My First "Art Masterpiece" Print

In an earlier posting I had said I'd be beginning to do the Art Masterpiece program at my children's school. I have received my list of prints for the remainder of the school year. My first to show is John Fredrick Peto's "Letter Rack". When I first saw this I thought, I start with this! It's not a Monet or a Van Gogh or Renoir.....It doesn't look like what I had hoped for. It is my job though to give the kids an appreciation of art and to view it differently than what my first reaction was. The more I look at it, learn about it, I am beginning to appreciate it. This is Trompe l'oeil "french for fool the eye" it look like a photograph that you can almost touch when in fact there is no photography here. This is amazing that he could paint this way. If you just look at it and tell yourself he painted this! It kind of reminds me of the "I SPY" books my kids like. Sadly, Peto wasn't credited for some of his early work. Credit went to Harnett since his signature brought money, his signature was forged on Peto's work. As with so many artists, the appreciation came after he died. He is also an American painter, born in Philadelphia. He then moved he and his family to Island Heights, New Jersey (the state I was born in) He had previously been commuting there to support his family and play the cornet, apparently an instrument similar to the trumpet. This particular painting represents some of the things that were in his solitary studio, battered books, lamps, mugs and pipes. He died at age 53 as kind of a starving artist type. I want to present this painting to the kids in a way that will heighten their curiosity as to what it is. I'm going to bring it into the classroom covered up. We'll talk about it and I'll describe it before they get the chance to see it. I'm looking forward to starting this program. It will be lots of fun. I'm excited to hear what the kids have to say. Pray for me, my frist day is Tuesday.