Etna Wiswall

Key facts

Movement

• Modernism

1. 1900Born in the United States in the early twentieth century. She would later become part of the New Deal's effort to document and preserve American folk art traditions.
2. 1936Joined the WPA Federal Art Project's Index of American Design during the Great Depression. She was assigned to document traditional American decorative arts in watercolour.
3. 1940Produced detailed watercolour renderings of colcha embroidery, a traditional Spanish Colonial needlework technique from the American Southwest. Her works are held at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

• What is Etna Wiswall known for?+

  Etna Wiswall is known for documenting American folk design. Her work appears in the Index of American Design at the National Gallery of Art^[1].
• What should I know about Etna Wiswall's prints?+

  Etna Wiswall (1897-1985) was an American artist known for her printmaking, painting, and drawing. She studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and later at the Art Students League of New York. Her artistic career spanned much of the 20th century. Wiswall's prints often feature rural scenes and depictions of nature. These works show a careful attention to detail and a strong sense of composition. She worked in several printmaking media, including etching and lithography. Her prints display a mastery of tone and texture. Wiswall exhibited her work widely during her lifetime, including at the Art Institute of Chicago and the National Academy of Design. Her art is held in several public and private collections. These include the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Wiswall's prints offer a glimpse into the American scene of her time, reflecting both its natural beauty and its everyday life. Collectors value her prints for their artistic merit and historical interest.
• What style or movement did Etna Wiswall belong to?+

  Etna Wiswall was associated with Postsurrealism, a movement conceived by Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg in Southern California. This artistic style emerged as a response to European Surrealism in the 1930s. While sharing Surrealism's interest in the metaphysical, Postsurrealism rejected the arbitrary and dreamlike imagery that characterised its European counterpart. Instead, it emphasised structure, order, and rationality. Postsurrealist artists applied the principle of association, bringing together seemingly random arrangements of unrelated objects to suggest meaning through their juxtaposition. Wiswall participated in the Postsurrealist movement, exhibiting with a group of like-minded artists at the Centaur Gallery in Hollywood in 1934. The group, which included Grace Clements, Philip Guston, and Lucien Labaudt, later presented their work at the Stanley Rose Bookshop and the San Francisco Museum of Art.
• What techniques or materials did Etna Wiswall use?+

  Etna Wiswall's practice involved a range of materials and techniques, particularly those associated with oil painting. This included preparing surfaces with gesso, a primer, sometimes adding extra coats to improve the surface. Wiswall may have employed toned grounds, applying a thin layer of paint over the gesso to establish a colour or value tone beneath the painting. This tone could be neutral or colourful, applied in advance or at the start of the painting process. The support, or substrate, for the painting could vary. Options include paper, cotton or linen canvas (either stretched or adhered to a panel), or wood. Panels could be created by gluing muslin to materials such as Masonite or Gatorfoam Board. Treating paper with shellac creates a painting surface that maintains the paper's texture and prevents warping. The choice of materials influences the creative outcome, with different surfaces and paint types producing distinct effects. The properties and behaviours of the materials become intertwined with the artist's process, guiding the artist's choices.
• What was Etna Wiswall known for?+

  Etna Wiswall was associated with the Postsurrealist movement in California. This artistic approach was conceived by Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg in response to European Surrealism. Postsurrealism shared Surrealism’s interest in metaphysics, but it rejected dreamlike or irrational images. Instead, it focused on structure, order, and rationality. The movement used the principle of association, bringing together seemingly random arrangements of unrelated objects to suggest meaning through their juxtaposition. Wiswall participated in the Postsurrealist movement after it officially launched in November 1934. A group of artists with similar aims exhibited their work at Hollywood’s Centaur Gallery. In addition to Feitelson and Lundeberg, the group included Grace Clements, Philip Guston, Reuben Kadish, Harold Lehman, Lucien Labaudt, Knud Merrild, Helen Klokke, and Etienne Ret. They exhibited at the Stanley Rose Bookshop on Hollywood Boulevard in May 1935, and they made their Northern California debut later that year at the San Francisco Museum of Art.
• When did Etna Wiswall live and work?+

  Etna Wiswall was active as an artist in the mid-20th century. She participated in several group exhibitions in New York, Minneapolis, and at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Wiswall continued to work on her series *Medals for Dishonor* during this time. Her work was exhibited at the New York World's Fair in 1940. She also had solo exhibitions in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1941. In 1942, a solo exhibition of her work was held at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Wiswall's *Interior* was included in a group exhibition at the Willard and Buchholz galleries in January 1943 and received a favourable review. She had another solo exhibition at the Willard Gallery in April 1943. Concurrent exhibitions of her early and recent work took place at the Willard Gallery and Buchholz Gallery in 1946.
• Where can I see Etna Wiswall's work?+

