Lucy Martha Taggart

Eleanor, 1921

40 x 36 in.

Daniel P. Erwin Fund

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Indiana artist Lucy Taggart was the daughter of Thomas Taggart whose political roles included mayor, boss of the state’s Democratic Party and senator.  Taggart graduated from the Classical School for Girls and studied at the John Herron Art School before traveling to New York to study at the Art Students League and under William Merritt Chase at the Chase Art School. She also studied under the famous Philadelphia portraitist Cecilia Beaux. Taggart’s career as an artist began in 1905 and lasted until 1929.  She was particularly known for her portraits, but also panted landscapes, still lifes and created sculpture busts.  From 1931-1943, Taggart taught painting at the John Herron Art School, contributing her services without compensation.

In this figure study, Beaux’s influence is evident in the emphatic, brightly colored brushstrokes of the fan and dress.  Although Taggart was not a pupil of Boston School painters such as Edmund Tarbell, Eleanor exhibits the soft tonalities and deftly rendered textures of their paintings.  Even the pose, which seems to summon a pensive mood, suggests the style of the Boston School.

Reference

James Philip Fadely, “Subtle Grace, Radiant Color: The Life of Hoosier Artist Lucy Taggart,” Traces, 9 (Summer 1997), 16-23. ISSN:1040-788X