Godly Susan

Roger Medearis, Godly Susan, 1941, egg tempera on board, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Roger and Elizabeth Medearis, 1992.84
Roger Medearis, Godly Susan, 1941, egg tempera on board, 27 5823 58 in. (70.160.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Roger and Elizabeth Medearis, 1992.84

Artwork Details

Title
Godly Susan
Date
1941
Dimensions
27 5823 58 in. (70.160.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Roger and Elizabeth Medearis
Mediums
Mediums Description
egg tempera on board
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Medearis, Susan Carns — elderly
  • Landscape — farm
  • Architecture — religious — church
Object Number
1992.84

Artwork Description

Roger Medearis completed this painting of his grandmother Susan Carns Medearis at the end of a three years' study with Thomas Hart Benton at the Kansas City Art Institute. Medearis used the sunporch of his father's church as a makeshift studio to create detailed sketches of his grandmother, who had suffered a stroke several years earlier. His grandmother holds a lemon, whose sour taste she enjoyed, in her strong, still-vibrant left hand, contrasting the paralyzed right side of her body. This portrait memorialized his beloved family matriarch. The title reflects Susan's role as the daughter and granddaughter of Baptist ministers and the mother of three more. Born in the early days of the Civil War, her life spanned one of the most formative times in American history; she died only months after this portrait was finished.

Works by this artist (6 items)

Joel Goldblatt, Table Top with Bread #4, 1970, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1985.30.18
Table Top with Bread #4
Date1970
oil on canvas
Not on view
Joel Goldblatt, Dark Still Life, ca. 1960-1965, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Arnold Elser, 1981.154.35
Dark Still Life
Dateca. 1960-1965
lithograph on paper
Not on view
Joel Goldblatt, Leaves and Light, ca. 1960-1965, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Arnold Elser, 1981.154.36
Leaves and Light
Dateca. 1960-1965
lithograph on paper
Not on view
Joel Goldblatt, Still Life and Light, 1960, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Arnold Elser, 1981.154.34
Still Life and Light
Date1960
lithograph on paper
Not on view

Audio

Stop 174: Godly Susan

Godly Susan
1941, egg tempera on board

ROGER MEDEARIS
Born: Fayette, Missouri 1920– Died: San Marino, California 2001

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