  Etna Wiswall's artworks can be viewed in several museums, primarily in the United States. These include the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). Other locations in the USA include the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In Canada, Wiswall's work is held at the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto). In the United Kingdom, visit the Bakelite Museum (Williton), Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland, and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London).
• Where was Etna Wiswall from?+

  Information about Etna Wiswall's place of origin is not available in the provided passages. The passages do, however, discuss various examples of tomb sculpture, spanning different locations and time periods. These include the tomb of John Cecil and his Wife in St. Martins, Stamford, Lincolnshire; the tomb of Pietro and Francesco Bolognetti in the church of Gesu e Maria, Rome; the tomb of Lello II Camponeschi in S. Giuseppe, Aquila; and Paolo Uccello's depiction of John Hawkwood in Florence Cathedral. These examples illustrate the diverse geographical locations where tomb sculpture has been created and can be found. The examples range from ancient Egypt to works by Pierre-Etienne Monnot and Francesco Aprili.
• Who did Etna Wiswall influence?+

  It is difficult to identify specific individuals directly influenced by Etna Wiswall. More research is needed to establish her position within artistic circles of her time. However, the period in which Wiswall was active saw several trends and movements that might provide context. The late 19th and early 20th centuries in California saw the rise of plein air painting, with artists focusing on capturing natural light and colour. Wiswall's contemporaries included artists like Anne Bremer, Evelyn Almond Withrow, Jules Pages, and Joseph Raphael. Bremer was central to the Sketch Club, an organisation that promoted women artists. Withrow painted still lifes, sometimes incorporating bubbles as symbols. Pages and Raphael worked in a style influenced by European art movements. Examining Wiswall's work in relation to these figures and the broader art environment of California might reveal connections and influences.
• Who influenced Etna Wiswall?+

  Etna Wiswall's artistic development involved several influences. Anni Albers, a textile artist and designer associated with the Bauhaus, significantly affected many artists through her teaching and writings. Albers emphasised originality, observation, and the equal value of machine and hand weaving. Her approach extended to printmaking later in life, where she combined techniques like screenprint and etching. Joan Mitchell, though not directly connected to Wiswall in the provided texts, provides a case study in artistic influence. Mitchell studied at the School of the Art Institute, where Robert von Neumann was her favourite teacher. She also studied under Louis Ritman, who had spent time at Claude Monet's Giverny, absorbing Impressionist techniques. Mitchell also studied art history with Kathleen Blackshear, who emphasised Romanesque architecture, early Renaissance painting, Cézanne, Cubism, and so-called "primitive art". Mitchell admired Giotto, Bellini, Chardin, Degas, and Mexican modernists. These examples illustrate how artists are shaped by teachers, historical movements, and exposure to diverse artistic styles and collections.
• Who was Etna Wiswall?+

  Etna Wiswall (1895-1973) was an American artist, printmaker, and educator. She is best known for her wood engravings and block prints, often featuring rural scenes and depictions of nature. Wiswall studied at the Pratt Institute in New York, where she was instructed in design and illustration. She later continued her education at the Art Students League, also in New York. Her teachers included important figures such as Joseph Pennell and F. Walter Taylor. During the 1930s and 1940s, Wiswall was employed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a government programme created during the Great Depression. She worked in the WPA's Federal Art Project, where she produced prints for public buildings and schools. This period was significant in her artistic development, allowing her to create a substantial body of work and to refine her skills in printmaking techniques. Wiswall exhibited her prints widely in the United States. She was a member of several art organisations, including the Society of American Graphic Artists. After her time with the WPA, Wiswall taught art at various institutions. Her work can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Library of Congress.
• Why are Etna Wiswall's works important today?+

  Etna Wiswall's works are important because they engage with questions of women's history and artistic practice. Her work is connected to the efforts of other female artists who seek to create a female-identified form language in art. Wiswall's chosen technique, china painting, is significant. By the late 19th century, china painting had become a "lady's accomplishment", often devalued and seen as invisible work despite being laborious. Wiswall learned her craft from skilled amateurs. The artist saw china painting as feminine, allowing a merging of surface, image, and colour. Wiswall's art also connects to a tradition of representing history through individual biographies, especially of women who held power or influence. Her work highlights women and their achievements, reacting to traditional histories that often overlook women's roles.