Oil on canvas
13 x 16 1/4 in. (33 x 41.3cm)
Executed circa 1921-1922.

Provenance: Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Norman H. Taylor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Walter Baum Gallery, Sellersville, Pennsylvania.
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Beren, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Collection of Perry & June Ottenberg, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
EXHIBITED:
"Crosscurrents: Americans In Paris, 1900-1940," Hirschl & Adler, New York, New York, February 6-March 13, 1993, no. 13 (illustrated pp. 25 and 45 in the exhibition catalogue).
"The Orchestration of Color: The Paintings of Arthur B. Carles," Hollis Taggart Galleries, New York, New York, February 10-March 18, 2000; and Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 16-June 25, 2000 (traveling exhibition).
"The Work of Arthur B. Carles," Demuth Museum, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, April 1-May 29, 2005 (illustrated on the cover of the brochure).
NOTE:
Carles travelled to France for the third time in 1921. As he was preparing to leave in June, he wrote to his friend Alfred Stieglitz: "I am going to France this summer. I'm as excited as a honeymooner." Although he lived in Edward Steichen's house in Voulangis, Carles often visited Paris. While on a train ride to the French capital, the artist's first wife met with Angèle, and persuaded her to pose for her husband. The French model rapidly accepted the offer and eventually started an affair with the artist.
Angèle had long and thick, dark red hair. She had the kind of pale skin which boosted Carles' interest in color play. He did many paintings of her in 1921-1922, including the following lot in the sale, "Green Nude".
The present piece is a striking profile portrait with pronounced green, blue, and purple hues shadowing Angèle's eyes, chin and neck. Her orange-red and yellow hair contrast intensely with the sand-like background. The overall format, along with the closeness to the model make her stand out like an apparition, contributing to the dramatic effect of the portrait.