Agnes Tait

Agnes Tait (June 14, 1894 – August 23, 1981) was an American painter, pen-and-ink artist, lithographer, book illustrator, muralist and dancer.

[1] After graduating from grammar school, Tait secretly applied to the National Academy of Design much to her parents' surprise, who were happy at the prospect of a free tuition.

Determined to succeed as both a painter and a dancer, she painted during the day and danced in a chorus line at night, maintaining this lifestyle until the death of her father in 1919.

"[1] Impressed with her work, he organized an exhibit showcasing her paintings and those of two other fellow artists, Jo Cantine and Jean Paul Slusser.

[1] The Great Depression crashed the art market, which led Ferargil Gallery to request Agnes Tait to paint portraits of widely known public figures in hopes to glean buyers.

Upon returning to the United States, she joined the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), which commissioned drawings representing the "American Scene" for federal facilities.

Grateful for this opportunity, she began working on her most famous piece, Skating in Central Park, a painting that combined stylistic elements inspired from American Primitive Art merged with influences drawn from Pieter Breughel the Elder's artistic universe.

[6] Her husband's declining health prompted the couple to relocate to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1941, where Agnes discovered the Fine Arts Museum and added Southwestern landscape painting to her repertoire.