Posted 12 years ago
lisahughes…
(2 items)
This painting measures approx 39" long and 30" high. It appears to be watercolor, although I am no expert. The name signed is "Hemment" and I can find no info on the artist. Surprising, since the work is so well executed.
Would love more info - if there is any info out there. Thanks.
It looks like a very nice painting, possibly watercolor and guache. It's hard to really tell much from your one photo. If you could, take some good quality close ups, including the signature. That frame looks like an inexpensive frame from the 60s, but that doesn't really narrow it down.
Oh, one more thing. Generally drawings and watercolors have glass with the frames, oils and acrylics do not.
Thanks so much for your comments. The painting is behind glass - makes it hard to get good close-ups. The signature looks transluscent (watercolor?).
Most beautiful and winsome! Love it!
I agree with stefdesign about the frame. To me, the white looks like gouache, or pastel or crayon of some type. The remainder looks like water color. Hard to see it clearly. Are the figures outlined in Indian ink?, or could this be a lithograph?
As for the signature, The first letter looks like an "A" to me, though I can't see it well at all. It could also be a "T", perhaps, so I tried "Tennant", and found some hits on AskArt.com. Didn't see an artist that looked obvious, though. Oh, I'm so happy for you that you have this beautiful painting. miKKo
miKKo - I appreciate your research! Studied the signature again, clearly "Hemment". There is no outlining. The paint for the most part is transparent, rather like a stain or wash, while the white and blue accents appear a bit more opaque. Not a litho.
Thanks again for your effort. Perhaps this is "Hemment's" only work. - Lisa
Hi, lisahugheslong, didn't think it was a litho, but had to ask because of certain appearances. Hard to see. Just making possible suggestions about signature - glad you can see it. Not everyone is in AskArt.com! I love this painting. miKKO
Some proud owner of this race horse had this painting done. The style of the jockey's hat would indicate a very early period, possibly after the turn of 1900's.
The New York Jockey Club and The Saratoga Racing Museum will have these silks in their archives as every owner had their own silks. It would be well worth doing some research to identify the horse.
Jim Ellzey
Former employee of George D. Widener's Erdenheim Farms.
Owner of Jaipur, winner of the Belmont Stakes.
Thanks for all the insight, Jim! I will do more research and hopefully find an identity for the horse and jockey. - Lisa
Hi, lisahugheslong, stefdesign and thisoldwatch! Splendid that thisoldwatch has a game plan for identifying the horse/owner (and perhaps also for discovering the jockey's identity?)! I have a suggestion for getting more detail about the artist.
Lisa, I don't have many art history works anymore at home, and don't have the reference work I'm about to recommend (too expensive) or I would have consulted it immediately; however, your library will surely have it. WHO WAS WHO IN AMERICAN ART, 1564-1975, 400 YEARS OF ARTISTS IN AMERICA / Edited by Peter Hastings Falk / Madison, CT: Sound View Press, 1999.--3,750 pp. in 3 vol. Editor Falk’s reference work incorporates the old "American Art Annual", “Who’s Who in the Art World”, Exhibition Records, and many other reference works in one volume. Some critics have judged Falk’s work as the most important research tool for art history ever published. It will be on everyone’s list of art history reference works. This is a superb painting you have - I was immediately struck by its beauty and its technical excellence. I suspect that you'll find good information on Hemment in Falk. The York Public Library has an excellent downloadable art research guide on its website (link below). Vanderbilt University has a decent guide, too. I cannot now recall the address of the website that some have referred to as the ‘the granddaddy of all art history websites’, but it’s out there somewhere, and linked to many, many fine webpages. Berkeley’s/U CAL's is good. Of course, there’s Oxford Art Online, but to use it you need library privileges with an institution that subscribes to this service, or you’ll have to pay a huge user’s fee/subscription fee. Oh, and courtesy of AR8Jason!, I just last month discovered another interesting online research tool “TerminArtors”….We love your painting!, and I can’t wait to see more. Regards, miKKo
http://www.nypl.org/node/5610
miKKo, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to send all this wonderful info! I will spend my weekend researching with the leads you provided and will inform the moment I find anything. (If there is anything to be found.) Keep your fingers crossed!
Have a wonderful holiday weekend. - Lisa
Hi, Lisa! I was checking back on this painting, and I just noticed that you are in Front Royal, deep in the heart of Virginia. Front Royal, Winchester and Middelburg - so beautiful! I used to like to drive the 'back highways' to Middelburg and would sometimes take lunch at the Red Fox Inn/Tavern. You are right near the center of horse country....Take care, miKKo.
miKKo, You know that someone in Middleburg must have the "inside scoop" on the horse painting. I'll have to take it over one day.
