Few people have ever had careers that can match that of Theresa Bernstein in productivity and longevity. She lived to nearly 112 and was an active artist for 8 decades. She was born in Kraków in 1890 but moved with her family to Philadelphia a year later. She had an early interest in art and discovered the Expressionist painters of Europe on trips with her mother. Graduating from a public school in Philadelphia, she became a scholarship student at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, graduating in 1911. Moving to New York, she studied with William Merritt Chase at the Art Students League. Attending the Armory Show in 1913, she admired the work of Robert Henri and developed her art in the spirit of the Ashcan School of realist painters. She married fellow artist William Meyerowitz in 1919 and the two maintained a close working relationship for many years. She strongly supported her husband's work, perhaps to the point of allowing herself to stay unnecessarily in his shadow.The ReadersGirlhood
Critical Analysis
Theresa Bernstein was remarkable as a painter and a feminist. Her recounting (in a 1992 video) of a trip to Washington with other artists in 1937 reveals her strong and determined personality. At a time when women artists were presumed to be pre-occupied with "feminine" subjects, Bernstein stuck largely to portrayals of the real world, including sometimes gritty urban scenes, and often signing her work "T. Bernstein" to disguise her gender. As a painter she was very much the equal of other Ashcan artists such as John Sloan, with vivid brushwork and a dynamic use of color.
