Mysteries to be solved!
Many paintings of the 20th century were not signed or monogrammed making them difficult to attribute correctly to the relevant artist. Others were signed or marked indistinctly. It can be great fun trying to match the picture with the painter – using the many Internet search facilities, books and other resources. You will learn a great deal about art of this period as you play detective and if you come up trumps – you will have helped put a painting and its artist back on the map. You will also learn a new skill and win a painting of your choice, from The Affordable Fine Art Company, up to the value of £500. Good luck!
Mystery 1
This intriguing interior was painted using gouache on paper. The loose style and palette choice is reminiscent of Duncan Grant or Vanessa Bell of the famous Bloomsbury set but the similarities seem to stop there. It is a small, quickly executed sketch of what appears to be, either, an artists make-shift studio or a small and cramped kitchen area of a larger room not designed for this purpose. There is a small sink to left and a covered work table and refrigerator to the right of the painting. The lighting is subdued and of a particular quality making me wonder if this was painted during the black-out of the second world war. This, combined with the cramped and unadorned domestic interior and slightly off balance vertical lines, creates a disturbing atmosphere indicating the artist was depressed or even despairing when he painted this small sketch. He or she could have been feeling pessimistic and constrained by their environment – either on a domestic level or more globally.
I would love to be able to connect an artist with this paining and the story it seems to convey. If you can unravel the mystery – you could be at the start of a very interesting and worthwhile hobby!
Patricia Kerr (Founder: The Affordable Fine Art Company)
Mystery 2
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This is an early 20th Century watercolour of a Continental square – where, though, I cant place. The signature in the bottom left hand corner looks like ‘L Grumenk’ which sounds Germanic but I cant be sure that is what its says. The painting is in a most attractive solid wood frame – which also looks Continental so may well be the original chosen for this work. The date (by the signature) is ’09 – (so presumably 1909). The scene is of stately old buildings dwarfing one or two ladies out for a stroll on, what appears to be, a winters day. The atmosphere it evokes is one of cheerful day to day city life – despite the chilly weather!