I have many fond memories of the town, (and the Red Fox!) too. - Lisa
Hi, Lisa! Yes, I was actually wondering if it had come from some noble old home or equestrian establishment in Middleburg or thereabouts, but didn't ask. Yes, I bet you could find out something about Hemment in Middleburg! I was delighted to find your response today because I have to travel to Tulsa tomorrow, and I had planned to consult Falk in the big library there after my business is concluded. For my research project, I need to look up three artists who have become somewhat obscure, and I thought I'd check for Hemment while I'm at it. If I find Hemment in Falk, I'll let you know. I discovered that you were in Front Royal when I clicked on your profile to see if you had any more splendid paintings. I used to know Front Royal somewhat well in the 1980's; I haven't visited Front Royal since 1993. I'm sure that things have greatly changed, and perhaps the library, which was then somewhat small, as reflected the town's population then, has since grown. It might have Falk's work; it might not. So, as I said, I planned to check the expensive Falk for Hemment tomorrow at the big library in Tulsa. Best wishes for success! miKKo
Sorry, Bellin, she already gave it to me - you can't have it!
Hi, Bellin. Actually, I feel very fortunate to have seen this. It is truly splendid, and it brings back happy memories of Middleburg, VA.
Hi, Bellin. If you love horses, you would love Middleburg. Back in my college days in Virginia, I had my pick of gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains, verdant valleys, winding roads, apple orchards, and wonderful old Southern historical towns. Roanoke, Fredricksburg, Winchester, Front Royal, Charlottesville, Manassas, Alexandria, Williamsburg, etc. It isn't possible to avoid beauty in Virginia. If you love horses, beautiful mountains, historic Southern cities, plan a vacation to Virginia. You could stay reasonably and safely in Manassas, and make easy jaunts to everywhere but Roanoke. From Manassas, you could also make very easy day trips into Washington, Arlington, and Alexandria. You'd love it : )
Wonderful, you're all set to go! Send me a postcard! : )
Hi miKKo, The painting came from a yard/garage sale near Front Royal with no info on its history. That seems to be the case with most everything acquired at yard sales or flea markets.
While Front Royal has grown tremendously since the 1980's, and now has a much-improved library, we are no match for Tulsa in the art department! If you find any info on Hemment on your trip, it would be a great surprise. I wish you success and look forward to a report on your research. Many thanks - Lisa
Hi, Lisa. Checked Peter Hasting Falk's "Who Was Who in American Art....", 1999 edition, and Hemment wasn't in it. An Art Reference Librarian at New York Public Library did a quick search, and didn't find anything, but he would like me to email this thread/image to him so that he can work on it later. He asks that we give him two days to work it. I'm sending it now, with an expression of great gratitude for the Great New York Public Library. Here goes....miKKo
...and I send an expression of great gratitude to you!
Again, this might be a "one of a kind" with no documentation. If NYPL can't find the artist, I tend to think that might be the case. - Lisa
Hi, Lisa. Haven't heard from NYPL Art History Reference Librarian. I shall follow up. Perhaps he didn't get my email.
I would be surprised if this were a one-off. This is a most excellent painting. Take care. miKKo
Hi, lisahugheslong! Hope you are well and joyous.
No info from New York City Public Library. However, I did find something rather interesting. When I first saw this ‘painting’, I thought that it might be a black and white print that had been hand colored (water color, gouache) after printing. You thought it a painting, and I was ready to accept this. I now wonder if it could have been a photograph that was colored after printing. I know it sounds odd, but I have a portrait that looks like a water color, but it is actually an old black and white photograph that was colored after printing. I purchased it at a flea market and found it too fine for the low asking price. I was praising it to the Proprietor, and he told me that it was really an old colored-in photo, where the photo had faded away, resulting in the image appearing to be a watercolor. I had to examine it closely to discern the photographic traces, which were rather faint indeed. Anyway, today I found a John C. Hemment, a highly acclaimed photographer of horses - and also a war correspondent, by the way. I think that he might be your man. It would be worth checking out.
