The paintings of Ruth Grotenrath (1912 – 1988) speak more about the woman who created them than any of the most carefully chosen words. They are lively, colorful, warm, cheerful and composed. Ruth found beauty in most everything around her. Throughout her fifty-year career, she tirelessly painted compositions of selected objects culled from her immediate surroundings. The orderliness of her arrangements and bright colors make these works genuinely uplifting. Although her paintings have a charm, and perhaps even an unmistakable femininity, they are never saccharine. They are filled with a sense of careful study and analysis. Viewing a number of her paintings serves as an open window into the private world of a woman with a distinct vision.
— Dean Sobel, former Curator of Contemporary Art, Milwaukee Museum of Art
Grotenrath and her husband, Schomer Lichtner (1905-2006), are celebrated as Milwaukee’s “first couple of painting” and are regarded as major Wisconsin artists. From the outset, Lichtner and Grotenrath were determined to become full-time artists. Even during the Great Depression they worked producing Post Office murals under the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts (SFA). According to James Auer, former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel art critic, “As art and economic trends evolved, the couple’s palettes brightened and warmed. Both fell under the spell of the Mexican social realists, notably Diego Rivera, and modernists such as Matisse and Dufy. The couple’s perspective changed further after they became friends with philosopher Alan Watts and visited Japan with him.”
Grotenrath’s work is represented in collections of the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the John Michael Kohler Art Center, the West Bend Museum, and in the collections of many individuals. Books on both Grotenrath and Lichtner are in process with publication projected for next year.
For information on Ruth Grotenrath’s paintings as well as cards, books, and reprints contact:
Vickie Burton • 414.962.7519 • 9:30 am to 2 pm, Monday through Thursday
vickie@ruthgrotenrath.com |
