Lady on the Boulevard

Lady on the Boulevard is one of a number of small, quickly made oil paintings on wood panels in which Maurice Prendergast recorded figures in the parks and on the streets of Paris during his years there as a student, from 1891 to 1894. The tall, vertical format of this panel emphasizes the slender figure of a fashionably dressed woman, a green cape over her dark full-length dress and a dark fur muff over her left hand. Her quick glance at the viewer and slightly lifted skirt, revealing a glimpse of one foot and the hem of her white petticoat, suggest her hurrying progress across the street stretching away into the background, indicated by the receding lines of trees and streetlights on either side. In this broadly painted image, vertical strokes of yellow convey the reflection of the lights on the glistening surface of the boulevard on a rainy night. Prendergast's varied bold strokes of the brush in muted tones emphasize abstract pattern over representation and spatial recession, drawing attention to the flat surface of the painting as a decorated object.

Notwithstanding his academic art training, Prendergast's exposure to contemporary art is evident in his attraction to urban street life and his use of a narrow format and tipped-up perspective. He also was not alone in his fascination with the extravagant lines and volumes of feminine fashions, underscored in this work by its alternate title, The Green Cape. Images of women by such contemporaries as French painter, printmaker, and illustrator Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) and American expatriate artist James McNeill Whistler, and in Japanese ukiyo-e prints, with their vertical composition and emphasis on the female figure's voluminous garments, inspired Prendergast along with many contemporaries. Using the experimental medium of monotype, Prendergast created numerous vertical images of a single female figure outdoors in an urban setting; among them, Early Evening, Paris (TF 1992.81) relates particularly closely to Lady on the Boulevard, demonstrating the artist's recurring fascination with the colors and silhouettes of women's dress, the figure in motion, and reflected light at night.

During his time in Paris, Prendergast formed a close friendship with fellow Canadian native James Wilson Morrice (1865–1924), who introduced him to the pochade, a quick, on-the-spot painting typically made on a small, portable wood panel. While more finished than typical pochades, Lady on the Boulevard shares such works' spontaneity and intimate scale. In his use of this format, Prendergast signaled his artistic embrace of contemporary life in all its immediacy and transience. Meanwhile, his bold application of pigment in this work undermines pictorial illusion for an equally modern effect.

Maurice Prendergast, Paintings and Watercolors: Chartres, Dieppe, Dinard, Treport, Paris, St. Malo, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, New York, November 13–December 9, 1944.

So this is Paris: Exhibition of Paintings, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Canada, October 4–29, 1950. [exh. cat.]

Maurice Prendergast: American Painter 1859–1924, Katonah Gallery, Katonah, New York, October 14–November 13, 1962 (as "Woman on the Boulevard").

Charles Conder, Robert Henri, James Morrice, Maurice Prendergast: The Formative Years, Davis & Long Company, New York, New York, May 13–31, 1975. [exh. cat.]

Graphic Styles of the American Eight, University of Utah, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah, February 29–April 11, 1976.

Maurice Prendergast: Art of Impulse and Color, University of Maryland Art Gallery, College Park, Maryland (organizer). Venues: University of Maryland Art Gallery, College Park, Maryland, September 1–October 6, 1976; University Art Gallery, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, October 17–November 21, 1976; Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa, December 1, 1976–January 2, 1977; Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, Ohio, January 14–February 20, 1977; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, March 1–April 15, 1977. [exh. cat.]

Maurice Prendergast, Davis & Long Company, New York, New York, May 4–28, 1977.

The Monotypes of Maurice Prendergast: A Loan Exhibition, Davis & Long Company, New York, New York, April 4–28, 1979. [exh. cat.]

Woman, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, February 21–April 22, 1984. [exh. cat.]

Selections from the Permanent Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, July 19–September 14, 1985.

A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 21–June 21, 1987. [exh. cat.]

The Work of Charles and Maurice Prendergast, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 16–April 21, 1991.

Regard sur Maurice Brazil Prendergast (Maurice Brazil Prendergast at a Glance), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 1993.

American Treasures: Chase, Whistler and the Prendergasts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 26, 1996–January 5, 1997.

