Arthur B. Carles  (1882   -   1952)  Works

Arthur B. Carles (1882 – 1952)

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Arthur B. Carles was a Modernist painter who experimented with diverse styles throughout his career, including Realism, Impressionism, Fauvism, and Abstract Expressionism, of which he was one of the first American innovators.

At the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Carles was especially influenced by the artistic techniques of William Merritt Chase’s and Edouard Manet’s earlier works. During this time, he was devoted to the methods of realist painting. In 1907, he traveled to Paris, where he developed an interest in Post-Impressionism and Fauvism and was particularly moved by the style of his friend, Henri Matisse.

In 1913, Carles’ work was included in the infamous New York Armory Show, an exhibition that introduced modernist painting and sculpture of Europeans and Americans to the public. During the 1920s and 1930s, Carles hardly exhibited, but his work continued to progress further into abstraction. Between 1937 and 1941, his works evolved with the use of heavy brushstrokes and passionate rhythms, a precursor to the Abstract Expressionist movement that would establish America as a global leader of modern art in the 1950s.

Photo Source: National Gallery of Art