작품 상세

Theora Hamblett (American/Mississippi, 1895-1977), "Girl at the Duck Pond", 1974, oil on canvas board, signed and dated lower right, 10 in. x 8 in., framed. Note: Theora Hamblett began her professional career late in life, dismissing the abstract style popular at the time for something more personal and unique. Many of Hamblett’s paintings concentrated on her childhood memories, especially of the chicken farm in Paris MS where she spent her childhood. In nearly all of her landscape paintings, she included animals or people, with the belief that those additions gave life to the scenes. She also painted many landscapes that featured children playing games to evoke a sense of nostalgia. After an accident that broke her hip and required surgery in 1954, she began to paint her dreams and visions, with many of her visions showing religious scenes. The same year, New York gallery owner and famous collector, Betty Parsons, discovered Hamblett's work and subsequently one of her paintings was included in a 1955 show of new acquisitions at the Museum of Modern Art. In "Girl at the Duck Pond" offered here, the scene showcases two of Hamblett’s hallmarks – pattern and color. Almost obsessively flat areas of color off-set by the equally flat subjects are in drastic contrast to the highly patterned trees. The resulting effect of the foliage evokes movement and accentuates the background, drawing the eye to the key figures of the girl and ducks. Ref.: Wertkin, Gerard, ed. Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. New York, NY: Routledge, 2003, pp. 243-244. "Theora Hamblett." Greg Thompson Fine Art. www.gregthompsonfineart.com. Accessed Oct. 24, 2016.