2018.035.003 [Painting]

Artist: Christine “Criss” Glasell Title: Untitled (Two Rural Farmhouse Scenes, verso) Medium: Acrylic on heavy stock paper, two-sided Date: 1960 Credit Line: Dubuque Museum of Art. Gift of Bob & Barbara Woodward. Description: Criss Glasell was born in Austria in 1898, and immigrated to America when she was only six years old in 1904. After settling in Wisconsin for some time, Criss decided to attend the Art Institute of Chicago where she fine-tuned her artistic techniques while also hand-painting lampshades to make a living. She married her husband and fellow artist, Don, in June 1925, and the two settled in Dubuque, Iowa. Soon after, the pair was deeply involved in the Dubuque art scene, maintaining their own art studio on Main Street, and working with the Dubuque Art Center. This rural scene perfectly reflects Criss’ time spent in the Midwest. While living in Dubuque, Grant Wood and Adrian Dornbush were her two major advisors, and it is evident from looking at this piece specifically how much of an influence they had on her work. The rustic setting itself is very common of Wood, while the more highly saturated colors speak to the style of Dornbush. However, because of the way that Criss blended these two distinct approaches with her own, the work still feels unique to her portfolio, and delivers an image of the Midwest that is striking. Content can be used with the following standards: 3rd grade SS 3.28 Cultural Contributions and 3rd grade SS 3.27 Immigration and Migration in a lesson on artists and immigrant's contributions to Iowa. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions.