Arthur Beecher Carles 1882 - 1952

Alexander Lieberman, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania (acquired directly from the artist)
Max Granick, New York, 1960
Mrs. Rose Granick (his wife), New York
David Kravatt, New York
Harold Diamond, New York
Meyer and Vivian Potamkin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1967 (acquired from the above; sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 21, 2003, lot 16, illustrated in color)
Private Collection, New Jersey (acquired at the above sale)
Michael Altman Fine Art, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

New York, Wildenstein & Co., Seven Philadelphia Painters, October 1927
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Art Collecting Philadelphia Style: Selected Works from a Private Collection, September-October 1968, no. 41
Dallas, Texas, The Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, The M.P. Potamkin Collection, January-March 1970, no. 9
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, William Penn Memorial Museum, An Alumnus Salutes Dickinson College 200th Anniversary (From the Collection of Meyer and Vivian Potamkin), November 1972-January 1973, no. 26, illustrated in color
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Washington, D.C., Corcoran Gallery of Art; New York, National Academy of Design, Arthur B. Carles: Painting with Color, September 1983-November 1984, no. 63, p. 88, illustrated in color p. 87
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, American Art from the Collection of Vivian and Meyer P. Potamkin, June-October 1989, p. 8
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Founders Day 1996: Potamkin Collection, March-April 1996

In This Academy, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Summer/Fall/Winter 1983, illustrated on the back cover
Edward J. Sozanski, "Audacious and Sensual, but Still a Philadelphian," The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 27, 1983, p. 6-F
Terence G. List, "American Art Masterworks-On View for You," The Philadelphia Inquirer, Weekend Section, June 9, 1989, p. 3
Janet Wilson, "In the Eye of the Collector," Applause, September 1990, illustrated in color p. 17
Perkiomen School, Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, Perkiomen Alumni News, Fall 1990, illustrated in color on the cover
Edward J. Sozanski, "Bequest Comes Early to the Art Museum," The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 27, 2000, illustrated p. A6

After studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Arthur B. Carles traveled to France in 1907. During his three-year stay he was exposed to the work of the Fauves and the Post-Impressionists, but it was the paintings by Cézanne and Matisse that had a lasting impact on Carles. Upon his return to Philadelphia in 1912, the artist was given his first solo exhibition at Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery in New York; the following year, Carles exhibited a group of pictures at the revolutionary Armory Show.

Carles' interest in still life painting began around 1915, and by the mid-1920s he was focusing primarily on flower still lifes. These paintings became key components in many of Carles' exhibitions, and proved to be an ideal subject for the artist to explore color and form. Still Life, Flowers, a monumental canvas painted circa 1925-26, is a symphony of color. Deep violet, pink and red flowers seem to radiate in their vase and play against a subtly hued pastel background, giving the painting a sense of exuberance and movement.

As Barbara A. Wolanin writes, "There is no substitute for the sensual enjoyment of experiencing paintings by Carles in person. They resonate with color; his goal was to make us 'hear the color orchestration.' Like music, his compositions keep the eye moving, creating a momentum not unlike the flow of music in time. His canvases are never static; each viewing offers new surprises. In the manner of a composer who amplifies the notes of the scale by combining them, playing them on different instruments, and changing rhythm and volume, Carles manipulated his painterly elements. He devised color mixtures and juxtapositions, varied the texture of the pigment from thin washes to lush impasto, emphasized the gesture of his brushstrokes, stressed the rhythm of strong curves, and played with the tension between surface and depth, to produce a visual equivalent of music. The analogy between painting and music was an important impetus in the development of abstract painting and in art history, and it was explored by many of Carles' contemporaries. Comparisons with music were made by many responding to his work. In addition, music and musicians were part of the artist's life" (The Orchestration of Color: The Paintings of Arthur B. Carles, New York, 2000, p. 28).