650. Eda Sterchi (American, b. 1885), “Southwest Scene”, c. 1919; oil/canvas laid down on board, 18" x 14", signed . Sterchi, deeply influenced by the European avant-garde, bonded contradictory elements to develop a universal manifesto against 19th century certainties in art forms. Sterchi herself was an icon of the modern woman: she was the first among her circles to cut her hair in a bob, she was the first to get divorced, and the first to smoke cigarettes, yet her painted images were unmoving, peaceful, and direct; a virtual asylum from the stressful, whirling modern life. Deliberate simplicity and large fields of color replaced material detail and fanciful depictions of a subject. Sterchi visited Taos, New Mexico in the 1910s, and began exhibiting southwest subject matter at the Art Institute of Chicago by the late 1910s. The modern, European influence on her painting style brought an interesting, original look to traditional southwest subjects. Sterchi had begun living in Arizona permanently by 1930. 3000-5000 Provenance: The estate of the artist.