Forging a Path

Abstract

Chapter 2 discusses important influences on her early art and her critical reception. It argues that the two most important influences were Arthur Wesley Dow and Howard Pyle. The British Arts and Crafts movement was another key influence. Furthermore, Colman Smith’s life illuminates the ways in which increasing numbers of women navigated a still firmly patriarchal and often misogynistic arts scene. In order to sustain herself, Colman Smith began to surround herself with a network of women artists and writers. These female artistic communities were to provide key support and encouragement to her over the course of her life, especially as she became jaded by the false promises of her male patrons and publishers. The chapter concludes by asserting that we can see the clear feminist focus in her early work through her emphasis on strong female characters, such as her portrayal of Lady Macbeth, as well as her distinctive use of color, movement, shape, and line.