1951
1951 The Best Cover of the Saturday Evening Post
2013 SOLD 46 M$ including premium
The Second World War is over but it will not be the last war. American people wish to be comforted. Their favorite artist is not an intellectual of the big city but Norman Rockwell who since 1916 draws with humor the varied themes of everyday life for the covers of the Saturday Evening Post.
Rockwell's images are the result of a lengthy preparation in consultation with the editor. He imagines the action, finds photos that he cut and assembles, and performs sketches before the final oil on canvas.
On November 24, 1951, Thanksgiving Day, when the magazine publishes Saying Grace, its publishers are aware that it is the masterpiece of the artist. The accompanying text clearly indicates that this grandmother who prays with her five year old grandson expresses the best that life can bring to the Americans.
Rockwell has placed the group in a restaurant with tight tables, from a low point of view inviting the observer to feel that he is sitting at the next table. Two young men complete this family, watching with sympathy the two main characters.
Four years later, the Saturday Evening Post asked its readers to identify what was the best cover by Rockwell. They praised Saying Grace.
In 1953, the oil on canvas 109 x 104 cm was given by Rockwell to the art editor of the magazine, Kenneth Stuart. The artwork remained in the Stuart family. It is estimated $ 15M, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 4. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This image was considered sixty years ago as the masterpiece of Rockwell. It is still the case. The original oil painting was sold for $ 46M including premium.
The low resolution image below is shared by Wikimedia for fair use :
Rockwell's images are the result of a lengthy preparation in consultation with the editor. He imagines the action, finds photos that he cut and assembles, and performs sketches before the final oil on canvas.
On November 24, 1951, Thanksgiving Day, when the magazine publishes Saying Grace, its publishers are aware that it is the masterpiece of the artist. The accompanying text clearly indicates that this grandmother who prays with her five year old grandson expresses the best that life can bring to the Americans.
Rockwell has placed the group in a restaurant with tight tables, from a low point of view inviting the observer to feel that he is sitting at the next table. Two young men complete this family, watching with sympathy the two main characters.
Four years later, the Saturday Evening Post asked its readers to identify what was the best cover by Rockwell. They praised Saying Grace.
In 1953, the oil on canvas 109 x 104 cm was given by Rockwell to the art editor of the magazine, Kenneth Stuart. The artwork remained in the Stuart family. It is estimated $ 15M, for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 4. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This image was considered sixty years ago as the masterpiece of Rockwell. It is still the case. The original oil painting was sold for $ 46M including premium.
The low resolution image below is shared by Wikimedia for fair use :
1951 The Dramatic Painting of Mark Rothko
2014 SOLD for $ 45M including premium
Mark Rothko considers the artistic creation as if it were a mythological tragedy, with a dramatic vision that joins the still lifes by Cézanne. In 1949, he suddenly finds his way by observing color studies by Matisse. He brings a symmetry of shapes that exacerbates the struggle for influence between the colors.
On November 11 in New York, Sotheby's sells Number 21, 1951, a painting in red, brown, black and orange, lot 17.
This oil on canvas 242 x 163 cm is one of the last from the time when Rothko was still working at home. The orange and red areas are lavishly shaded at the top and bottom of the image. The darker center that grows up to the top at the edges is enclosing the spread of the glow.
In the following year, Rothko finally settles in a real artist's studio. He can then indulge more freely in his quest of the sublime. He becomes more demanding, especially on the lighting conditions in the exhibitions that should participate in subduing the viewer. His trend is now toward larger canvas with a further minimalism of the colored rectangles.
On November 11 in New York, Sotheby's sells Number 21, 1951, a painting in red, brown, black and orange, lot 17.
This oil on canvas 242 x 163 cm is one of the last from the time when Rothko was still working at home. The orange and red areas are lavishly shaded at the top and bottom of the image. The darker center that grows up to the top at the edges is enclosing the spread of the glow.
In the following year, Rothko finally settles in a real artist's studio. He can then indulge more freely in his quest of the sublime. He becomes more demanding, especially on the lighting conditions in the exhibitions that should participate in subduing the viewer. His trend is now toward larger canvas with a further minimalism of the colored rectangles.
1951 Brawl of Colors on Pollock's Canvas
2012 SOLD 40 M$ including premium
Entitled Number 4, 1951, the painting for sale on November 13 by Sotheby's in New York is a great demonstration of the most brilliant works by Jackson Pollock, with a variety of exciting colors that is not frequently the most visible feature for this artist .
