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Eaters of the peas
Georges de La Tour • Painting, 1620-th
, 74×87 cm
Description of the artwork «Eaters of the peas»
In 1975, the year in one of the provincial Swiss museums were found for two related within the meaning of the picture. One of them depicted a colorful old woman in a grey dress and a white headscarf. On the other – an elderly man in red clothes and with a wooden stick. Both ate peas out of a clay bowl. The author of both pictures was not known.
Immediately assume that, most likely, they are two parts of the same cloth. First, the similarity of motive: not so often the characters in the paintings absorb the peas, and even hands. Secondly, in both pictures was visible coarse vertical slit on one side. It remained to establish the author. Standard procedure in this situation is to send an appropriate request to European museums: to see if their funds something like that?
The answer came from Nancy, the administrative capital of the district of Lorraine. Their city Museum, indeed, there was a picture with such characters. But most importantly, on the reverse signed "a copy of de Latour". To detect the original and recognize the authorship in the art world both is a major success. Swiss halves joined together, restored and gave the painting the title "Eaters of the peas" after which it was acquired by the Berlin Art gallery.
In all probability we see in the picture of itinerant beggars – it may indicate a staff man and other details of the appearance of the characters: old clothes, dirty fingernails, greasy, long-who knew washing a handkerchief on the neck of the old woman. If this assumption is correct, then most likely, the bowl of peas received characters as alms. The elderly take the peas by the handful, serious and concentrated, as though fulfilling an important case, but not without pleasure – note the faraway look of an old woman or a fat shiny lip gloss on her companion.
There were Parallels between the picture of the "pea Eaters" and single portraits the old manand old woman presented now in the Museum of fine arts, San Francisco. Most likely, this pair work, but even merging them together would not have added to the meaning of the old man and the old woman from San Francisco look separate blanks for the scenes pictures, to some unknown multi-figure genre compositions, while Berlin's "Eaters of the peas" is a finished work, a masterpiece. That's just what is the meaning of the essence of the artistic message of Latour's?
Critics rightly doubt that "Consumers peas" Latour – an ordinary genre scene. As you know, genre scenes are of two basic types: the first can be called satirical or humorous, the second dramatic. In any case, the genre of painting means expressed the author's evaluation, judgment or sympathy. But in the "pea Eaters" there is neither ridiculous nor pathetic. De Latour looks at his characters without judgment and without pity. He seems impartial as bailiff. No wonder artist and sculptor Andre Lot called de Latour "the first French surrealist". His "pea Eaters" is a rather merciless meditation on poverty and old age, devoid of even a hint of cheap sentimentality.
Author: Anna Yesterday
Immediately assume that, most likely, they are two parts of the same cloth. First, the similarity of motive: not so often the characters in the paintings absorb the peas, and even hands. Secondly, in both pictures was visible coarse vertical slit on one side. It remained to establish the author. Standard procedure in this situation is to send an appropriate request to European museums: to see if their funds something like that?
The answer came from Nancy, the administrative capital of the district of Lorraine. Their city Museum, indeed, there was a picture with such characters. But most importantly, on the reverse signed "a copy of de Latour". To detect the original and recognize the authorship in the art world both is a major success. Swiss halves joined together, restored and gave the painting the title "Eaters of the peas" after which it was acquired by the Berlin Art gallery.
In all probability we see in the picture of itinerant beggars – it may indicate a staff man and other details of the appearance of the characters: old clothes, dirty fingernails, greasy, long-who knew washing a handkerchief on the neck of the old woman. If this assumption is correct, then most likely, the bowl of peas received characters as alms. The elderly take the peas by the handful, serious and concentrated, as though fulfilling an important case, but not without pleasure – note the faraway look of an old woman or a fat shiny lip gloss on her companion.
There were Parallels between the picture of the "pea Eaters" and single portraits the old manand old woman presented now in the Museum of fine arts, San Francisco. Most likely, this pair work, but even merging them together would not have added to the meaning of the old man and the old woman from San Francisco look separate blanks for the scenes pictures, to some unknown multi-figure genre compositions, while Berlin's "Eaters of the peas" is a finished work, a masterpiece. That's just what is the meaning of the essence of the artistic message of Latour's?
Critics rightly doubt that "Consumers peas" Latour – an ordinary genre scene. As you know, genre scenes are of two basic types: the first can be called satirical or humorous, the second dramatic. In any case, the genre of painting means expressed the author's evaluation, judgment or sympathy. But in the "pea Eaters" there is neither ridiculous nor pathetic. De Latour looks at his characters without judgment and without pity. He seems impartial as bailiff. No wonder artist and sculptor Andre Lot called de Latour "the first French surrealist". His "pea Eaters" is a rather merciless meditation on poverty and old age, devoid of even a hint of cheap sentimentality.
Author: Anna Yesterday
