Still Life with Copper Kettle

Carles painted this still life of assorted household objects while he was a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), where he trained under William Merritt Chase and Cecilia Beaux. The copper kettle, blue-and-white porcelain platter and vase, velvety red drapery, and yellow lemons offer a quietly pleasing array of shapes, colors, and materials. Carles was likely inspired by Chase’s works, such as Still Life with Brass Coffee Pot, Bowl, Celery, and Red Peppers, on view nearby. 

Carles was born in Philadelphia, and had a staggering impact on the development of American modernism and abstract painting both through his own work and his role as a teacher. He was a powerful and controversial instructor at PAFA who embraced the modern age and introduced his students to the work and ideas of the European avant-garde. Paintings by several of his students are in Woodmere’s collection, including Quita Brodhead, Jane Piper, Faye Swengel Badura, Bernard Badura, Jessie Drew-Bear, Elizabeth Godshalk Burger, Morris Blackburn, and Leon Kelly.  

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