charcoal on paper
Unsigned

Florence Bartley Smithburn (Indiana, 1904 – 1989)
Untitled (Thirteen figure studies), circa 1930
Sanguine on paper and tracing paper
Unsigned

Florence Bartley Smithburn (Indiana, 1904 – 1989)
Untitled (Six figure studies), early 20th century
Charcoal on tracing paper
Unsigned

A collection of nineteen sanguine and charcoal drawings on paper by American artist Florence Smithburn (1904-1989). These figure studies each depict a nude woman in varied poses and levels of rendering with most covering the whole figure and some focusing on portrait, torso, and leg studies. Two of the sanguine drawings have been labeled with the date 1930. The pages are otherwise unsigned and presented together in a protective acetate sleeve.

Smithburn studied art the the John Herron Art School in Indianapolis, Indiana, before moving to Uganda for ten years, recording the African tribal way of life with her artwork. Her experiences living in Africa and the United States ultimately shaped her artistic oeuvre, as her art continued to address socio-economic and political issues relevant to the times. Her work has been exhibited widely in Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Atlanta, New York and Indianapolis and has been included in the collections of the Georgia Museum of Art and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Provenance
From the artist’s estate.

Condition

- to Fair; varying degrees of discoloration, concentrated towards edges; rips, folds, and tears throughout edges.

Dimensions

- measures one sheet of tracing paper.

Item #

16CIN997-3329