Death of the Sun original artwork

September 20, 2009 7:34 PM

Can anyone identify the painting from which this album cover appears to be cropped? Death of the Sun, by Cul de Sac. It's not credited at the label's site and no one seems to refer to it anywhere else on the internet.
posted by BlackLeotardFront to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

I'm gonna guess Turner though I don't see a specific match.
posted by bendybendy at 7:42 PM on September 20, 2009

Response by poster: Yes, he occurred to me right away, but I haven't had any luck either.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 7:54 PM on September 20, 2009

Best answer: Here is the guy who made it. Maybe he would be able to tell you?
posted by setanor at 8:06 PM on September 20, 2009

Response by poster: Ah, well spotted. I've emailed him, I'll post the answer if he gets back to me.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 8:12 PM on September 20, 2009

makes me think of Millet
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:55 AM on September 21, 2009

It's an oil painting. It's more likely than not an unknown painter, but if I were to have a stab in the dark I'd say Jean Baptiste-Camille Corot.
posted by fire&wings at 3:27 AM on September 21, 2009

I also guessed toward Millet or Corot. Landscape with Two Peasant Women (Millet) is a painting with similar feel/color/composition. That said, the image doesn't show up in the inventory on that site which claims to show his complete works.

In the image you link to, I think I see an aqueduct in the background, possibly leading to a steel train bridge? If my eyes are right, that puts it no earlier than mid- to late-1800s. Corot would meet that time frame and he painted a lot of aqueducts. This one by Corot is close, and its name, "Tortured Trees on Crete, Sun Hidden," (my french is rusty) even hints at the title of the album you reference.
posted by cocoagirl at 6:00 AM on September 21, 2009

Response by poster: I see Corot as a likely match, but I can't find the painting either. Man! No response from the guy yet.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:41 AM on September 21, 2009

Best answer: From Glenn Jones of Cul de Sac:

Hey Devin,

Yeah, it's a beautiful painting. It's called "Aprile" and is by Antonio
Fontenesi.

I found the reproduction in an old book collection of Italian landscape
paintings of the 1800s.

I like just about everything I've seen by him, many paintings have a similar
desolate feel.

Fontanesi, Some paintings including the one I was looking for, entitled "Aprile."
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 7:05 PM on September 21, 2009

Thanks for the follow up!
posted by fire&wings at 4:51 AM on September 22, 2009