Eudoxia Woodward
Encyclopedia
Eudoxia Muller Woodward (June 14, 1919 – January 20, 2008 ) was an American artist
and scientist. She was known for her work with Edwin H. Land
at the Polaroid Corporation
, where her research helped produce the Vectograph
and the SX-70
.
Born Eudoxia M. Muller in Flushing, New York to Olga Popoff Muller, a sculptor, and John Muller an architect, she grew up in New York City
. She attended St. Agatha’s School for high school and received her bachelor's degree
from Smith College
and settled in Boston, Massachusetts.
While at Polaroid, she met Robert Burns Woodward
, who had been hired as a consultant. They married in September 1946 and had two children.
and at retirement communities.
The title of Woodward's 1977 art show in Boston, "Flowers - Art or Science?", exemplified the contradictions in her work. Her watercolor, "Pentagonal Red Hibiscus", displayed at a show in 1995 at the Francesca Anderson Fine Art gallery in Lexington
, exemplified the unity she found in the two approaches to experience.f For the "Pentagonal Red Hibiscus" she said she had plotted four views of the blossom against a pentagon. Her works have been shown in exhibitions at, among other sites, the DeCordova Museum
, and her alma mater, Smith College.
Variously, Woodward served on the boards of the Boston Museum of Science, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Cambridge Art Association. In 2002, the New England Watercolor Society awarded Woodward the "Stanhope Framers Prize". In 2008, she died of cancer in her home in Belmont, Massachusetts
.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and scientist. She was known for her work with Edwin H. Land
Edwin H. Land
Edwin Herbert Land was an American scientist and inventor, best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation. Among other things, he invented inexpensive filters for polarizing light, a practical system of in-camera instant photography, and his retinex theory of color vision...
at the Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation is an American-based international consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February...
, where her research helped produce the Vectograph
Vectograph
A vectograph is a type of stereoscopic print or transparency viewed using the polarized 3D glasses most commonly associated with projected three-dimensional motion pictures....
and the SX-70
Polaroid SX-70
The SX-70 is a folding single lens reflex Land Camera which was produced by the Polaroid Corporation from 1972-1981.- History :Though Polaroid had considered a Henry Dreyfus-designed SLR for its Colorpack film, the SX-70 was the first instant SLR and the first camera to use Polaroid's new SX-70...
.
Born Eudoxia M. Muller in Flushing, New York to Olga Popoff Muller, a sculptor, and John Muller an architect, she grew up in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She attended St. Agatha’s School for high school and received her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
and settled in Boston, Massachusetts.
While at Polaroid, she met Robert Burns Woodward
Robert Burns Woodward
Robert Burns Woodward was an American organic chemist, considered by many to be the preeminent organic chemist of the twentieth century...
, who had been hired as a consultant. They married in September 1946 and had two children.
Post-Polaroid career
After leaving Polaroid, she taught art at the Belmont Day School in Belmont, MassachusettsBelmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
and at retirement communities.
The title of Woodward's 1977 art show in Boston, "Flowers - Art or Science?", exemplified the contradictions in her work. Her watercolor, "Pentagonal Red Hibiscus", displayed at a show in 1995 at the Francesca Anderson Fine Art gallery in Lexington
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
, exemplified the unity she found in the two approaches to experience.f For the "Pentagonal Red Hibiscus" she said she had plotted four views of the blossom against a pentagon. Her works have been shown in exhibitions at, among other sites, the DeCordova Museum
DeCordova Museum
The DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is a sculpture park and art museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts focused on modern and contemporary art, and holds a collection focused on work in all media, especially works by artists with connections to New England...
, and her alma mater, Smith College.
Variously, Woodward served on the boards of the Boston Museum of Science, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Cambridge Art Association. In 2002, the New England Watercolor Society awarded Woodward the "Stanhope Framers Prize". In 2008, she died of cancer in her home in Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
.