Bizarre
Artist: Allen Tucker (American, 1866–1939)
Original Dimensions: 30 5/16" x 25 1/4"
Location: National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
About Artwork: (1928) "Bizarre is part of a series of images of glamorous, stylishly dressed women inspired by artist Allen Tucker’s encounter with the paintings of Vincent van Gogh at the Armory Show—the influential exhibition of European and American modern art held in New York in 1913. The model sits sideways on a chair, rests her hands on its backrest, and turns her head to look directly at the viewer. The title of the painting alludes to the sitter’s unconventional pose, intense gaze, and boldly patterned blouse. The flat forms, dark contours, emphasis on decorative surface pattern, heavy impasto, and bold color recall the portraits that Van Gogh painted in Arles and Saint-Rémy in 1888 and 1889. The unusual composition is a leading example of Tucker’s postimpressionist portraits, which update Van Gogh’s style for the roaring twenties in America." - (National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.)

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