The famed self-portrait
that graced the cover of "Independent Spirits: Women Painters of
the American West, 1890-1945," edited by Dr. Patricia Trenton and
published in conjunction with the Autry Museum of Western Heritage exhibition
of the same name, demonstrates Ms. Alvarez's values. A picture of the painting
is shown at the top of this article. The painting titled Myself with
Dreams of Youth, is shown on the right.
For the rest of her life her paintings expressed her strong sense of passion and love of life, and they made real her dreams and in so doing echoed the dreams of mankind.
An early
and important champion of Mabel's work was Arthur Millier, an art critic
for the Los Angeles Times through the 1920's and 30's. Frequently
displaying her work in the Times, he responded to those who, at the time,
doubted a woman's ability to create great art, by insisting, "She isn't
a woman painter, she's an artist."
Left: Dream of Youth, 1925, oil on canvas, 58 x 50 1/4 inches
Throughout the 20's and 30's Mabel's art was displayed at the nation's best known museums and galleries. She was commissioned to paint works for many prominent personalities and institutions.
In 1929, for example, Mrs. Samuel Goldwyn requested she paint some pictures to decorate her young son's room (he is today the movie mogul, Samuel Goldwyn, Jr.).
These caught the attention of Irving Berlin, who asked Mabel to paint a portrait of his child. Also in 1929, the University of Southern California commissioned her to paint the official portrait of the retiring dean of its law school. It is still displayed in their art gallery.
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