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

["John Kerkhoven" <solo_danswer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bobbie and Winslow,

I enjoyed your responses. Winslow, I've noticed your references to
traditional québecois music in the past, and I was hoping you would post and
glad you did. I've made a couple of quick visits to the Virtual Gramophone
website and expect to go back. Wow. There are lots of archival sound files
there. Here's the link again (courtesy of Winslow) for anyone who is
curious:
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/gramophone/index-e.html

And I found a larger reprdocution of the Ozias Leduc painting:

http://northernblue.ca/canchan/canbirth/10oct/mile10.08.b.lg.jpg

All the best,

John


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bobbie Giordano" <bogio@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx>; <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 7:07 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] harmonica painting and the Canadian scene


> 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
>
>