Old Companions
Old Companions
Artist
John Frederick Peto
(1854 - 1907)
Date1904
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions22 × 30 in. (55.9 × 76.2 cm)
Framed: 32 in. × 38 1/2 in. × 3 in.
Framed: 32 in. × 38 1/2 in. × 3 in.
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2006.66
Signedu.r., in brown paint: J F Peto / 190[4 indistinct]
Accession number
2006.66
On View
On viewLabel TextJohn Frederick Peto frequently painted objects that belonged to him. These “old companions” suggest human presence through their wear and use. Here, a pipe propped haphazardly looks as if it has recently been set aside, a quill pen in an ink stand waits at the ready, and tattered books indicate the fervent attention of a reader. The act of reading cultivated the inner life and imagination, a psychological retreat in response to the increasingly chaotic urban sphere.
A menudo, John Frederick Peto pintaba objetos que le pertenecían. Estos “viejos compañeros” indican la presencia humana mediante su desgaste y uso. Aquí, una pipa colocada azarosamente insinúa que fue puesta allí hace poco, un pluma fuente espera lista para ser usada, y unos libros viejos apuntan a la ardorosa atención de un lector. La lectura como acto cultiva la vida interna y la imaginación, cual retiro psicológico en respuesta al aumento constante del caos en las esferas urbanas.
