Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Notes from, Paul Peel's 'After the Bath', by Bill Tomlinson

I saw this painting about 45 years ago when I was walking down a staircase in Parkwood estate, in Oshawa On, the home of the late Samuel McLaughlin, whose company merged with 2 other automobile manufacturers to create General Motors. 
I was stunned to find myself looking directly towards it.  Its warmth, and tenderness were powerful statements made by a great artist./fw

 Notes on Paul Peel's 'After the Bath', by Bill Tomlinson

 Peel developed his style in Paris, where he studied. His work was much admired for its sensual warmth; he once declared, “Flesh is never flesh until you feel you can pinch it with your fingers.” 

 After the Bath, probably his most famous work, is typical, exhibiting not only sensual warmth, achieved through colouration and texture– see how he contrasts the light of the fire with the cool of the shadows on the children's skin, and the texture of the skin with its surroundings – but more generally a warmth of subject matter, intimate and engaging. Peel enjoyed an empathy with young children, and often painted his own, as here.

 Peel was awarded the bronze medal at the Paris salon of 1890 and became a favourite of European collectors. “After the Bath” was bought by the Hungarian government, and later by a Canadian collector.

 Peel died of tuberculosis when he was only 31.


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1 comment:

  1. ThreadpainterOctober 11, 2012 at 11:51 a.m.

    You can certainly see the skill Peel had with painting flesh ... too bad such talent was snuffed so early.

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