How to find a painting

December 9, 2005 12:33 AM

ArtFilter: Help me find a painting...

The painting is very rawly painted, relying on vivid, strong colors and powerful brushtrokes. The painting is essentially a menu, and some items are painted on it (I think one of the items is 'black bean soup'); the pricing of the items is in the units of cents 69c, etc etc. The items and the price are written in black, while the rest of the painting has splotches of blue and red other colors as well.

If I remember correctly the painter had connections with the Beats (Allen Ginsberg?) and was a friend of theirs.. and the painter's first name might start with L...

posted by provolot to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

I don't have an answer, but a couple of suggestions:

From the beat connection and the name starting with L, it could be Lawrence Ferlinghetti, beat Poet, 'City Lights' bookstore owner, and also accomplished painter (who often used words in his paintings, e.g.)

Also associated with the Beats, and a more accomplished painter than Ferlinghetti, is Franz Kline, who painted some very vivid, colourful pictures with massive, powerful brushstrokes -- basically Action painting. A number of Action painters and other American Abstract Expressionists were associated intellectually, if not neighbourhoodly, with the beats.

Googling the above two artists might turn up your painting or at least tweak your memory. Good luck!
posted by Rumple at 1:10 AM on December 9, 2005

I didn't find any info, but I did find the Soup in Art index, which amazes me.
posted by sluggo at 5:31 AM on December 9, 2005 [1 favorite]

The artist might be Lenore Jaffee, but the painting doesn't ring a bell.
posted by iconomy at 6:35 AM on December 9, 2005

Best answer: Larry Rivers might fit the bill. He was in a short film, Pull My Daisy, with everybody from that time period. He has a couple of paintings, Cedar Bar Menu I (1960) and Cedar Bar Menu II (1961) (from the Cedar Tavern). Unfortunately, I can't find an image anywhere to confirm it's him (sorry!), but these pages have some of his other works, if a sense of his style would help. Maybe you could track down a book of Rivers paintings?

Soup in Art? Awesome.
posted by steef at 6:40 AM on December 9, 2005

Good call, steef -- Rivers uses a lot of words in his pictures, painted camel packages, posters, billboards, did multimedia/collages, and a lot of book covers and advertisements as well. This review of a book about him is apparently written by his stepson so maybe he could be emailed.

Ditto Soup in Art ++
posted by Rumple at 9:32 AM on December 9, 2005

Response by poster: Steef -- it turns out that it isLarry Rivers, and the painting is Cedar Bar Menu I (although I can't find an image anywhere either)..

Thanks a lot!
posted by provolot at 11:15 AM on December 9, 2005

Best answer: OK, this got my curiosity piqued, so while I was in the library this morning I grabbed a couple of books with that picture and scanned them in. I'll leave up for a few days then delete.
posted by Rumple at 3:26 PM on December 9, 2005

Thanks, Rumple!
posted by steef at 3:51 PM on December 9, 2005

Response by poster: Oh, wow, this is great --- thanks a lot, Rumple!
posted by provolot at 10:50 PM on December 9, 2005