Study for Boys Picking Grapes at Capri
Artist
Susan Watkins
(American, 1875 - 1913)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1906
MediumOil on board
Dimensions9 1/4 × 12 3/4 in. (23.5 × 32.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 18 × 13 3/4 × 1 1/4 in. (45.7 × 34.9 × 3.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 18 × 13 3/4 × 1 1/4 in. (45.7 × 34.9 × 3.2 cm)
InscribedSigned on side with park scene lower right corner.
Credit LineBequest of Goldsborough Serpell
Object number46.76.167
Not on view
DescriptionTwo-sided sketch-study on board. One side depicts a study of a nude boy for "Grapepickers." The other side depicts a park scene with a pool. The park is the Garden of Luxembourg with cove Senate, looking toward St. Sulpice.Label TextStudies for Boys Picking Grapes at Capri, ca. 1906 Oil on board Chrysler Museum of Art, Bequest of Goldsborough Serpell 46.76.167 and .148 CENTER Susan Watkins American, 1875–1913 Boys Picking Grapes at Capri, 1906 Oil on canvas Although art students flocked to France in the 1880s, many still considered study in Italy—with its warmth, romance, and classical heritage—an indispensable part of their artistic education. The idyllic setting of the island of Capri especially captivated Susan Watkins during her 1906 visit. Using the bright, sun-soaked palette and improvisational brushwork of the Impressionists, she depicted these cherubic little boys enjoying the bounty of a classical grape arbor, perhaps in cultivation since ancient Roman times. Chrysler Museum of Art, Bequest of Goldsborough Serpell 46.76.139 ProvenanceThe artist, Susan Watkins Serpell, bequeathed to her husband, Goldsborough Serpell, 1913; Bequest of Goldsborough Serpell to the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1946; Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences transferred to the Chrysler Museum, 1971. Exhibition History"The Gentle Modernist: The Art of Susan Watkins," Waitzer Community Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., May 15, 2002 - March 2003. "Women of the Chrysler: a 400-Year Celebration of the Arts," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., March 24 - July 18, 2010. "The Artist's Garden: American Impressionism and the Garden Movement, 1887–1920," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, June 16 - September 6, 2015.
