Jimmy and Liz

A painter and art critic, Fairfield Porter graduated from Harvard University, studying art history with Bernard Berenson. He moved to New York and enrolled in the Art Students League, where he studied with Thomas Hart Benton. Porter traveled extensively throughout Europe and visited Stalinist Russia. He became associated with many prominent artists, including Alfred Stieglitz, John Marin, and Willem de Kooning, as well as important literary figures, such as Kenneth Rexroth, Frank O'Hara, and James Schuyler. As a writer, Porter was an editorial associate for "ArtNews" and a critic for "The Nation," while also writing poetry. In addition, he published a book on Thomas Eakins. "Jimmy and Liz" presents a domestic scene typical of Porter's mature work. A portrait of his daughter Liz and his friend the poet James Schuyuler, this work also situates itself in relation to the domestic scenes of Edouard Vuilllard and Pierre Bonnard, two artists who greatly influenced Porter's work. This can be seen in the emphasis on effects of color and the lack of emotional connection between the two individuals. Porter navigates a space between abstraction and realism, creating a figurative scene that is as much about the act of painting as it is about the individuals depicted.