Does anyone recognize this painting?
May 19, 2008 1:15 AM Subscribe
Does anyone recognize this painting?
http://www.fupub.com/images/painting.jpg
Stylistically speaking, the date span for this could be much older than Fire&wings suggested. I would say 1860/70s to the present.
More info, if you have it, might help.
posted by munchbunch at 5:07 AM on May 19, 2008
More info, if you have it, might help.
posted by munchbunch at 5:07 AM on May 19, 2008
It couldn't be much older. The girl on the right's A-line sleeveless blue dress puts this firmly in the 20th century. Sleeveless, enhanced bust, tight waist, it is practically Dior's new look and at first glance is quintessentially early 20th century - it could be a classic Disney character. I would be very surprised if it was earlier than 1930 based on that alone. Factor in the influence of Matisse, Picasso as well as the style of the line, the weirdly proportioned limbs and triangular faces, especially in the reclining figure on the left - which is somewhere between Bernard Buffet and the cartoon illustrations in the opening sequence of "Bewitched" - and I would put it in the 50s or 60s.
Even ignoring all that, the blocked in flat, bright colours simply cannot predate the work of Emile Bernard and Gauguin around 1888, unless this is an unknown seminal work which is about to rock our understanding of modern painting. And it isn't. Mid 20th century, in my opinion of course. Good luck.
posted by fire&wings at 5:48 AM on May 19, 2008 [3 favorites]
Even ignoring all that, the blocked in flat, bright colours simply cannot predate the work of Emile Bernard and Gauguin around 1888, unless this is an unknown seminal work which is about to rock our understanding of modern painting. And it isn't. Mid 20th century, in my opinion of course. Good luck.
posted by fire&wings at 5:48 AM on May 19, 2008 [3 favorites]
At first glimpse I thought maybe Puvis de Chavannes but after looking at it again - you don't by some chance have a better image, do you? - I'm with fire&wings and think it's from the 40s or 50s.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:06 AM on May 19, 2008
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:06 AM on May 19, 2008
I would put it somewhere between 1890 and 1940, with a strong hunch it would be post 1915. It suggests some of Picasso's work to me, but doesn't seem clearly his. Also seems influenced by the partial abstraction of Cezanne's later figure work. But the dress does seem to date things in the early 1900's.
posted by bullitt 5 at 8:06 AM on May 19, 2008
posted by bullitt 5 at 8:06 AM on May 19, 2008
fire&wings the photograph simply isn't detailed enough for you to make those kind of judgments, you say 'enhanced bust', I say sleeve. To me the blue dress clearly has white sleeves, whereas you see a heaving bosom. Perhaps the OP could clarify which is the case (and preferably provide a better picture)
posted by missmagenta at 8:21 AM on May 19, 2008
posted by missmagenta at 8:21 AM on May 19, 2008
It seems strongly influenced by Picasso's African Period, esp. les Demoiselles d'Avignon... which would really place it in the early 20th century and not before then.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 8:34 AM on May 19, 2008
posted by Solon and Thanks at 8:34 AM on May 19, 2008
Response by poster: That's the best I can do quality-wise.
It's a screen grab from the movie Raider's of the Lost Ark. The scene in Indiana's apartment, right after the meeting with the government people. Where he learns they want him to go get the ark.
Maybe, if you have the movie, watching it in the movie will give you a better look, though my image was grabbed from a 720p copy of the movie, so it is probably as high res as exists.
posted by gummo at 9:27 AM on May 19, 2008
It's a screen grab from the movie Raider's of the Lost Ark. The scene in Indiana's apartment, right after the meeting with the government people. Where he learns they want him to go get the ark.
Maybe, if you have the movie, watching it in the movie will give you a better look, though my image was grabbed from a 720p copy of the movie, so it is probably as high res as exists.
posted by gummo at 9:27 AM on May 19, 2008
My immediate reaction was to look up Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (which of course heralded the beginning of a new artistic era). So I'm with Solon and Thanks.
posted by retiree at 10:38 AM on May 19, 2008
posted by retiree at 10:38 AM on May 19, 2008
Since the film is set in 1936 the painting should be pre-1940 but it could just be any old painting they had lying around.
posted by missmagenta at 10:57 AM on May 19, 2008
posted by missmagenta at 10:57 AM on May 19, 2008
It's a pretty mediocre example of Franco-Belgian style Surrealism that, based on the context, probably came out of a prop house. With such a clumsy composition and overworked figures, I'd be surprised if it was by a well known artist or if you would be able to find a reproduction. But if the style appeals, look for something by Paul Delvaux.
posted by Scram at 11:10 AM on May 19, 2008
posted by Scram at 11:10 AM on May 19, 2008
Yeah, I'm thinking prop house, too. Based on what I can tell from that screen grab, it's just not ringing any bells for me, either.
At first I thought you meant it was from the new Indiana Jones movie, in which case I would have tried to track down the appropriate set dresser for you (my former roommate is a set dresser/prop mistress who's worked on a ton of movies, so likely would have known at least someone from the art department). But since it's from the first movie, if it was just a prop, I don't know that there's likely to be any record left of what it was.
posted by scody at 12:12 PM on May 19, 2008
At first I thought you meant it was from the new Indiana Jones movie, in which case I would have tried to track down the appropriate set dresser for you (my former roommate is a set dresser/prop mistress who's worked on a ton of movies, so likely would have known at least someone from the art department). But since it's from the first movie, if it was just a prop, I don't know that there's likely to be any record left of what it was.
posted by scody at 12:12 PM on May 19, 2008
missmagenta, whether it has sleeves or not is an irrelevance, the silhoutte is 20th century, I would bet my house on it.
posted by fire&wings at 5:36 PM on May 19, 2008
posted by fire&wings at 5:36 PM on May 19, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by fire&wings at 2:27 AM on May 19, 2008