Margaret Keane
Encyclopedia
Margaret Keane is an American artist
. She is an illustrator and painter, and mainly draws women and children in oil or mixed media. Her works are instantly recognizable (although often imitated) from the doe-eyed children that are depicted in the drawings.
and inspirations of her artwork to the relationship with her grandmother. She eventually joined the Jehovah's Witnesses
, which she said changed her life for the better.
In the 1960s, Margaret Keane's artwork was sold under the name of her husband, Walter Keane
. Why she chose to do so has not been fully explained, but conflict over that issue was cited as one of the reasons they divorced. Neither wanting to relinquish rights to the artwork, Walter and Margaret's divorce proceedings went all the way to Federal court. At the hearing, Margaret created a painting in front of the judge to prove that she was the artist. Walter declined to paint before the court, citing a sore shoulder. In 1986, the courts sided with her, enabling her to paint under her own name.
Her works while living in her husband's shadow tended to depict sad children in a dark setting, but after divorcing, moving to Hawaii
, and becoming a Jehovah's Witness, her paintings took on a happier, brighter style. Her website now advertises her work as having "tears of joy" or "tears of happiness".
Keane is a fixture in popular culture. Some of her well-known fans over the years have included actresses Joan Crawford
and Natalie Wood
, whom she painted portraits of; Filmmaker Tim Burton
, who commissioned Keane to paint Lisa Marie; and animator Craig McCracken
, whose characters, The Powerpuff Girls
are based on Keane's 'waifs'; additionally the Girls' schoolteacher is named "Ms. Keane".
Currently Margaret makes her home in Napa County, California
. She will be portrayed by Kate Hudson
in the upcoming film Big Eyes
.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. She is an illustrator and painter, and mainly draws women and children in oil or mixed media. Her works are instantly recognizable (although often imitated) from the doe-eyed children that are depicted in the drawings.
Biography
Margaret D. H. Keane was born 1927 in Tennessee, and attributes her deep respect for the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and inspirations of her artwork to the relationship with her grandmother. She eventually joined the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
, which she said changed her life for the better.
In the 1960s, Margaret Keane's artwork was sold under the name of her husband, Walter Keane
Walter Keane
Walter Stanley Keane was an American artist working in San Francisco...
. Why she chose to do so has not been fully explained, but conflict over that issue was cited as one of the reasons they divorced. Neither wanting to relinquish rights to the artwork, Walter and Margaret's divorce proceedings went all the way to Federal court. At the hearing, Margaret created a painting in front of the judge to prove that she was the artist. Walter declined to paint before the court, citing a sore shoulder. In 1986, the courts sided with her, enabling her to paint under her own name.
Her works while living in her husband's shadow tended to depict sad children in a dark setting, but after divorcing, moving to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and becoming a Jehovah's Witness, her paintings took on a happier, brighter style. Her website now advertises her work as having "tears of joy" or "tears of happiness".
Keane is a fixture in popular culture. Some of her well-known fans over the years have included actresses Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
and Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood, born Natalia Nikolaevna Zacharenko was an American film and television actress. After first working in films as a child, Wood became a successful Hollywood star as a young adult, receiving three Academy Award nominations before she was 25 years old.Wood began acting in movies at the...
, whom she painted portraits of; Filmmaker Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
, who commissioned Keane to paint Lisa Marie; and animator Craig McCracken
Craig McCracken
Craig McCracken is an American animator and creator of The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.-Biography:...
, whose characters, The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network...
are based on Keane's 'waifs'; additionally the Girls' schoolteacher is named "Ms. Keane".
Currently Margaret makes her home in Napa County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She will be portrayed by Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10...
in the upcoming film Big Eyes
Big Eyes
Big Eyes is an upcoming biopic following the life of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s. The film is being written and directed by Scott Alexander and Larry...
.
Cultural references
- The American television comedy show Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
once had a skit that featured her work, during the time when it was thought to be by her husband, as a parody of the reaction against modern art (e.g., CubismCubismCubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
or the New York Armory ShowArmory ShowMany exhibitions have been held in the vast spaces of U.S. National Guard armories, but the Armory Show refers to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art that was organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors...
). "People don't look like that!" one comedian shrieked, before the picture in question was shown to the camera and audience as the punch line. - In Woody AllenWoody AllenWoody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
's 1973 comedy SleeperSleeper (film)Sleeper is a 1973 futuristic science fiction comedy film, written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, and directed by Allen. The plot involves the adventures of the owner of a Greenwich Village, NY health food store played by Woody Allen who is cryogenically frozen in 1973 and defrosted 200...
, the people of the future consider Keane to be one of the greatest artists in history, one of many references mocking the popular culture of the seventies. - Late Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
has "bumper" art in her style depicting a glum Conan O'BrienConan O'BrienConan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
at his desk, next to a dog. - 90210 (TV series)90210 (TV series)90210 is an American teen drama television series developed by Rob Thomas, Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs, and the fourth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise created by Darren Star. 90210 is the first series produced by CBS Productions under the company's re-launch, but is now produced by CBS...
, season 3, episode 20, entitled "Women on the Verg". Annie is described as looking "like a Keene painting"