notes

A bit cloudy and gloomy in San Francisco, my mood is still, despite the bright lights in our galleries, introspective. Mind you, we know nothing of really bad weather in our part of the country, but the combination of winter weather and my own state of mind makes a consideration of a painting in our inventory by Alice Barber Stephens appear, on this day, particularly appropriate.

An artist whose work demands to be better known, Stephens is perhaps mostly considered as an illustrator, but this painting places her in the white heat of impressionism, right up there with Manet. Actually, Fifth Avenue begs comparison with that most iconic of Manet’s work, Bar at the Folies Bergere. What Roger Fry and Clive Bell would later categorize as post-impressionism, certainly with application to Manet, is equally applicable to this work by Stephens. The deft brushwork and balanced deployment of the figural elements within the painting testify to Stephens’ talent, and possibly betray the original intention of the use of this painting for an illustration.

That it is well-executed, however, overlooks the narrative content that might be its most important feature. While ostensibly merely a view down Fifth Avenue in the winter, with snowflakes falling and well-upholstered men and women enjoying the material delights of this particular shopping thoroughfare, social contrasts are manifestly apparent. In the front of the picture plane, a young boy and girl, not nearly so well dressed thrust forth collection boxes doubtless seeking contributions, given their dress, to an orphanage or a settlement house. So young, raggedy, and on their own, the children function to make manifest contrasts that largely reflect a newly forming social consciousness. The recent publication of Jacob Riis’ photographic essay of the slums of New York How the Other Half Lives is worth mentioning in this context. Not to be overlooked is the black flowerseller in the derby hat in the right middle background. Nearly invisible, one can only imagine the plight of poor blacks in New York at this time, presumably occupying the lowest of the lowest rung on the social ladder.

As one of only a few working women artists, one wonders to what extent Stephens affiliated with those marginalized figures in Fifth Avenue. But, of course, for the time, even the well-dressed women must be considered as marginalized members of what was a profoundly masculine society. No question about it, Stephens was aware of all of this, and certainly as regards the role of women in the art world, her own teaching career makes it apparent she sought to bring women into the mainstream, and provide her sex  with opportunities hitherto denied. In 1902, while teaching at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women, she took the scandalously controversial step of including in the curriculum the first-ever in America life drawing class for women.

The exceptional results in the last couple of weeks of fine arts in the salesrooms and at the American International Fine Art Fair in Palm Beach put me in mind, not surprisingly, of exceptional paintings at Chappell & McCullar. Perhaps because I’m entering an introspective period in my own life, genre paintings have a particular appeal, and nothing more appealing than Emil Carlsen’s 1884 still life with roses and mandolin. Emigrating from Denmark to the United States in 1872, Carlsen frequently returned to Europe. This work, completed in Paris in 1884 effectively combines a variety of stylistic influences- Dutch still life, European and American academicism, and impressionism- with Carlsen’s own skillful draftsmanship. Personally, I find the inclusion of the mandolin particularly resonant, as it reminds me of the lute that is a prominent though abstruse iconographic feature in one of my own favorite pictures, Holbein’s The Ambassadors. It begs question whether Carlsen attached as much meaning to the elements of his own still life as Holbein presumably did in his pictures. No anamorphically projected memento mori here, glad to say, and really, that kind of consideration rather sidetracks a person from the aesthetic enjoyment of Carlsen’s work. No art historical logic chopping is required, because Carlsen’s still life is, prima facie, an exceptional picture.

Witness the success of ‘MadMen’ on television and the interest in Tom Ford’s ‘A Single Man’ and, no question, the early 60’s have moved into a place of legitimacy in popular 21st century culture. Camp? Hard to say- almost as hard as it is to define ‘camp.’ Frankly, though, camp has ever been a feature in interior design, with whimsy, either in wall color or furnishing fabrics, or furnishing themselves necessary to enliven any interior space.

Despite volumes in print about Gillows, in the world of English antiques, certainly as pertains to American collectors, this preeminent maker is surprisingly unknown. With its origins in the northwest of England in Lancaster, Gillows was able to forge excellent craftsmanship with the selection of some of the best timbers, given its proximity to Liverpool, a major port for the importation of exotic timbers. In our Jump Start sale, we have a Regency period small sideboard. Signed ‘GILLOWS LANCASTER’ the color and figuring of the mahogany and the craftsmanship in its execution make the maker’s stamp almost superfluous- the piece screams quality.

It is proceeding apace, the Jump start sale, that is. Not being a January white sale, necessary purchases have not been postponed by buyers eager to replace ragged sheets and toweling. No real obsolescence with our pieces, but low enough in price that it stimulates.

Fascinating, this notion of stimulation, begging questions about what makes the difference between passing interest to, as we say in retail, ‘pulling the trigger’? More pleasantly put, an affirmation of a desire to purchase is what everyone in retail is after, as it signals consumer confidence- be it a January white sale or our Jump Start sale of English antiques. My nephew and gallery colleague Jack Tremper tells me that our website hits are at nearly an all-time high for the month of January. Good news- interest has to start somewhere. Will this be followed by a wave of trigger pulling? We are optimistic, and optimism is the precursor of confidence- which, by the way, is contagious.