Three techniques are brought together to create harmony within this small canvas, 77 x 64 cm, impregnated with aluminum paint.
Created by dripping, fine lines of different colors are seeking to exchange a message defaced by their complexity, in the tradition of the automatic writing of Dada. Five very shiny and pure colors, red, blue, yellow, green and ochre, compete to dominate that field without worrying about the lines. Black enamel spots are trying to maintain some balance in this fight.
Pollock has developed an entirely new technique of creation by which the progressing work guides the artist in a lengthy process which is achieved when the artist can not imagine a further improvement of harmony.
Directly by the disclosure of his act, indirectly by the obtained result, the work of Pollock had a considerable influence on the art of the second half of the twentieth century. The further step in the Abstraktes Bild by Richter will be to no longer need that first drawing which Pollock and Klein were hiding or blurring.
As we know, the frenzy of Pollock ruined his health. The first owner of Number 4, 1951, was the psychoanalyst who was trying to help him against alcoholism.
This painting is estimated $ 25M. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This Pollock painting was sold $ 40M including premium. While it is not the top price of this sale which rewarded Rothko at $ 75M, and considering its small size, it is one of the most important works of abstract expressionism ever presented at auction.
Three techniques are brought together to create harmony within this small canvas, 77 x 64 cm, impregnated with aluminum paint.
Created by dripping, fine lines of different colors are seeking to exchange a message defaced by their complexity, in the tradition of the automatic writing of Dada. Five very shiny and pure colors, red, blue, yellow, green and ochre, compete to dominate that field without worrying about the lines. Black enamel spots are trying to maintain some balance in this fight.
Pollock has developed an entirely new technique of creation by which the progressing work guides the artist in a lengthy process which is achieved when the artist can not imagine a further improvement of harmony.
Directly by the disclosure of his act, indirectly by the obtained result, the work of Pollock had a considerable influence on the art of the second half of the twentieth century. The further step in the Abstraktes Bild by Richter will be to no longer need that first drawing which Pollock and Klein were hiding or blurring.
As we know, the frenzy of Pollock ruined his health. The first owner of Number 4, 1951, was the psychoanalyst who was trying to help him against alcoholism.
This painting is estimated $ 25M. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
This Pollock painting was sold $ 40M including premium. While it is not the top price of this sale which rewarded Rothko at $ 75M, and considering its small size, it is one of the most important works of abstract expressionism ever presented at auction.
1951 The Good Farmer of Xu Beihong
2011 SOLD 266 M RMB yuan including premium
Market researches made by Artprice for 2010 showed that four Chinese artists of the twentieth century are among the top ten in terms of turnover at auction, including Beijing sales. They are Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong and Fu Baoshi.
Xu had studied in Paris and the French market offers sometimes his drawings of horses or other animals with expressive positions. Like Zhang, he would place his realistic art under the double influence of Chinese tradition and worldwide modernism.
The highlight of the autumn sales made in Beijing by Poly is an ink and colors on paper made by Xu in 1951, appearing in the evening session of December 5.
This work of exceptional size, 150 x 250 cm, is on the theme of the farmer and his plow pulled by a buffalo. The scene also includes two other field workers, a large tree and a text inspired by a poem of the Northern Song Dynasty.
This painting executed during the Korean War is political: it wants to show the farm work as a symbol of peace while reminding that it is necessary to feed the army. It had been offered to Guo Moruo (Kuo Mo-jo), then chairman of the Chinese section of the Peace Council.
It may be significant to draw a parallel between this work and the Eagle of Qi Baishi, sold 425 million RMB yuan including premium on May 22 by China Guardian in Beijing, which was a political tribute to Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek).
POST SALE COMMENT
This work had all the qualities for a very high price. It is done and that's a great result: RMB 266 million yuan including premium.
This artwork is illustrated on the post shared after sale by Art Market Monitor.
Xu had studied in Paris and the French market offers sometimes his drawings of horses or other animals with expressive positions. Like Zhang, he would place his realistic art under the double influence of Chinese tradition and worldwide modernism.
The highlight of the autumn sales made in Beijing by Poly is an ink and colors on paper made by Xu in 1951, appearing in the evening session of December 5.
This work of exceptional size, 150 x 250 cm, is on the theme of the farmer and his plow pulled by a buffalo. The scene also includes two other field workers, a large tree and a text inspired by a poem of the Northern Song Dynasty.
