Saturday, March 14, 2015

Saturday Salon: An Honest Day's Work

'Pot of Tea and Ice Cream ' - American illustrator  Edmund Marion Ashe (1867 - 1941)


'The Postman' 1931 - British painter Alan Sorrell (1904 - 1974)


Part of Riker's Island Mural 1937 - American painter Harold Lehman ( 1913 - 2006)


'Fireman with Hat', 1992 - Contemporary American painter Steven Assael


'The Manicurist' - French painter and caricaturist, Albert Guillaume (1873 - 1942)


'The Dentist' 1934 - Irish painter Sir John Lavery (1856 - 1941)


'The Piano Tuner' - American painter/illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894 - 1978)


'Valencia Fisherwomen' - Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (1863 - 1923)


'The Maid' - Australian painter George W. Lambert (1873 - 1930)


 
'The Concerto' 1935 - British painter and print maker Cyril Power (1872 - 1951)


'Late Night DJ' - American painter Ernie Barnes (1938 - 2009)


'St. Just Tin Miners' 1935 - British painter Harold Harvey (1874 - 1941)




'Autumn' - American painter Thomas Hart Benton (1889 - 1975)


French painter Edouard Joseph Dantan (1848 - 1897)


'Covent Garden' - Scottish painter William Bruce Ellis Rankin (1881 - 1941)


'Builders' - Contemporary American painter Steven Huston


'Official Rat Catcher to the city of Birmingham' 1927 - British painter Arthur Charles Shorthouse (1870 - 1953)




Study for 'Last Load of the Day' - American contemporary painter Steve Huston


Daily toil. A prime subject for artists - the perceived nobility of workers in their chosen (or in many cases, not so chosen) professions, trades, occupations, craft, jobs.

 These are some of my favorites by painters and illustrators you may or may not be familiar with.

"Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor, in short, for a sort of life instead of a Monday through Friday sort of dying." - Studs Terkel

20 comments:

  1. Hello, Yvette! I think it'd be unfair to compare the work of one painter with that of another, though I have been guilty of doing so, when every one of them is good, bringing his or her own distinct artistic style to the canvas.

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    1. Oh, I agree with you, Prashant. You cannot compare the individual work of one artist to another. You can only, I think, pick favorite styles and individual works, Though it's hard for me to pick an individual style I love above all others.

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  2. What a great collection of paintings. I like The Postman best, The Dentist and The Ratcatcher not so much! But they're all wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Jean, I knew that including The Dentist was chancy, but I just can't help loving the style of Lavery's work and also the benign and calm expression on the dentist's face. Same for The Ratcather - his face is so sweetly calm and perhaps, one hopes, filled with the satisfaction of a job well done. Plus there's the little terrier at his side. A capable fellow.

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  3. Dear Yvette,

    I always enjoy that you treat us to favorite artists, but also introduce us to a few we may not have known. Your inclusion of Thomas Hart Benton reminds me that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has recently installed a mural of his that he did for the boardroom of The New School for Social Research in the 1930's. You can find it quickly by going to Google Images and typing in "america today mural."

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    1. I hope that I do introduce a few relative unknowns into the mix, Mark.:) It's part of the fun of putting these posts together. I'll certainly look up the Benton mural. Hopefully that mural is a permanent addition to the museum. I love Benton's work - especially some of his wartime paintings.

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  4. What a visual treat these paintings are Yvette, some of the artists are new to me, others more like old friends. Harold Harvey and his wife were great friends of Dame Laura Knight and her husband, who was also called Harold. They all lived in Cornwall and were part of the St. Ives group. St. Just was a tin mine in Cornwall.

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  5. I loved The Postman. The movement in the wheel spokes is spectacular to see.

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  6. What a wonderful collection of paintings. I like so many of them, and am glad to see the breadth of the subjects and styles.

    But, I came to a screeching halt when I saw The Dentist and a ferret, none of them subjects I would want to look at for relaxation and enjoyment.

    I appreciate being shown so many new to me artists, and I like many of their works.

    I sit below a painting of the Lawrence 1912 Bread and Roses Strike, with a message written to my father by the artist, Ralph Fasanella, whom he knew.

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    1. I know about the Bread and Roses painting, I think you mentioned it a while back when I featured some work by Ralph Fasanella. I had to control myself to keep the post to twenty paintings. Of course I could have gone on and on. Maybe I'll do a second 'work' salon at some point.

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  7. Some wonderful choices there Yvette - I love the fisherwomen especially and there are many artists here completely new to me (for shame). Thanks chum.

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    1. You're welcome, Sergio. I'm a big fan of Sorolla's work. I'm glad you discovered some new artists.

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  8. Fabulous collection of paintings! Love the DJ having a little private party in the studio while she spins records. I'm guessing she's playing big bad or jazz. And those are some idealized virile construction workers in Huston's painting. The guys building the parking garage across the street where I wait for the bus have all got beer bellies and haggard features.

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    1. Thanks, John. I love idealized guys in paintings! :) While you wait for the bus, think of the painting. :)

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  9. And I love Studs Terkel. He was always a good guy, a fighter for the right things/ So many anecdotes about him. And the quote is excellent.

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    1. I love that quote, Kathy. I have it on my Pinterest 'Working Stiffs' board.

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  10. I always love your posts with art work! The one of the miners and the Covenant Garden by the Scottish painter are my favorites. Each of those daisies are meticulous!

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  11. Thanks, Peggy Ann. Glad you enjoyed it. I love those two paintings as well. The flower one is, I think, a very elegant painting. And the expressions on the two miners speak volumes.

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