Chorus Captain, 1935
Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in. (101.6 x 76.2 cm)
Katharine Ordway Fund
2003.8.1
Kuhn's portrait of a showgirl, masked with makeup and crowned with ostrich plumage, offers psychological insight into the backstage life of the performer. The artist's fascination with theater began when, as a boy, he delivered rental costumes to New York acting troupes. He later designed costumes and sets and staged and directed satirical ballets for vaudeville and musical revues, gaining a wide acquaintance among performers. The introverted face at the center of Kuhn's daring composition rivets our attention in Chorus Captain, an icon of the underpaid, overworked entertainer caught off guard. Kuhn uses direct paint application, a frontal viewpoint, and flattened forms on a dark background to bring his subject forward, impressing the viewer with her magnetic appeal. Her slumped shoulders and scanty attire—particularly the strip of green cloth that covers her lap and looks as if it could be pulled away—reveal her weariness and vulnerability. The tension between the sitter's private mood and her public role lends the portrait its evocative quality.
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