This painting executed during the Korean War is political: it wants to show the farm work as a symbol of peace while reminding that it is necessary to feed the army. It had been offered to Guo Moruo (Kuo Mo-jo), then chairman of the Chinese section of the Peace Council.
It may be significant to draw a parallel between this work and the Eagle of Qi Baishi, sold 425 million RMB yuan including premium on May 22 by China Guardian in Beijing, which was a political tribute to Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek).
POST SALE COMMENT
This work had all the qualities for a very high price. It is done and that's a great result: RMB 266 million yuan including premium.
This artwork is illustrated on the post shared after sale by Art Market Monitor.
1951 The Space of the Reclining Woman
2016 SOLD for £ 24.7M including premium
The horrifying shock of the Second World War marks a point of no return in history. Society and art must be rebuilt with new solutions freed from the references to the past.
In 1949 the United Kingdom wants to demonstrate its ability to restart through a Festival of Britain to be held in London in 1951. A monumental sculpture is commissioned to Henry Moore whose art appears in due course as daring and in rupture. The artist takes very seriously that invitation to create a masterpiece and all the development of this project is filmed by a cameraman.
By simplifying the shapes, Brancusi had left assimilating his sculpture to Cubism. The painters had tried to blend human figure, landscape and still life into a kind of abstraction that did not dare to admit this qualification. They had color. Moore as a sculptor uses the hollow.
Moore recognized as one of his major achievements the Reclining figure of the 1951 festival. The female form is recognizable. She is reclining on her back and begins some lifting on her forearms. Her legs have a realistic position but the belly is reduced to a frame. She is no more a woman but a harmony between material and space.
From the original plasterwork, this park monument 2.30 m long with an aesthetic highly innovative for its time was edited in bronze in five copies plus one artist's proof. One of these bronzes was sold for £ 19M including premium by Christie's in London on 7 February 2012. Another copy with a similar dark brown patina is awaited in the same auction room on June 30. It is estimated £ 15M, lot 8.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
In 1949 the United Kingdom wants to demonstrate its ability to restart through a Festival of Britain to be held in London in 1951. A monumental sculpture is commissioned to Henry Moore whose art appears in due course as daring and in rupture. The artist takes very seriously that invitation to create a masterpiece and all the development of this project is filmed by a cameraman.
By simplifying the shapes, Brancusi had left assimilating his sculpture to Cubism. The painters had tried to blend human figure, landscape and still life into a kind of abstraction that did not dare to admit this qualification. They had color. Moore as a sculptor uses the hollow.
Moore recognized as one of his major achievements the Reclining figure of the 1951 festival. The female form is recognizable. She is reclining on her back and begins some lifting on her forearms. Her legs have a realistic position but the belly is reduced to a frame. She is no more a woman but a harmony between material and space.
From the original plasterwork, this park monument 2.30 m long with an aesthetic highly innovative for its time was edited in bronze in five copies plus one artist's proof. One of these bronzes was sold for £ 19M including premium by Christie's in London on 7 February 2012. Another copy with a similar dark brown patina is awaited in the same auction room on June 30. It is estimated £ 15M, lot 8.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
1951 Waiting for Moore
2012 SOLD 19 M£ including premium
Henry Moore is in high demand in 1951. His sculptures of stylized human figures are both monumental enough and sufficiently neutral to fit into the urban spaces of postwar reconstruction.
Reclining Figure / Festival was commissioned for the Festival of Britain. Six bronzes were edited including an artist's proof. One of them is estimated £ 3.5 million, for sale by Christie's in London on February 7. It is large: 2.45 m long. Here is the link to the catalog.
These reclining figures are the favorite theme of the artist. The character is waiting, like Beckett at the same time was waiting for Godot. The expert from Christie's considers that two interpretations are possible: anxiety or strength. Let me express an opinion.
The straight head and the body firmly positioned on the forearms are rather suggesting hope, or a wish to get up, and are well suited for the optimism required for a national festival. This figure is in the reverted position to that of the dying warrior which will soon after be introduced into Moore's themes.
However the question is valid and also applies to the masterpieces made by Alberto Giacometti at the same time. Both artists had been attracted by the hermetic language of surrealism. They will however have a divergent evolution. Giacometti will remain expressive while Moore, dislocating the form into two or three pieces, will become increasingly more abstract.
POST SALE COMMENT
The monumental nature of this work and its key position in the evolution of Moore's art made it reach an exceptional price: £ 19M including premium.
