拍品专文
Maxfield Parrish's career as a muralist began with his 1895 mural of Old King Cole painted for the University of Pennsylvania Mask and Wig Club, the first of eleven mural projects that he completed throughout his career. The artist's ability to blend Pre-Raphaelite sentiment, Old Master technique, a strict adherence to laws of proportion and a sense of wonder is nowhere more evident than in these large-scale works. The wondrously fanciful Sing a Song of Sixpence, painted for the Sherman House Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, is exemplary of Parrish's power to create a portal into an imaginary world as well as a testament to his mastery of light and color.
The monumental figures, dramatic gestures, strong patterns and symmetry of the mural imbue it with tremendous visual power and belie Parrish's lifelong interest in theater. As one further contemplates the painting, the impact of the overall scene cedes to a wonder at the tremendous amount of detail in the work such as the individualization of each figure and their animated facial expressions, the fully rendered, fanciful background, the sheen of the silver and the wonderfully executed drapery of the figure's costumes. This exacting detail and attention to the various textures and surfaces as well as the playful and humorous nature of the scene are characteristic of Parrish's greatest works. While the painting depicts the climactic moment in the well-known nursery rhyme, it demonstrates Parrish's ability to capture an entire narrative in a single, theatrical scene.
The magic and spirit of Sing a Song of Sixpence is the result of an intricate approach to painting that was unique to Parrish. He possessed a calm and patient disposition that was perfectly suited to the arduous and time-consuming work his pictures demanded. This approach included the use of paper cut-outs, photography, props and models constructed in his workshop as well as a meticulous method of painting with glazes. Indeed every detail from the brilliant patterning to the repetition of forms, which provide the work compositional unity, was manipulated so as to create an effective design.
Parrish's approach to his compositions derived from his early training as an architect as well as his interest in the principals of Jay Hambidge's "Dynamic Symmetry"--a theory based on a rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek formulas to create harmonic proportions in architecture and art. Parrish wrote of his thoughtful compositions, "I lay each painting out on the basis of 'dynamic symmetry' or the mathematical proportion which the ancient Greeks and Egyptians found appealing to the eye. Thus by using 'dynamic rectangles' and 'whirling squares'...I design the dimensions of my pictures and block them off, placing the horizon in just the right place..." (as quoted in L.S. Cutler, J.G. Cutler, Maxfield Parrish: A Retrospective, San Francisco, California, 1995, p. 2)
Once the structure of the composition was laid out, Parrish would take photographs of his costumed models. Instead of spending hours drawing from the actual model, Parrish worked from these photographs. This served as a form of artistic shorthand and was influenced by his earlier studies with Thomas Anshutz and Homer Pyle. He eschewed professional models, often asking family and friends to pose for his works as he believed that these ingénues captured the spirit of innocence that he wanted his paintings to exude. Indeed Sing a Song of Sixpence exudes a spirit not only of childhood innocence, but also one of timeless appeal due to the superb quality of composition and execution.
The monumental figures, dramatic gestures, strong patterns and symmetry of the mural imbue it with tremendous visual power and belie Parrish's lifelong interest in theater. As one further contemplates the painting, the impact of the overall scene cedes to a wonder at the tremendous amount of detail in the work such as the individualization of each figure and their animated facial expressions, the fully rendered, fanciful background, the sheen of the silver and the wonderfully executed drapery of the figure's costumes. This exacting detail and attention to the various textures and surfaces as well as the playful and humorous nature of the scene are characteristic of Parrish's greatest works. While the painting depicts the climactic moment in the well-known nursery rhyme, it demonstrates Parrish's ability to capture an entire narrative in a single, theatrical scene.
The magic and spirit of Sing a Song of Sixpence is the result of an intricate approach to painting that was unique to Parrish. He possessed a calm and patient disposition that was perfectly suited to the arduous and time-consuming work his pictures demanded. This approach included the use of paper cut-outs, photography, props and models constructed in his workshop as well as a meticulous method of painting with glazes. Indeed every detail from the brilliant patterning to the repetition of forms, which provide the work compositional unity, was manipulated so as to create an effective design.
Parrish's approach to his compositions derived from his early training as an architect as well as his interest in the principals of Jay Hambidge's "Dynamic Symmetry"--a theory based on a rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek formulas to create harmonic proportions in architecture and art. Parrish wrote of his thoughtful compositions, "I lay each painting out on the basis of 'dynamic symmetry' or the mathematical proportion which the ancient Greeks and Egyptians found appealing to the eye. Thus by using 'dynamic rectangles' and 'whirling squares'...I design the dimensions of my pictures and block them off, placing the horizon in just the right place..." (as quoted in L.S. Cutler, J.G. Cutler, Maxfield Parrish: A Retrospective, San Francisco, California, 1995, p. 2)
Once the structure of the composition was laid out, Parrish would take photographs of his costumed models. Instead of spending hours drawing from the actual model, Parrish worked from these photographs. This served as a form of artistic shorthand and was influenced by his earlier studies with Thomas Anshutz and Homer Pyle. He eschewed professional models, often asking family and friends to pose for his works as he believed that these ingénues captured the spirit of innocence that he wanted his paintings to exude. Indeed Sing a Song of Sixpence exudes a spirit not only of childhood innocence, but also one of timeless appeal due to the superb quality of composition and execution.