Saturday, December 28, 2013

Barye by Bonnat: the art of the posthumous portrait

Léon Bonnat ~ Portrait of Barye with a Wax Model of "Seated Lion" - 50 13/16 x 36 5/8 in.

Portrait of Barye with a Wax Model of "Seated Lion"

William Walters commissioned this portrait through his fellow Barye enthusiast George Lucas. Barye's having died a decade earlier, Bonnat worked from a photograph of the sculptor taken by the respected French photographer Nadar that, along with a wax model of the "Seated Lion," was provided by Lucas.

Léon Bonnat ~ Portrait du sculpteur Barye, 32.5" by 44.5"

Nadar (Gaspard Félix Tournachon), photographer (French, 1820 - 1910)
 Antoine-Louis Barye, 1855 - 1859, Salted paper print
 Image (irregular): 20.8 x 15.7 cm (8 3/16 x 6 3/16 in.) 
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Seeing the quality of the Bonnat Barye's, one wonders what percentage of his portraits are after photographs.

Léon Bonnat ~ Portrait du sculpteur Barye (detail)
or: "Sight-sized" from Life, My Ass!

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas!

Christmas: Santa Reading Mail
signed Norman Rockwell, l. l.
oil on canvas, 35 by 27 in.
painted in 1935

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Meissonier inspired by Giorgione?

or: Inspired By(?) #9

Jean Louis Ernest  Meissonier ~ Un Homme de Geurre - 1857 oil on panel  15 3/4 x 11 1/4in.

Giorgione ~ Madonna and Child with Saints Liberale and Francis (The Castelfranco Madonna) 1505