Un regard américain sur Paris (An American Glance at Paris), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 11–October 31, 1997.

American Artists and the Paris Experience, 1880–1910, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 22, 1997–March 8, 1998.

Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]

Selections from the Permanent Collection: Art and Craft, The Work of Charles and Maurice Brazil Prendergast, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 10–September 16, 2001.

(Re)Presenting Women, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, October 16, 2001–January 13, 2002.

Paris and the American Woman, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 19–April 14, 2002.

Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, August 2002.

A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002–February 16, 2003 (on exhibit extended run: November 2, 2002–March 2, 2003).

Studied Abroad: Painted Impressions from the Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 6, 2003–April 4, 2004.

Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2005. [exh. brochure]

Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930 ), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 29, 2006. [exh. brochure]

Maurice Prendergast, Paintings and Watercolors: Chartres, Dieppe, Dinard, Treport, Paris, St. Malo. (exh. cat., Kraushaar Galleries). New York: Kraushaar Galleries, 1944. Cat. 6.

Charles Conder, Robert Henri, James Morrice, Maurice Prendergast: The Formative Years. (exh. cat., Davis & Long Company). New York: Davis & Long Company, 1975. Cat. 29 (black & white).

Davis & Long Company. American Painting. (exh. cat, Davis & Long Company). New York: Davis & Long Company, 1976. Pl. 25 (black and white).

Green, Eleanor. Maurice Prendergast: Art of Impulse and Color. (exh. cat., University of Maryland Art Gallery). College Park, Maryland: University of Maryland, 1976. Text no. 4, pp. 82, 85; ill. p. 83 (black & white).

American Paintings. (exh. cat., Davis & Long Company). New York: Davis & Long Company, 1976. Cat. 25.

Ratcliff, Carter. "New York Letter." Art International 21:4 (July–August 1977): 80. Ill. p. 80.

Russell, John. "Art: Prendergast of Several Moods." The New York Times (May 6, 1977): C20. Text p. C20.

Langdale, Cecily. The Monotypes of Maurice Prendergast: A Loan Exhibition. (exh. cat., Davis & Long Company). New York: Davis & Long Company, 1979. Text p. 12; fig. 3, p. 55.

Langdale, Cecily. Monotypes by Maurice Prendergast in the Terra Museum of American Art. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Museum of American Art, 1984. Text pp. 12, 32; fig. 4, p. 14 (black & white).

Nochlin, Linda. Woman. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Evanston, Illinois: Terra Museum of American Art, 1984. Ill. no. 44, p. 37 (color).

Spencer, Harold. "On Some Works by Maurice Prendergast." Bulletin 1985: William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut 13 (1985). Text p. 27.

Atkinson, D. Scott et al. A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art. Edited by Terry A. Neff. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1987. Pl. T-101, p. 210 (color).

Szabo, George. Maurice Prendergast Large Boston Public Garden Sketchbook. New York: G. Braziller in association with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987. Text p. xiv.

Clark, Carol, Nancy Mowll Mathews and Gwendolyn Owens. Maurice Brazil Prendergast; Charles Prendergast: A Catalogue Raisonné. Munich, Germany and Williamstown, Massachusetts: Prestel-Verlag and The President and Trustees of Williams College, 1990. No. 17, p. 215; ill. no. 17, p. 215 (black & white).

Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 91, 264; fig. 138, p. 264 (black & white).

Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 91, 264; fig. 138, p. 264 (black & white).

Wattenmaker, Richard J. Maurice Prendergast. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers in association with The National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 1994. Text p. 26; pl. 7, p. 24 (black & white).

Reymond, Nathalie. Un regard américain sur Paris. (An American Glance at Paris). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1997. Ill. p. 87 (color).

Cartwright, Derrick R. The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist).

Cartwright, Derrick R. Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist).

Sikkema, Scott. Lady on the Boulevard, Maurice Brazil Prendergast. Collection Cameo sheet, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, August 2002. Ill. (color). Atanassova, Katarina. Morrice: The A.K. Prakash Collection in Trust to the Nation. (exh. cat., National Gallery of Canada). Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing, Inc., 2017. Text pp. 49; ill. p. 49 (color).