Into the World There Came a Soul Called Ida

The painting, Into the World There Came a Soul Called Ida was painted by Ivan Albright in 1929-1930. Albright gave the painting to the Chicago Art Institute as a gift in 1977. The painting depicts the sadness of a once young and vibrant woman, facing the realities of getting old. Even though she is beautiful in her own way, the sadness on her face and aging body portrays a grim and depressed woman.

The painting is a large painting it is almost five feet tall and four feet wide. It is an oil painting on traditional canvass. The color choice is very dark and gloomy. It serves the purpose of putting the viewer in a somber mood. From the first glance you can tell that this is a sad setting. To some viewers Ida might bring a feeling of disgust, however, after closer inspection of the painting, the inner beauty seeps out. The black backdrop works to bring Ida out to the viewer. The fact that Albright was able to take a young and pretty model, transform her into an almost “Walking Dead” type creation from his own mind, shows that Albright had a very creative mind. The patterns of the carpet, along with a tear in the fabric beneath the chair she sits on give the carpet a life of its own, distinct, yet worn from time and abuse, much like Ida herself. The texture of the vanity behind her is duller. He gives no real definition to the outline of the lower drawers, there was nothing in there of any significance, but it works as a great background for Ida's leg.

I believe that Albright's intent was to show that no matter how young and beautiful a person is, the end result is always going to be old age and ultimately death. He painted a portrait, not of a woman, but of reality, something we will all face. He shows the desperateness of the past, the skewed representation of the present, and the reflection in the mirror of what we will all become. In my opinion Albright has