While we have discussed George Sotter in terms of his painting and its relationship to the American landscape tradition, the interest in light and color of the Impressionists, and the development of art colonies such as Cos Cob and New Hope, we have yet to really delve into who Sotter was. This week we will look at his personal and artistic biography. Sotter identified as an artist as a very young man and married another artist, Alice Bennett, who became his partner in life and industry. Our focus on biography leads to the specific professional importance of stained glass in the development of his career, which only receives minor attention in the museum exhibition. Sotter was a devoted Catholic and the windows relate to specific principles of good liturgical design advocated by the Church after 1912 and in the mainstream by the 1920s. This medieval style also relates to a second revival of interest in medieval arts, of which John D. Rockefeller's construction of The Cloisters, which opened to the public in 1938. The lens of his artisanal production affords an interesting angle for consideration of his painting subjects, which we will consider both during his early years and his mature work. Sotter's artistic subjects and styles, as well as his preeminence in the juries of the Phillips Mill exhibitions, aligns him with the conservative faction of the Pennsylvania Academy after World War I.

Anna Brøndum Ancher

1859-1935