Claude Clark, Brothers and Sister

When Albert C. Barnes opened the doors of his Foundation in 1922, he presented his great collection of French Impressionism and European modernism as education and inspiration. His goal: devising a program of study to transform American culture. He actively encouraged the participation of artists who hadn't been afforded access to traditional training in the arts. He encouraged Black artists -like Claude Clark- and women artists -like Gertrude Fisher-Fishman- to participate in the art program at the Barnes as a means to building their own voices as artists.

This painting demonstrates the impact of French painting on the modernist artists of Philadelphia. Clark's Brothers and Sister is a representation of three siblings with different skin tones. The dense brushwork suggests that he may have been inspired by Soutine and other expressionist artists in Barnes' collection.