Clarence Holbrook Carter

Description:

The watercolors Carter painted in Taormina won first prize in the 1928 May Show allowing him to travel to Paris. His watercolors and drawings from Paris start to show influence from the precisionists that were popular at the time. The crisp and bold strokes of color mixed with the mindful composition begin to hint at Carter's maturing work. Lafonson's Pride exemplifies Carter's quick mastery of precisionist forms while adapting it to his own sense of composition. The prominence of the butchered hog juxtaposed with the hazy figures in the Parisian café windows creates a surreal focus that challenges the viewer's perception. These early sketches and watercolors would lead to his heightened interest in more literal forms of descriptive realism. His interest was supported by his friend and renowned painter Charles Burchfield, to whom Carter created an homage in The Buckling House.