Artist
Isabel Bishop (1902-1988)
Currently on view
Title
Young Woman
Date
1937
Medium
Oil and egg tempera on masonite
Dimensions
30 x 21 1/4 in. (76.2 x 54.0 cm.)
Credits
Henry D. Gilpin Fund
Accession Number
1938.2
Additional Information
Isabel Bishop studied in New York City at the New York School of Applied Design for Women and then the Art Students League. Bishop became inspired by the bustle of urban life, especially in Union Square. Drawn to the sight of young women entering the work force in ever-increasing numbers, she explored this subject in numerous works that show them interacting with the world around them.
Although Bishop’s subject is modern, her technique and choice of medium recalls earlier art. Egg tempera (made from pigments dissolved in egg yolk) was often used in European panel painting before oils became more widespread in the seventeenth century. Working with egg demanded patience and allowed few mistakes. The slow, exacting process accounts for the delicate glazes visible in the painting. Bishop sometimes spent nearly a year working on a single painting, belying the simple and often ephemeral quality of the finished work.