Watercolor. Signed lower right. Matted & unframed. "With an apple I will astonish Paris"- Paul Cezanne. Here Florence Leaf (1913-1968), emulated Cezanne's aspiration as she too fell under the spell of the European modernists and delighted in painting apples, bananas and all manner of still life with an energetic brush and vivid palette. An accomplished woman artist in a Post-War age where women painters were often overlooked, Leaf thrived in the competitive RISD art arena. Florence Leif was born in NYC. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in painting in 1934 and went to study under John Fraizer. At the age of 26, she was one of the few women artists to have a solo exhibition at the Providence Art Club in 1939. Her summers were spent painting at her home on the Cape overlooking Provincetown. She traveled widely in Europe and lived in Rome for a year with her husband, Gordon Peers, the chair of the RISD European honors program. Leif became recognized for her bold, fluid brushwork that she applied to subject matter ranging from seascapes to portraits. Her desire to learn, experiment and discover new things was constant. During her lifetime she exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Carnegie Institute and the Worcester Museum of Art. Recently, she was represented in the “Rightful Recognition” show at the Newport Art Museum. Her work received numerous awards and is included in many private collections.

Good

10 x 12 in

4 lb