Serviceman’s Wife

Ivan G. Olinsky, Serviceman's Wife, ca.1942, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design, 1977.85
Copied Ivan G. Olinsky, Serviceman's Wife, ca.1942, oil on canvas, 36 x 30 1⁄8 in. (91.4 x 76.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design, 1977.85

Artwork Details

Title
Serviceman’s Wife
Artist
Date
ca.1942
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
36 x 30 1⁄8 in. (91.4 x 76.5 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Occupation — domestic — cooking
  • Figure female — knee length
  • Object — fruit — pear
Object Number
1977.85
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1977.85

Artwork Description

In Serviceman’s Wife, Ivan Olinsky painted a woman looking up expectantly, perhaps to greet her husband, who has just opened the door. Her skirt draws out the yellow of the pears in the background and her full lips match the apple’s rosy skin. The grays and blues of her shirt echo those of the white cloth on which the fruits rest. She is integrated into her environment as if she is simply one part of a still life. Olinsky specialized in idealized images of women, and his portraits were successful on the market, selling for up to $2,000 each in the 1920s. His work had grown even more popular by the 1940s, when he worked for the commercial firm Portraits, Inc. Critics noted that each of his women looked like “a hardy perennial despite her delicate air.” (Cummings, Olinsky, Faces of Change: The Art of Ivan G. Olinsky, 1878-1962, 1995)