Theresa Bernstein’s longevity—when coupled with her tenacious spirit—resulted in an impressively vibrant and noteworthy career in the arts. She was among the youngest generation of urban realists who experimented with what was at the time a modern subject matter, focusing their works on the gritty reality of urban work and leisure.

The Ashcan School palette and style were a strong presence in Bernstein’s work during the nineteen-teens, but she later came to experiment with a broader range of color and brushwork. Central Park is a strong example of Bernstein’s powerful colorism: “Color as a path to modernity for Bernstein was pure, magnetic, and sometimes even lurid: local color, independent color, color as index of feeling, color as gesture, color as lyricism…” writes Patricia Burnham, Ph.D. “The sky in Central Park, ca. 1926 (Cat. 17) becomes shocking multiples of pink, mauve, yellow, violet, the park path yellow against black trees and crimson buildings.”* As was common of Bernstein’s artwork, the painting is simply inscribed “Bernstein,” evidence of the artist’s attempt to disguise her gender.

*Patricia M. Burnham, in Joan Whalen Fine Art exhibition catalog, Theresa Bernstein: An Early Modernist, 2001.

View additional works by this artist