Encounter
- Artist
- Isabel Bishop, American, 1902–1988
- Date
- 1940
- Material
- Oil and tempera on Masonite
- made in
- New York, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Paintings
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 333
- Dimensions
- 23 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. (60.3 x 40 cm)
framed: 32 x 24 x 1 7/8 in. (81.3 x 61 x 4.8 cm) - Credit Line
- Eliza McMillan Trust
- Rights
- © Estate of Isabel Bishop
- Object Number
- 19:1942
NOTES
There is an obvious exchange occurring between the two figures in this painting, though its exact nature remains unclear. The artist, Isabel Bishop, worked in New York City in a studio on 14th Street. Bishop was a perceptive observer of everyday activities of young women who frequented offices and stores in her neighborhood. Her paintings introduce working women as a vibrant subject for American Scene art, which focused on the daily lives of the urban population.
According to Bishop's recollections, a young unemployed clerical worker offered to pose for the artist. “Encounter” depicts this woman and her boyfriend, with whom she had a rather stormy romance.