Fair Critics
Charles Courtney Curran American
A native of Kentucky, Curran moved in 1881 to New York, where he studied at the National Academy of Design and became a popular painter of genre scenes and portraits. Here, he has depicted a model presenting her image to an audience of two "fair critics." The artist, with his palette on his knee, attempts to gauge their reactions. The lavish interior recalls William Merritt Chase’s eclectic and abundantly equipped studio, which inspired many of his contemporaries. A handsome studio signified the effort to create beauty for its own sake and reassured clients of its proprietor’s sophisticated taste.
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