Decadence

James Carroll Beckwith frequently explored themes of sensuality and sexuality in his paintings of women.1 Though he painted portraits of both sexes out of financial necessity, Beckwith took greater pleasure in working with women. Pepi Marchetti Franchi puts it frankly: “Commissions to paint women often produced more lively results.”2

In Repose, the tilt of the subject’s chin and the action of her fingers winding through her hair give the impression that the supine woman is expecting someone, or some pleasure, to visit her presently. The luxurious crimson and gold pillows, along with the heavy green velvet drapes hanging in the background, deepen the sensuality of the moment. Bruce Weber, in his cataloging of the pictures that appear in Intimate Revelations, remarks that Beckwith “created relatively few oil paintings of nudes during his career.”3 The reason Weber offers is that the nude in America was frequently ill-received. This explanation clarifies the conservative climate in which Beckwith worked and strengthens an appreciation of his artistic boldness here. In Repose, illuminating the human form appears to be the primary goal, but the painting’s true success is its exhibition of something liminal—the tingle of heightened sexual anticipation. The model is likely Alice Twill, the same model identified by Weber as the subject of Beckwith’s Grandmother’s Love Letters.

Despite his apparent liberalness, Beckwith retained a patriarchal attitude toward his female subjects—as evidenced by his relationship with Evelyn Nesbit. Weber quotes these remarks: “The successful model . . . is the girl who first of all takes care of her health, as nothing is so conducive to firm and paintable flesh as a healthy body . . . The winning model . . . is the girl who approaches a studio in modest and ladylike manner. Artists also like girls who take care of their hair. Nothing is more important, and the girls are far more attractive in simple, neat clothes, than in gowns of fashionable cut and cheap material. But most successful of all . . . is the sympathetic girl. The model who takes an intelligent interest in her work, whether she is beautiful or not, is a treasure to an artist.”4

This last line offers up the real key to understanding Beckwith’s portrayal of women. Intellect is never subordinate to sexuality. If anything, the women he painted appear more intelligent, more modern, for their understanding of self.

Additional References

American Realist and Impressionist Paintings, p.48-49.
Idle Hours, p.4,12,23,29. Impressionism in America, p.19,26,76, et al.
Biographical Sketches of American Artists, p.39-40.
American Paintings before 1945 in the Wadsworth Atheneum, p.88-89,307.

Presentation Notes

In a 33⁄4" gilt frame with ornate flourishes and detail. Rich with color. Fine.

1. Portions of this entry originally appeared in: Joseph Newman, “Beckwith and His Women,” in The Gallery, a special section of Antiques and the Arts Weekly, Fall 2005.

2. Pepi Marchetti Franchi and Bruce Weber, Intimate Revelations: The Art of Carroll Beckwith (1852-1917) ( New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, 2000), 26.

3. Franchi and Weber, 69.

4. Franchi and Weber, 53-54. From an unidentified clipping from Beckwith’s “Scrapbook 2,” located at the New York Historical Society.