William Michael Harnett
1851-1892
Harnett was born in Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland during the time of the potato famine. Shortly after his birth his family emigrated to America, settling in Philadelphia. Becoming a United States citizen in 1868, he made a living as a young man by engraving designs on table silver, while also taking night classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and later, in New York, at Cooper Union and at the National Academy of Design. His first known oil painting, a still life, dates from 1874.
The style of trompe l'oeil painting that Harnett developed was distinctive and inspired many imitators, but it was not without precedent. A number of 17th century Dutch painters, Pieter Claesz. for instance, had specialized in tabletop still life of astonishing verisimilitude. Raphaelle Peale, working in Philadelphia in the early 19th century, pioneered the form in America. What sets Harnett's work apart, besides his enormous skill, is his interest in depicting objects not usually made the subject of a painting.
Harnett painted musical instruments, hanging game, and tankards, but also painted the unconventional Golden Horseshoe (1886), a single rusted horseshoe shown nailed to a board. He painted a casual jumble of second-hand books set on top of a crate, Job Lot, Cheap (1878), as well as firearms and even paper currency. His works sold well, but they were more likely to be found hanging in a tavern or a business office than in a museum, as they did not conform to contemporary notions of high art.
Harnett spent the years 1880?C1886 in Europe, staying in Munich from 1881 until early 1885. Harnett's best-known paintings, the four versions of After The Hunt, were painted between 1883 and 1885. Each is an imposing composition of hunting equipment and dead game, hanging on a door with ornate hinges at the right and keyhole plate at the left. These paintings, like the horseshoe or currency depictions mentioned earlier, are especially effective as trompe l'oeil because the objects occupy a shallow space, meaning that the illusion is not spoiled by parallax shift if the viewer moves.
Overall, Harnett's work is most comparable to that of the slightly younger John F. Peto. The two artists knew each other, and a comparison can be made between two paintings featuring violins. Harnett's Music and Good Luck from 1888 shows the violin hanging upright on a door with ornate hinges and with a slightly torn piece of sheet music behind it. The elements are arranged in a stable, deliberate manner. Peto's 1890 painting shows the violin hanging askew, as well as chipped and worn, with one string broken. The sheet music is dog-eared and torn around the edges, and placed haphazardly behind the instrument. The hinges are less ornate, and one is broken. Harnett's objects show signs of use but are well preserved, while Peto's more humble objects are nearly used up.
Crippling rheumatism plagued Harnett in his last years, reducing the number but not the quality of his paintings. He died in New York City in 1892. Other artists who painted similar compositions in Harnett's wake include his contemporary John Haberle and successors such as Otis Kaye and Jefferson David Chalfant. Related Paintings of William Michael Harnett :. | After the Hunt | A Smoke Backstage | Still Life with Letter to Mr.Clarke | Munich Still Life | Dinge fur eine Mubestunde | Related Artists: TERBORCH, GerardDutch Baroque Era Painter, 1617-1681
Dutch genre and portrait painter. He studied with his father and traveled throughout Europe, showing extraordinary precocity in his early work. In 1648 he attended the congress at Menster and painted portraits of the delegates that he incorporated in his celebrated group, The Peace of Menster (National Gall., London). Soon after, he was invited to Spain, where he worked for Philip IV. On returning to Holland in 1650 he painted a variety of genre scenes, capturing the individuality of each subject and portraying the life and customs of the wealthy burgher class with rare dignity and distinction. The tiny portraits and the interiors that were his specialty are painted with elegance, serenity, and a technique of consummate craftsmanship. Among his most famous pictures are Self-Portrait and The Toilet (The Hague), and The Guitar Lesson (National Gall., London). ASAM, Egid QuirinGerman Baroque Era Sculptor, 1692-1750
Sculptor, stuccoist, painter and architect, son of Hans Georg Asam. After working with his father, he was apprenticed to Anton Faistenberger in Munich to learn sculpture. He presumably accompanied his brother Cosmas Damian Asam to Rome (1711-13), where he studied works by Bernini. In 1724 he became a valet and court stuccoist to the Prince-Bishop of Freising and in 1730 a valet to the Elector of Bavaria. Alajos Gyorgyi Giergl1821-1863
Hungarian
Alajos Gyorgyi Giergl Gallery
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