Dublin Core
Title
Description
Inside a home, a woman plays the upright piano while her dog rests at her feet, creating an intimate and cozy scene shaped by concentration and routine. A single lamp casts a limited pool of light across the piano, leaving the rest of the room in shadow and drawing the viewer’s attention to her focused posture and the sheet music in front of her. The music she’s playing is titled Sonata 3 by Botts, giving a subtle hint toward the artist himself. The book next to her music is titled “Study, WPA 1938 NYC” by Botts, along with an agility exercise book behind it. By putting his own name on the sheet music, Botts has inserted himself into the print while also blurring the line between the woman’s artistic practice and his own. By placing his name on the music she plays, Botts suggests a connection between creating art and performing it, positioning himself as both observer and participant in this domestic moment. The composition reinforces this sense of closeness: we see her in profile from only a few feet away, as if we are standing beside her. Small details like the soft wooden texture of the piano, the patterned rug beneath the damper pedal, and the individual hairs on the dog deepen the cozy domestic atmosphere. Even the metronome mid-swing emphasizes rhythm, discipline, and the steady labor behind artistic work. Together, these elements create a scene not just of a woman practicing music, but of the intimate, concentrated world of artistic creation that Botts subtly aligns with his own identity.
About the Artist
Born in New York City in 1903, Hugh Pearce Botts was an accomplished American artist. He studied at Plainfield High School in New Jersey and Rutgers University and later received his formal art training at the National Academy of Design. His teachers included Roy Hilton, Charles Curran, Charles W. Hawthorne, Ivan G. Olinsky, and William Auerbach-Levy, whose diverse approaches, from impressionism to portraiture to caricature, shaped Bott’s development as a painter and printmaker. Botts went on to work with various institutions, including the Carnegie Institution, Queens College, Princeton University, Pennsylvania State University, Syracuse University, and the American Museum of Natural History. His professional work ranged from landscapes, cityscapes, and industrial architecture to portraits of working-class subjects. He also created prints that depicted scenes of home life, often using cartoon-like facial features to express emotion and concentration. This expressive quality is especially visible in his self-portrait, painted in oil on canvas. 94 works and sketches at Memorial Art Gallery. 18 works at Newark Museum of Art. 3 works at Syracuse University Art Museum. 2 works at Smithsonian American Art Museum. 8 images at FAP.
About the Artist
Born in New York City in 1903, Hugh Pearce Botts was an accomplished American artist. He studied at Plainfield High School in New Jersey and Rutgers University and later received his formal art training at the National Academy of Design. His teachers included Roy Hilton, Charles Curran, Charles W. Hawthorne, Ivan G. Olinsky, and William Auerbach-Levy, whose diverse approaches, from impressionism to portraiture to caricature, shaped Bott’s development as a painter and printmaker. Botts went on to work with various institutions, including the Carnegie Institution, Queens College, Princeton University, Pennsylvania State University, Syracuse University, and the American Museum of Natural History. His professional work ranged from landscapes, cityscapes, and industrial architecture to portraits of working-class subjects. He also created prints that depicted scenes of home life, often using cartoon-like facial features to express emotion and concentration. This expressive quality is especially visible in his self-portrait, painted in oil on canvas. 94 works and sketches at Memorial Art Gallery. 18 works at Newark Museum of Art. 3 works at Syracuse University Art Museum. 2 works at Smithsonian American Art Museum. 8 images at FAP.
Creator
Botts, Hugh Pearce (1903 - 1964)
Publisher
Date
Contributor
Buffone, Jasmine (description and biography)
Helquist, Morgan (photography)
Helquist, Morgan (photography)
Source
New Deal Museum, Mount Morris NY
Object #FA 1131
Object #FA 1131
Format
jpeg, 1.7 MB
jpeg, 1.6 MB
jpeg, 1.6 MB
Type
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Aquatint in paper
Physical Dimensions
Image: 9 x 12 in.
Sheet: 11 x 15 in.
Sheet: 11 x 15 in.