Re: [Harp-L] harmonica painting and the Canadian scene

[Bobbie Giordano <bogio@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 1/8/2007 4:06:53 PM, Winslow Yerxa (winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx) wrote:
> John -
>
> Thanks for bringing this to the list's attention.

Agreed.  Thanks, John... as a semi-artist, I savored your offering to 
Harp-L.

> The painting, well known in Canada, has always made me vaguely
> uncomfortable. The kid just munched on bread and slurped down
> soup, and now he's blowing it into his harp.

Oh, so modern values and expectations, my friend Winz.  ;)

Here is a transcript of the audio description of the painting, "Boy With 
Bread".  For images and more, go to:  http://tinyurl.com/ylrudo

In the 1890's, Ozias Leduc painted his first religious works, which were 
to be pivotal in his career as a painter and church decorator.  He 
frequently asked his brothers and sisters to pose for him.  The young boy 
shown here playing the harmonica was apparently his youngest brother, 
Urlevic. (sp?)  A warm soft glow pervades the scene, which is one of 
extreme simplicity.  The child sits by the table with a bare wall as a 
backdrop.  The drawing is careful and supple, while the textures of the 
wood, the fabric, the bread, the enameled terra cotta and the pewter have 
been painstakingly reproduced.  Also called "The Little Musician" because 
of its subject, "Boy With Bread" is interesting not so much for the scene 
it depicts as for the alagory it suggests.  The youngster, dressed in 
torn clothing and playing music before the remains of a meal, might 
represent an alagory of the senses.  Smell and taste could be represented 
by the bowl and the piece of bread; hearing, by the harmonica; and touch, 
by the textures of the various items.  We know that, at the time, Leduc 
was already striving to add a symbolic, spiritual dimension to daily 
life, which lends credibility to this interpretation.

Musically yours,
Bobbie G