Marie Goth
Jesse Marie Goth (August 15, 1887, Indianapolis - January 1975) was an American artist.[1]
Early life and education
Although her family's tendencies leaned towards the musical arts, Goth was drawn to the visual arts. After attending Manual Training High School in Indianapolis and serving as an assistant in the art department, she won a scholarship to the Art Students League in New York City. Her father, who ran a successful monument business in Indianapolis, was reluctant to let his daughter travel to New York alone, but she traveled to New York in 1909 to begin her studies there. She stayed in New York and continued her studies for 10 years under the instruction of artists including Frank Vincent Dumon, William Merritt Chase and Luis M. Mora.
Career
At the Art Student League, Goth met V.J. Cariani, a fellow artist. In 1923, a fellow artist invited Goth on a painting trip to the Peaceful Valley (Brown County). She fell in love with Southern Indiana and with her sister Genevieve purchased a cabin which they later furnished with furniture made by their father. Mariani returned from WW1 with a bad case of shell shock and was having trouble re-acclimating to daily life, so Genevieve purchased one of his sketches to fund his travel there.
Goth continued to paint and became well known for her portraits, painting everyone from her peers to prominent businessmen and dignitaries. In 1926, she was part of a group that formed an art association, with her brother-in-law, Carl Graf, as the first president. In 1954, the group split into two organizations and Goth, V.J. Cariani, Genevieve Goth Graf, C. Curry Bohm and George LaChance formed the Brown County Art Guild.
Goth received many awards and recognition in her lifetime, but maintained her home in Brown County alongside Cariani until his death in 1969. After his passing, Goth left his studio untouched. Goth was bitten by a brown recluse spider in 1974 and became weak, eventually falling down the stairs at her cabin.[2]
Legacy
Goth left her estate to the Brown County Art Guild, which displays the work of the founding members, as well as contemporary artists.[3]