American painter John Frederick Peto created mostly still-life painting. A distinctive feature of his paintings was similar theme of dilapidated, time worn nature of what is depicted on his paintings. The objects of his attention include old books, lamps, boards, tubes, photos, everything that bears a particularly visible impact of aging, the inevitable influence of time and use. In the XIX century, when the artist lived and created his paintings, such images were not popular among the general audience preferring to see on the canvases something luxurious and rich. Only after his death, huge interest arose to Peto`s works (National Gallery of Art, “Peto, John Frederick”). This is a common feature of all great artists – success comes to them either when they do not expect it or after their death.
The main task of art and painting is to awaken in a human being something great, make him think and feel. John Peto successfully manages to do this with this painting – Old Time Letter Rack. The artist exercises main artist's task with this painting – to draw the viewer's attention, provoke a feeling of belonging through emotions expressed in the painting, to make a viewer look at the world in a new way, to notice in the usual objects extraordinary essence. Peto accomplishes this through an ancient art of still life painting. Still life painting introduces audience to the world around the artist, makes it possible to look back a few centuries ago and to experience favorite master`s motifs.
In this painting, John Peto conveys with the help of limited means multicolor nature of surrounding objects, he tends to reflect the pulse of life in each smear, his mood, his understanding of the world. With the help of things around him, Peto expressed his understanding of the world, his thoughts and interests. In this still life painting, reality dominates over Peto`s skills. The most important thing for the artist is expressiveness of the painting. Through this painting, a viewer can get what Peto`s world was like, what interested him, what brought him happiness and what brought him grief.
Objects on this painting were created by skilled, hardworking and wise hand. They bear the imprint of thoughts, desires, and impulses of an ordinary American who lives an ordinary life getting news, in particular from letters. Probably in one of such letters, he received a terrible piece of news about Lincoln`s assassination which changed his world for ever. At least, this turned the world of John Frederick Peto upside down, for what he decided to create this painting. He was creating this piece of art willing to share his ideas and commemorate death of great leader of the American nation.
Second painting by Edmund Tarbell Mother and Child in a Boat is a perfect example of American Impressionism. Today, the mere mention of the concept of Impressionism invariably causes a warm feeling among those who are familiar with the work of representatives of perhaps the most popular movement in contemporary art. Over a century ago, Impressionists, among whom there was Edmund Tarbell, put forward their own principles of perceptions of the world. They ceased to separate objects on main those worthy of high art and minor. Continuous vibration of pulsating rough brushstrokes at Impressionists` paintings destroyed the illusion of three-dimensional space exposing the two-dimensionality of the canvas and forcing the viewer to decipher the secrets of the painting itself (Gunderson 18).
Edmund Tarbell created his painting as if with the help of air abundant I his painting. A woman with her kid seems to be shrouded in a light haze of semi-transparent spatial environment. Because of this, people on the painting take on a new timidity and almost tangible mobility. On the painting, life appears in another quality – in the delight of a single and fragile moment (Gunderson 18).
Edmund Tarbell represents school of American Impressionism, which peculiarity is the choice of subjects: lyrical landscapes, sentimental scenes of women and children, scenes of work and commerce, intimate scenes of comfort. The choice of American impressionists, in contrast to images of everyday life in the city, its streets, theaters and cafes by the French Impressionists, is associated with the Protestant ethic and national traits of Americans. It shall be mentioned that Tarbell learnt of Impressionism while he was living in Europe. Mainly, when his talent was noticed, Edmund was offered to continue his education in Paris. In 1883 he began his studies there and made a lot of copies of painters exhibited in Louvre and strongly got affected by the influence of the Impressionist movement. Once he got back to the USA, the most common models of him got his wife and daughter (National Gallery of Art, “Tarbell, Edmund Charles”). Most probably, Mother and Child in a Boat was painted after his beloved wife and their kid.
Works Cited
Gunderson, J. Impressionism. The Creative Company, 2009. Print.
National Gallery of Art. “Peto, John Frederick”. nga.gov. N.d. Web. 22 Jul. 2016.
National Gallery of Art. “Tarbell, Edmund Charles”. nga.gov. N.d. Web. 22 Jul. 2016.