Reclining Figure / Festival was commissioned for the Festival of Britain. Six bronzes were edited including an artist's proof. One of them is estimated £ 3.5 million, for sale by Christie's in London on February 7. It is large: 2.45 m long. Here is the link to the catalog.
These reclining figures are the favorite theme of the artist. The character is waiting, like Beckett at the same time was waiting for Godot. The expert from Christie's considers that two interpretations are possible: anxiety or strength. Let me express an opinion.
The straight head and the body firmly positioned on the forearms are rather suggesting hope, or a wish to get up, and are well suited for the optimism required for a national festival. This figure is in the reverted position to that of the dying warrior which will soon after be introduced into Moore's themes.
However the question is valid and also applies to the masterpieces made by Alberto Giacometti at the same time. Both artists had been attracted by the hermetic language of surrealism. They will however have a divergent evolution. Giacometti will remain expressive while Moore, dislocating the form into two or three pieces, will become increasingly more abstract.
POST SALE COMMENT
The monumental nature of this work and its key position in the evolution of Moore's art made it reach an exceptional price: £ 19M including premium.
1951 The Wrestling of Pollock with his Art
2012 SOLD 23 M$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Jackson Pollock was totally immersed in his art. The canvas stretched on the ground becomes his universe. Heendlessly covers it with the streams of his paints, matted and spread by mechanical gestures that ultimately escape his own conscience.
Like all great artists, he wants to express his view of the world. His work is figurative, but the layers go to make it unreadable. Curiously, Klein will have a similar approach with his blue monochromes a few years later. Only the authorcan preserve the memory of this vanishing figuration.
In 1948, Pollock stops giving titles to his works, now designated by numbers. One of his largest boards, Number 5,1948, 2.4 x 1.2 m, reached $ 140M in a private sale in 2006. It was then the highest price ever paid for a work of art.
After various experiments, the artist returned to his 1948 style at the fall of 1951. His now thicker materials,deposited with syringes, become flesh. Number 28, 1951, painted on a large canvas 77 x 137 cm, in black and graywith white, red and yellow lines, is a masterpiece of this period.
Number 28 is estimated $ 20M, for sale on May 8 by Christie's in New York. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The evening was so successful, with a total of $ 388M including premium, that we may be almost disappointed that the Pollock remained around its lower estimate. It was sold $ 23M including premium.
Jackson Pollock was totally immersed in his art. The canvas stretched on the ground becomes his universe. Heendlessly covers it with the streams of his paints, matted and spread by mechanical gestures that ultimately escape his own conscience.
Like all great artists, he wants to express his view of the world. His work is figurative, but the layers go to make it unreadable. Curiously, Klein will have a similar approach with his blue monochromes a few years later. Only the authorcan preserve the memory of this vanishing figuration.
In 1948, Pollock stops giving titles to his works, now designated by numbers. One of his largest boards, Number 5,1948, 2.4 x 1.2 m, reached $ 140M in a private sale in 2006. It was then the highest price ever paid for a work of art.
After various experiments, the artist returned to his 1948 style at the fall of 1951. His now thicker materials,deposited with syringes, become flesh. Number 28, 1951, painted on a large canvas 77 x 137 cm, in black and graywith white, red and yellow lines, is a masterpiece of this period.
Number 28 is estimated $ 20M, for sale on May 8 by Christie's in New York. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
The evening was so successful, with a total of $ 388M including premium, that we may be almost disappointed that the Pollock remained around its lower estimate. It was sold $ 23M including premium.
1951 L'Homme qui Chavire, by Giacometti
2009 SOLD 19.3 M$ including premium
Everything seems to differentiate Rubens's Drunken Silenus and l'Homme qui chavire (the falling man) of Giacometti. One is fat, the other is skinny. One is painted, the other is sculpted. One is held, the other is alone. But both refer to an eternal theme of art: the fall of man.
The Giacometti bronze was cast in six copies in 1951 by the Fonderie Rudier. It is therefore a contemporary of the great psychological and metaphysical groups like La Place (1949) or La Forêt (1950).
In a euphoric period of the art market, the serial number 2/6 was particularly noticed at Christie's on May 9, 2007. Presented on a low estimate of $ 6.5 million, this bronze reached $ 18.5 million including charges. The market thus acclaimed a masterpiece of the master, despite its small size (59 cm).
Everything in the figure indicates that the man is ready to fall: it is perched on tiptoe, head back, arms beating the air. But he will not fall, because the composition of the work is perfectly balanced with the remarkable position of the arms in an arc. This is one of the most dynamic works by Giacometti.
