Enoch Wood Perry | A Month’s darning, 1876 | Masterpieces

In their subject matter and compositional format, Enoch Wood Perry’s watercolor paintings are quite similar to his oils, and his method of applying paint was consistently characterized by fastidious attention to detail.

Like his colleague Eastman Johnson, Enoch Wood Perry (1831-1915) studied in Düsseldorf and Paris, where he acquired a respect for careful draftsmanship.

He exhibited "A Month’s Darning" in 1876 at the American Society of Painters in Water Colors and later the same year at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, where it was acclaimed for its evocation of times past.

The critic for the "New-York Tribune" found the woman’s head to be "the best part" of the composition and only regretted "that the sweet-faced girl . . . should have such large-footed men-folks to darn for". | Source: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Enoch Wood Perry | A Month’s Darning, 1876 | Metropolitan Museum of Art

Nel loro soggetto e nel formato compositivo, i dipinti ad acquerello di Enoch Wood Perry (1831-1915) sono molto simili ai suoi oli, ed il suo metodo di applicazione della pittura era costantemente caratterizzato da una meticolosa attenzione ai dettagli.

Come il suo collega Eastman Johnson, Perry studiò a Düsseldorf e Parigi, dove acquisì un rispetto per la cura del disegno.

Espose "A Month's Darning" nel 1876 all'American Society of Painters in Water Colors e più tardi nello stesso anno, alla Centennial Exposition di Philadelphia, dove fu acclamato per la sua evocazione dei tempi passati.

Il critico del "New-York Tribune" trovò la testa della donna "la parte migliore" della composizione e si rammaricò solo "che la ragazza dal viso dolce... dovesse avere uomini con piedi così grandi da rammendare". | Fonte: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Enoch Wood Perry (1831-1915) was born in Boston on July 31, 1831.

Perry moved to New Orleans with his family as a teenager in 1848 and attended its public schools.

After working several years as a clerk in a commission house, Perry began formal art education.

In 1852 he went to Europe for four years and studied with Emanuel Leutze at the Düsseldorf Academy, Thomas Couture in Paris, and in Rome.

Perry served as the U.S. consul to Venice between 1856-1858.

Enoch Wood Perry | The True American, 1874 |The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Enoch Wood Perry painted this oil in preparation for a widely distributed chromolithograph that uses humor to mock the impossible ideal of national unity.

The True American, also titled The Bummers (meaning a bum or vagrant), implies that the subjects of the painting are coarse, non-thinking citizens.

The cropped sign above the door reads "The National Hotel".

The mindless male figures, one of whom reads the newspaper "The True American", present only their backsides, with heads concealed, as does the depicted horse at left, and the dog at right.

In these terms, the artist comments on the willful ignorance of the voting population in the United States during the Reconstruction era. | Source: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Enoch Wood Perry | The True American, 1874 | Metropolitan Museum of Art

Enoch Wood Perry dipinse questo olio in preparazione per una cromolitografia ampiamente distribuita che usa l'umorismo per deridere l'ideale impossibile di unità nazionale.

The True American, intitolato anche The Bummers (che significa barbone o vagabondo), implica che i soggetti del dipinto siano cittadini rozzi e privi di pensiero.

Il cartello ritagliato sopra la porta recita "The National Hotel".

Le figure maschili senza cervello, una delle quali legge il giornale "The True American", mostrano solo il fondoschiena, con la testa nascosta, così come il cavallo raffigurato a sinistra ed il cane a destra.

In questi termini, l'artista commenta l'ignoranza volontaria della popolazione votante negli Stati Uniti durante l'era della Ricostruzione. | Fonte: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art