The Folk Art Portrait

 

 

The Folk Art Portrait

 

In arranging an authentic or believable room in your primitive/country home, the primitive folk art portrait is a welcome addition.  There are many folk art portraits reproduced today, each adding their own "style" to your room.  I have included examples of several folk art portraits. 

 

             

 

 

 



The Folk Art Portrait

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The Folk Art Portrait

 

Primitive portraits were generally painted by itinerant artists who worked for food and lodging or who rented their facilities, staying in an area until all interested subjects had been painted before moving on. They occasionally advertised their services in newspapers, offering additional skills such as fancy, sign, and coach painting to broaden their potential for income. Some artists charged different rates depending on how much a sitter was willing to spend, which was reflected in whether the finished product had more or less realism and modeling. Some itinerant artists painted at a rate of two or three portraits per day, providing little opportunity to correct errors or attempt significant over-painting. Most of these artists did not sign their names. When they did, it was usually on the back of the canvas, with information about the sitter, location, or date. As a result, most attributions are based on rare signed examples, documents, or family histories.

 Primitive portraits usually show a linear format with flat facial features; a pose, frequently stiff, that is turned three-quarters or is fully frontal; minimal shadowing to indicate the direction of light; simplified versions of hands, ears, hair, and disproportionately sized heads; arms and legs extended from bodies in distorted directions; sometimes greater attention paid to details of clothing and backgrounds as compared to the face; backgrounds may be either plain and free of objects and scenery or, conversely, a fanciful rendition. Though artists had varying skills, with some having modest academic training, most primitive folk portraits exhibit some or all of the above characteristics. 
Primitive portrait painters occasionally used the same props in their images, "dressing" the sitters in the same outfits and reusing pieces of jewelry.

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The Wingback Chair

The Wingback Chair

 

 

 

 

The wingback chair is an important piece for your country/primitive home.  The chair can be placed in a gathering room, as well as a bedroom.  Styles range from the primitive make-do wingback (such as the one pictured here) to the more formal traditional upholstered wingback.  There are many reproduction fabrics available for your wingback chair.  Choose a fabric that best suits the use of the chair and the style of your home.

 

 

 

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History of the Wingback Chair

The Wingback Chair

 

Wing chairs are sometimes called fireside chairs, and for good reason. Their design is perfect for enjoying the warmth of a fire while your back and sides are protected from chilly drafts.

 

 

These chairs were not the earliest furniture to use this approach to keeping warm. Wings were also used on some of the high-backed wooden settles (benches) found in English manor houses and inns long before the new kind of upholstered chair brought an extra level of comfort to the late 17th century. We now know these as wing or wingback chairs.