Portrait of Sylvia

At the UW–Madison from 1938 to 1942, Fein learned historical painting techniques from James Watrous and experimented with materials such as egg tempera. Close collaborative friendships developed among a group of Madison and Milwaukee artists, including Marshall Glasier and Sylvia Fein. This collaborative portrait is a testament of their mutual respect and admiration. Fein said Glasier taught her “the value of drawing above anything else” and admitted that her “values are so much his that it is difficult to esteem him too highly. . . . He has been of inexpressible importance to me, for his personality as much as his work.” For Fein, self-portraiture was a window into her soul. Her blunt and penetrating gaze reveals unsparing self-introspection. The tension between a woman’s traditional roles and an artist’s independent identity was a source of anxiety. In portraits, adornment or even the landscape can shed light on the sitter’s frame of mind or life circumstances. The artist wears a large brooch or plaque on her chest. Can you see what is represented on it? What might it reveal about her?