Now the number 5/6 is auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on November 4. The catalog tells that it is the only copy which has been painted. It is estimated $ 8 million.
The difference between the result of Christie's and Sotheby's estimate may have two reasons: a doubt (which would not seem justified) that this model is one of the masterpieces of the master, or a lack of confidence in the market (which does not seem justified either, since buyers are hungry for important works that have become so rare on today's market).
The image of this lot is shared by Luxist.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result is extremely interesting: sold $ 19.3 million including premium, this copy is slightly above the reference price of 2007 indicated in my article.
The seller said recently that he has taken a risk. He certainly accepted a reserve price very low, around the estimate.
He was three times right to sell now: the market lacks masterpieces because of the waiting attitude of other sellers. His bronze was a masterpiece, now confirmed as such without ambiguity. And he took the opportunity to display his artistic taste and his acceptance of risk.
Undoubtedly, only the success of well-publicized sales of works as important as this one can revive the market through very high level auctions.
The Giacometti bronze was cast in six copies in 1951 by the Fonderie Rudier. It is therefore a contemporary of the great psychological and metaphysical groups like La Place (1949) or La Forêt (1950).
In a euphoric period of the art market, the serial number 2/6 was particularly noticed at Christie's on May 9, 2007. Presented on a low estimate of $ 6.5 million, this bronze reached $ 18.5 million including charges. The market thus acclaimed a masterpiece of the master, despite its small size (59 cm).
Everything in the figure indicates that the man is ready to fall: it is perched on tiptoe, head back, arms beating the air. But he will not fall, because the composition of the work is perfectly balanced with the remarkable position of the arms in an arc. This is one of the most dynamic works by Giacometti.
Now the number 5/6 is auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on November 4. The catalog tells that it is the only copy which has been painted. It is estimated $ 8 million.
The difference between the result of Christie's and Sotheby's estimate may have two reasons: a doubt (which would not seem justified) that this model is one of the masterpieces of the master, or a lack of confidence in the market (which does not seem justified either, since buyers are hungry for important works that have become so rare on today's market).
The image of this lot is shared by Luxist.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result is extremely interesting: sold $ 19.3 million including premium, this copy is slightly above the reference price of 2007 indicated in my article.
The seller said recently that he has taken a risk. He certainly accepted a reserve price very low, around the estimate.
He was three times right to sell now: the market lacks masterpieces because of the waiting attitude of other sellers. His bronze was a masterpiece, now confirmed as such without ambiguity. And he took the opportunity to display his artistic taste and his acceptance of risk.
Undoubtedly, only the success of well-publicized sales of works as important as this one can revive the market through very high level auctions.
1951 Weightlessness
2020 SOLD for $ 18.2M including premium
Alexander Calder had a lot of humor, but the story of his visit to Mondrian in 1930 is probably true. He would like the little artworks to fly away from the wall and occupy the space. He defines a new form of abstract art, composed of plaques of metal or glass that will move in the wind.
His experience accumulates over the years. In order for his hanging mobiles to be spectacular, he increases the number of plaques and enlarges the span, proportionally reducing the visibility on the single wire which links the piece to the ceiling. He sometimes gives the opus a title inspired by nature and adds poetry through the choice of colors.
He pushes his mobiles to the limit of the impossible. He is an engineer, but his method certainly involves a great deal of empiricism. Nothing should unbalance his structures. When a heavy plaque is dragged down, he simply makes holes to adjust its weight. Black Lace, 160 x 280 cm, made circa 1947, is an example of this process. This mobile was sold for £ 5.2M including premium by Sotheby's on March 8, 2017.
A 107 x 213 cm mobile made in 1951 is a feat of aligning the elements around a horizontal plane. It was sold for $ 4.9M including premium by Sotheby's on May 13, 2013.
Made in the same year, Mariposa, 317 x 310 cm, is an opposite feat from the previous example, with a sensational height. The anchor point separates a large plaque from a tree of eighteen small plaques, three of which have been pierced.
The gradual decrease in the elements and their vivid colors may give the idea of a flight of red, white, black and yellow butterflies. This work was purchased directly from Calder by the CEO of the department store Neiman Marcus, whose signature image is the butterfly. Often displayed in the stores, it had remained in the family. It is estimated $ 6M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 8, lot 4.
His experience accumulates over the years. In order for his hanging mobiles to be spectacular, he increases the number of plaques and enlarges the span, proportionally reducing the visibility on the single wire which links the piece to the ceiling. He sometimes gives the opus a title inspired by nature and adds poetry through the choice of colors.
