Reciting the Koran

Carl Newman prints reveal a little-known pioneer of early American modernism. A Philadelphia painter and teacher, Newman began with sunny Impressionist portraits and by about 1915 was painting nudes and landscapes in hot, Fauve-like colour. Much of his late work was lost, but hundreds of his paintings and drawings survive. Our collection of fine art prints includes his nudes, dancers, landscapes, abstractions and portraits.

About Carl Newman

Carl Newman was born in Philadelphia in 1858 and died in Abington, Pennsylvania, in 1932. He taught figure drawing at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

He began as a polished portrait painter in an Impressionist manner, as in Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Helene (1896). By about 1915 his work had changed completely, with nudes painted in blocks of red, green and violet.

Newman was a close friend of the modernist H. Lyman Saÿen. The two spent a summer in Paris mixing brighter paints, and Saÿen painted the countryside around Newman's home in Huntingdon Valley. After Newman's death his widow destroyed much of his late work. The Smithsonian American Art Museum now holds 341 surviving works.

Style and Subjects

Newman's late paintings are about colour. Figures curl and stretch inside bold patches of red, green, violet and blue, with the body almost absorbed into the pattern around it. His landscapes break hillsides and houses into simple, block-like shapes.

His drawings are freer still: dancers leaping, groups of nudes, women with tennis racquets, quick abstract studies and even a roadster and a mantel design. Earlier works, like the portrait of Helene among flowering shrubs, show the light, sunny Impressionism he started from.

Famous Works

• Nude (c. 1915–1916), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A curled figure absorbed into blocks of red, green and violet, his signature subject in his signature colour.
• Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Helene (1896), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A sunny, Impressionist portrait of his wife among flowering shrubs.
• Lady Reflected in Mirror (before 1910). A woman and her reflection in soft, glowing colour.
• Women in Landscape with Blue Border (before 1932). Figures in a landscape framed by a band of blue.
• Adam and Eve (before 1932), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. The first couple in his bold late colour.
• Abstract: Two Women with Tennis Racquets. A lively drawing turning players into shapes and lines.
• Landscape with Pond (Newman's Yard). His own garden in Huntingdon Valley.

Decorating with Newman Prints

Newman's bright colour paintings suit modern and mid-century interiors. A nude or a figure landscape makes a bold statement in a living room or bedroom, and the deep reds, greens and violets pair well with jewel-toned furniture.

His drawings of dancers and abstract figures look fresh in a studio, hallway or home office, grouped in thin black or natural wood frames. The portrait of Helene brings a gentler, sunlit mood to a dining room or bedroom.

FAQ

Who was Carl Newman?

Carl Newman (1858–1932) was an American painter from Philadelphia and a figure-drawing teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, known for his early modernist use of colour.

What art movement was Carl Newman part of?

He began as an Impressionist-style portrait painter and by about 1915 was painting in a bold, Fauve-like early modernist style.

Where can I see Carl Newman's paintings?

The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington holds 341 of his works, 328 drawings and 13 paintings. The Whitney Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art each hold a painting.

Why is so little known about Carl Newman?

After his death his widow destroyed much of his late work, so only part of it survives.

Who was H. Lyman Saÿen?

A Philadelphia modernist and Newman's close friend. They spent a summer in Paris mixing brighter paints together.

Related Artists

• H. Lyman Saÿen: his close friend and fellow Philadelphia modernist
• Thomas Eakins: Philadelphia painter and teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy