Artist: William Michael Harnett Place/date of birth: Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland 1848 Place/date of death: New York, New York 1892 Title: After the Hunt Date of completion: 1885 Materials: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 71 1/2 x 48 1/2 inches Signed and dated lower left: WMHARNETT/1885 Collection: Mildred Anna Williams Collection Accession number: 1940.93 Introduction This still-life painting displays a collection of dead game and hunting and hiking equipment on a weathered old door. It has an almost photographic realism about it that is captivating. Discussion The last third of the nineteenth century in America was marked by an unprecedented growth in industry. The nation was changing radically; new inventions, crowded cities, and the growth of factories ushered in the modern age. Many Americans reacted with nostalgia for an earlier, simpler time. Some artists created paintings such as After the Hunt, which included old, familiar, and worn objects. Everything in After the Hunt would have looked old to the American audience who saw it. It was painted in Europe, but Europeans would have also considered everything in it out-of-date. The long pointed stick is an Alpenstock, a walking stick used by European mountain climbers. When the picture was painted, the powder horn, musket, and pistol had all been superseded by more modern weapons -- most notably the revolver. The old-fashioned quality of this painting evokes the same kind of nostalgia inspired by Winter in the Country. That is, while viewers of the painting may never have personally had the sort of outdoor experiences suggested by the painting, their interest in it may have been inspired by a sense that modern life had strayed from its stable roots. Looking Closely Unlike nearly all of the paintings in this guide, After the Hunt is a painting that tries to show objects as if they were in the very same space as the viewer; this attempt at realism raises an important point about all of the works in this guide, and in a museum. Everything in a painting is an illusion of one kind or another. Painted objects in After the Hunt are supposed to look like real objects. The illusion presented in a painting like Winter in the Country is that of an idyllic vision of the United States that probably never existed; the scene in Rainy Season in the Tropics is a place that existed solely in the mind of the artist. Style This type of still-life paintings is called "trompe-lóeil," which is a French phrase for fool the eye. The artist wanted to make everything look so real that it would fool the viewer. After the Hunt was owned by a New York saloon owner who hung it in his bar where patrons would bet on whether or not the objects in the painting were real or painted. Artist William Harnett grew up and attended art schools in Philadelphia before leaving to study art in London, Frankfurt, and Munich. Links to American History Curriculum
SLIDE 24
AFTER THE HUNT
Introduction | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Slide List | Museum Visit