Autumn Colors c. 1942

Marguerite Zorach created "Autumn Colors," a gouache on paper, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. It's easy to view this piece as a simple still life, but seen in a broader context, it has a lot to tell us about the history of American art. Zorach came into her own as an artist in the 1910s, at a time when women were breaking into the art world. Although she studied in Paris and absorbed the lessons of Fauvism and Cubism, she developed her own distinctive style. Her work also became associated with the American modernism promoted by galleries and museums like Alfred Stieglitz's 291. As you consider "Autumn Colors," think about how Zorach, as a woman artist, was both influenced by and helped shape the cultural institutions of her time. Research into her personal papers and exhibition records will illuminate the social conditions of her artistic production. Only then can we fully understand the meaning of her art.