Natatorium Undine 1927

Curator: Stettheimer's "Natatorium Undine," completed in 1927, is a shimmering vision of leisure rendered in watercolor. It currently resides here at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. What's your immediate take? Editor: Utterly dreamy! It’s like a secret underwater stage, populated with nymphs and divers. The color palette is pastel perfection, and everyone seems to be having so much fun. Is it meant to be a real place, though? Curator: It seems to be a composite of New York City's social scene as viewed through Stettheimer's particular lens. The composition alludes to classical genre painting, yet also comments on class, access to resources, and ideas about femininity. The watercolor itself is interesting here – it allowed her a fluidity that mirrors the watery subject of the painting, creating depth and an almost surreal effect. Editor: I can see the satire bubbling just beneath the surface. There’s a theatrical quality, maybe even camp. That giant oyster shell! And is that a pink flamingo with a woman riding on its back? I love that she gives us the mundane and the ridiculous all in one go. It makes it all seem so playful, doesn’t it? A commentary about wealth, of course, but with such whimsy, no heavy-handed criticism! Curator: Absolutely. Stettheimer was keenly aware of the socio-economic disparities in Jazz Age New York, yet filtered this reality through a modernist lens. Note her use of line—thin, almost wiry. Also, watercolor paintings from this period required specific rag paper and tools, available mostly to wealthier classes and studios. Even materials play into the discussion around wealth and privilege in her practice. Editor: The composition is remarkable. She’s created this layered scene that draws the eye everywhere, inviting one to invent micro-narratives, weaving in a constant motion around the frame. Curator: That is indeed a signature effect within her total artistic project; through her materials and artistic methodology, Stettheimer subverted social portraiture. She was commenting on class, artifice and her immediate social circles, as they were shifting. Editor: Yes, by conjuring up this water ballet, Florine invites us to reconsider how much things really do change! I keep wondering what Stettheimer would make of today's New York swimming pools. Curator: Food for thought, for sure, in light of her own context.