Maybe or Falling Leaves

Carl Gutherz grew up in Memphis, and briefly worked here later in his career. Like many other American artists of the period, he spent years training in France. While in Paris he absorbed many different stylistic movements.  Here for instance, the loosely painted leaves and sketchy depiction of the woman's veil show his interest in Impressionism. In contrast, the strong emotional content of the painting is more in line with the traditions of the French Academy, a school that trained artists to depict humans with as much physical and psychological realism as possible.