Stettheimer was fortunate to have come from wealth. She was able to live without having to sell her work, and upon her death, her art was gifted to museums.
"Spring Sale at Bendel's" (1921) by Florine Stettheimer [1871-1944].
it is easy to be a critic
when you have wealth
and fame to back you up
they take you half-seriously
to be taken whole-seriously
you would have to be a man
© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.
I was surprised to find this in the Wikipedia article on Florine Stettheimer: "By the 1930s, she was second to Georgia O'Keeffe as the best-known woman artist in New York." Who knew? I had never come across her before.
Bendel's, the store in the painting, was a New York City landmark. Henri Bendel was established in 1895, and lasted until its closure in January of 2019--just a few months ago!
A cherita is a haiku-like poem of three stanzas that tells a "story." The first stanza is one line and sets the scene. Stanza two is two lines, stanza three is three lines. A cherita terbalik is a cherita with the order of the stanzas rearranged.
Ha! My most challenging parents were male, but not all. I felt they were not used to listening to a woman with expertise in something they really did not know much about, education. Wealth helped, too! Your poem says it well! Intriguing background!
ReplyDeleteOooh, sharp! Love that slap of truth in the last line.
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