He pushes his mobiles to the limit of the impossible. He is an engineer, but his method certainly involves a great deal of empiricism. Nothing should unbalance his structures. When a heavy plaque is dragged down, he simply makes holes to adjust its weight. Black Lace, 160 x 280 cm, made circa 1947, is an example of this process. This mobile was sold for £ 5.2M including premium by Sotheby's on March 8, 2017.
A 107 x 213 cm mobile made in 1951 is a feat of aligning the elements around a horizontal plane. It was sold for $ 4.9M including premium by Sotheby's on May 13, 2013.
Made in the same year, Mariposa, 317 x 310 cm, is an opposite feat from the previous example, with a sensational height. The anchor point separates a large plaque from a tree of eighteen small plaques, three of which have been pierced.
The gradual decrease in the elements and their vivid colors may give the idea of a flight of red, white, black and yellow butterflies. This work was purchased directly from Calder by the CEO of the department store Neiman Marcus, whose signature image is the butterfly. Often displayed in the stores, it had remained in the family. It is estimated $ 6M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 8, lot 4.
1951 A Humor of Plumbers
2017 SOLD for $ 15M including premium
From 1916 to 1963, 322 oil paintings prepared by Norman Rockwell illustrated cover pages of The Saturday Evening Post. This popular weekly magazine offered to the American middle class short and serial novels and true stories.
Rockwell observes the occupations in the small town, the empathy between the characters, the sometimes excessive or gently caricatural emotions aroused by the multitude of situations in everyday life. He lives since 1939 in Arlington, Vermont, where his neighbors like to serve as his role models. His war illustrations are patriotic but he does not venture into politics, contrasting with the often more committed opinions of the newspaper.
A scene by Rockwell must narrate the whole theme in one picture and the simplicity of the story masks the complexity of the composition. The long process of creation begins by assembling selected photographs. After the sketches, he often makes several preparatory paintings and it is sometimes difficult to identify now which had been the final art for the edition.
His fun is poor and fortunately scarce. The dog sitting in the middle of a narrow street in which he blocks the traffic is distressing. Painted in 1949, Road block was sold for $ 4.7M including premium by Sotheby's on May 18, 2016.
On May 23 in New York, Sotheby's sells Two Plumbers, oil on canvas 100 x 94 cm, lot 42 estimated $ 5M. This picture made the cover of The Saturday Evening Post on June 2, 1951.
In a bourgeois apartment, two plumbers have finished their work. The chief, recognizable by the fact that he has a notebook in his pocket, found a bottle of perfume from which he sprays onto his fellow who holds the tools. A Pekingese dog huddled behind a wastebasket shows his disapproval.
The chief thinks himself clever and his workman smiles stupidly. The dirt on the hands and overclothes of a plumber after the completion of his task is inevitable and is not laughable. This derision of a workman to amuse the post-war petty bourgeoisie would scarcely be acceptable today.
Rockwell observes the occupations in the small town, the empathy between the characters, the sometimes excessive or gently caricatural emotions aroused by the multitude of situations in everyday life. He lives since 1939 in Arlington, Vermont, where his neighbors like to serve as his role models. His war illustrations are patriotic but he does not venture into politics, contrasting with the often more committed opinions of the newspaper.
A scene by Rockwell must narrate the whole theme in one picture and the simplicity of the story masks the complexity of the composition. The long process of creation begins by assembling selected photographs. After the sketches, he often makes several preparatory paintings and it is sometimes difficult to identify now which had been the final art for the edition.
His fun is poor and fortunately scarce. The dog sitting in the middle of a narrow street in which he blocks the traffic is distressing. Painted in 1949, Road block was sold for $ 4.7M including premium by Sotheby's on May 18, 2016.
On May 23 in New York, Sotheby's sells Two Plumbers, oil on canvas 100 x 94 cm, lot 42 estimated $ 5M. This picture made the cover of The Saturday Evening Post on June 2, 1951.
In a bourgeois apartment, two plumbers have finished their work. The chief, recognizable by the fact that he has a notebook in his pocket, found a bottle of perfume from which he sprays onto his fellow who holds the tools. A Pekingese dog huddled behind a wastebasket shows his disapproval.
The chief thinks himself clever and his workman smiles stupidly. The dirt on the hands and overclothes of a plumber after the completion of his task is inevitable and is not laughable. This derision of a workman to amuse the post-war petty bourgeoisie would scarcely be acceptable today.
