William Harnett

William Harnett

William Michael Harnett (August 10, 1848 – October 29, 1892) was an Irish-American painter who practiced a trompe l'oeil (literally, "fool the eye") style of realistic painting. His still lifes of ordinary objects, arranged on a ledge or hanging from a nail, are painted in such a way that the painting can be mistaken for the objects themselves.

Biography

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,Frankenstein 1970, p. 56.] 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 1880–1886 in Europe, staying in Munich from 1881 until early 1885. [Frankenstein 1970, p. 72.] 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. [Frankenstein 1970, p. 92.] 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.

Collections

Harnett's work is in collections in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo, New York), the Amon Carter Museum (Texas), the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh), the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Harvard University Art Museums, the High Museum of Art (Atlanta, Georgia), the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the Joslyn Art Museum (Nebraska), the Los Angeles County Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.), the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the San Diego Museum of Art (California), Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Madrid), the Toledo Museum of Art (Ohio), and the Wadsworth Atheneum (Connecticut), among others.

Notes

References

*Frankenstein, Alfred. "The Reality of Appearance: The Trompe l'Oeil Tradition in American Painting". Greenwich, Connecticut: New York Graphic Society Ltd, 1970. ISBN 0-8212-0357-6

Further reading

*Frankenstein, Alfred. "After the Hunt: William Harnett and other American Still Life Painters 1870-1900". Berkeley: University of California Press, 1953.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • William Harnett — The Faithful Colt (1890), óleo de Harnett. Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut. William Michael Harnett (Clonakilty, Condado de Cork, Irlanda, 10 de agosto de 1848 Nueva York, 27 de octubre de 1892) fue un pintor estadounidense …   Wikipedia Español

  • Harnett — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Cornelius Harnett (1723–1781), amerikanischer Kaufmann, Farmer, Friedensrichter und Politiker Curt Harnett (* 1965), kanadischer Radsportler Cynthia Harnett (1893–1981), britische Schriftstellerin Sue… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Harnett, Harnett County, North Carolina — Harnett is an unincorporated community located along U.S. Highway 401 in the southern part of Lillington Township in Harnett County, North Carolina between Lillington and Bunnlevel Harvard citation|Powell|1968|p=214. Maps of Harnett and… …   Wikipedia

  • Harnett —   [ hɑːnɪt], William Michael, amerikanischer Maler, * Clonakilty (County Cork, Irland) 10. 8. 1848, ✝ New York 29. 10. 1892; ausgebildet als Silbergraveur, arbeitete in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), New York und in Europa (1880 86), meist in… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • William Duer (1747–1799) — William Duer William Duer (* 18. März 1747 in Devonshire, England; † 18. April 1799 in New York City) war ein US amerikanischer Rechtsanwalt, Bodenspekulant und Politiker. Er war der Vater von Richter William Alexander Duer und Großvater des US… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Henry Drayton — (* September 1742 auf Drayton Hall am Ufer des Ashley River, South Carolina; † 3. September 1779 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) war ein amerikanischer Rechtsanwalt, Richter und Politiker. Werdegang …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Ellery — (* 22. Dezember 1727 in Newport, Rhode Island, Kolonie des Königreichs Großbritannien, heute USA; † 5. Februar 1820 in Newport, Rhode Island, USA) war als Repräsentant für Rhode Island Unterzeichner der Unabhängigkeitserklärung der USA und ist… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Clingan — (* um 1721 bei Wagontown, Chester County, Pennsylvania; † 9. Mai 1790) war ein US amerikanischer Richter und Politiker. Clingan war von 1757 bis 1786 Friedensrichter im Chester County. Ferner war er von 1777 bis 1779 ein Delegierter im… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Howell Pegram — (August 18, 1846 April 30, 1928) was a U.S. chemist and educator.Born Chalk Level, Harnett County, North Carolina, Pegram fought in the American Civil War on the side of the Confederacy. His combat experience and subsequent internment on the… …   Wikipedia

  • Harnett, William — ▪ American painter born Aug. 10, 1848, Clonakilty, County Cork, Ire. died Oct. 29, 1892, New York City       U.S. still life painter who was one of the masters of trompe l oeil painting in the 19th century.       As a child Harnett was brought to …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/389435 Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”