Why did I originally think that this was a colored print, and that it had been painted from a photo? Because the detail in the horse and the horse's shadow is highly detailed and perfect, and a peculiar impression that the jockey’s face made on me. Now, I don't think that one could get a horse to stand still long enough to paint him or the shadow in such detail. Yes, observe the shadow. It too is perfect and highly detailed. (Do you see the man’s shadow, by the way? I don’t, but then again, I am no expert on shadows!) Now, compare these two elements to the jockey's face and jodhpurs, and the track. They are much less detailed. Indeed, the track and the horizon are representational abstractions, and the jodhpurs look somewhat abstract. (You will recall that I had asked if the figure was outlined - the jodhpurs looked to me like an abstract, 2-D 'shape', not an accurate rendering of a three-dimensional object.) Further, there is a remarkable lack of color in the jockey’s face, perhaps consistent with a decision to tint the photographic face/portrait subtly so as not to obscure his photographic likeness. I am not entirely comfortable speculating like this since I cannot see the painting really well!!! One would need to examine the painting in person to make the call on whether this painting started out as a photo; however, as I don't have that option, I proceed with my speculation.
Follows a link to my show and tell item of a photographic portrait that was hand colored after printing, and which now has the semblance of a water color portrait. I have posted it solely so that you can compare it to your painting. I will take it down later. (Sorry, haven’t a clue how to use Flickr and the like.)
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/65535-portait-of-unknown-man--old-tinted-phot?in=user
Follow links to the work and career of acclaimed horse photographer, John C. Hemment. The first one is from the Frick Collection in NYC. (Very strange - I searched their catalogue a long time ago for Hemment, and didn't find him, but he's there now. Perhaps because I was looking for a "painter".) Title: "John C. Hemment Photographic collection, 1885-1908"; Repository - Keeneland Association Library. (Perhaps you could get this book through interlibrary loan.) Hemment was a photographer of racetracks and horse racing - the Frick document describes him as a "particularly active" "turf photographer". There are 1,000+ photos of racetracks and horse racing in this work, with a concentration on New York and Maryland races. It is interesting to note that Hemment was a cutting-edge photographer of action/"spontaneous" photography, and that he devised a special camera for these action photos.
http://research.frick.org/directoryweb/browserecord2.php?-action=browse&-recid=6877
Follows a link to reviews of the book on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Best-Widener-Collection-Racings/dp/1581501943
I think it quite possible that thisoldwatch/Jim was correct when he wrote: "Some proud owner of this race horse had this painting done." I do think that it’s a portrait of a real horse. Jim's statement that the style of the jockey's hat indicates "a very early period, possibly after the turn of 1900's" looks right on the mark, or very close to it. Lisa, did you get any response from the New York Jockey Club or the Saratoga Racing Museum - about the silks, or about the identity of the horse, jockey? Did they have any suggestions about how you might proceed? Perhaps you might ask them if they know of any Hemment colorized photos.
Following link concentrates on Hemment's work as a war correspondent.
http://www.cityofart.net/bship/hemment.html
Well, those are my thoughts. They might be goofy, but at least you have a proposal now. Regards, miKKo
P.s., If this is a painting by John C. Hemment and not a tinted photo, it would be rather special. I noticed that is has a 'golden' cast that is consistent with damage to the paper. You might want to take it to a conservator.
Dear miKKo, I have spent most of my day at work doing research based on your findings. Why hasn't John C. Hemment surfaced before in searches concerning art and horses?
First of all, this painting is far too modern and pristine to have been done by J.C. Hemment in his day. The yellow cast on the work appears to be from style, not age. It makes you wonder if someone wasn't inspired by one of his famous photos, copied it in watercolor and just signed his name! At this point, nothing would surprise me.
I could see a certain similarity in style to the tinted photograph you linked, but when you look at Hemment painting under strong magnification, it couldn't be.
I am more determined than ever to get to the bottom of this, and when that day comes, you will be the first to know!
Many thanks!!! - Lisa
Hi, Lisa! Many thanks for your kindness. Yes, it certainly is a puzzle. Best wishes for success!!! miKKo
Lisa,
I was googling j. c. hemment and found this site. I was curious if you had found anymore information on your horse painting? Does your painting have a copyright stamp in lower right corner? or copyrighted by j c hemment under his signature? I inherited a wonderful picture of a race horse that is beautiful. I had the curator of the art museum examine it and also had the original frame that was made for this piece restored and under observation, it is an original. I do not know who the artist is or if it was done by Hemment, and was so fascinated by your story, I just had to check with you and find out the status of your quest. Many thanks, Su
Hello Su,
Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any additional info about the painting. There are no copyright marks and no "j c" - only the signature "Hemment" in the right corner.
I feel that this may be an artist's interpretation of one of J.C. Hemment's photographs, since I can find no evidence of Hemment himself being a painter.
It seems that you have a similar mystery. Please keep me posted !
Happy Holidays! - Lisa