We recently added a few pieces of "art" to the inside of the home, not that any of these are original oil paintings - that sort of game is way beyond our financial reach. I do want to share two of the new pieces with you because they have really made Brooksbend that much nicer a place to reside.
One is a total room changer due to its shear size, an Art Noveau poster by Jules Cheret advertising one of many shows at the Musee Grevin. Cheret isknown as the father of the poster art that was found throughout France at the latter part of the 19th Century and beginning of the 20th. People like Toulouse-Latrec were his understudies. We had a giclee copy of one of his most colorful and exciting works done on canvas and then had the wonderful folks at Ain't That A Frame in Westminster perform their magic to it. At 5 ft. tall it makes quite a statement - it's a little hard to ignore anyway, as you can see:
And then there is John Sloane, our favorite American artist, he is from the Ashcan School and a contemporay to William Meritt Chase. His paintings and etchings of the characters and life scenes he encountered are marvelous. There is one of his oils in the Phillips Gallery in DC of a woman looking at the churning wake out the rear of a ferry boat that makes your mind wander into her thoughts on the very gray day depicted. The National Gallery has some of his best street scenes, particulary those when the saloon lights come on to illuminate the sidewalk revelers. Sloan is well regarded but little known because so many of his contemporaies reache incredible fame during the Belle Epoch and Depression eras in America. We added a giclee print of one painting which captures the essence of one of his hang outs in New York City, "McSorley's Bar" and an etching, "Easter Eve, Washington Square" along with two other prints. Again, the Chang's at Ain't that a frame made them special additions to our home.
It is odd how the addition of art that you like can make you all that more comfortable being at home. Any art, save the favorite posterthumb-tacked to a wall, is a luxury and unappreciated by many people. Since these aren't the originals, no doubt those who can afford such a thing will scoff at going to the expense of buying good quality prints and frames. It bothers us not. The expense was a major one for us; had we a few $million to spare we may have bought a few of the oil originals but alas that lottery ticket has yet to arrive.
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