I could go into any number of antiques stores and find weird, strange, and bad paintings, but every once in a while I’ll see something really good, which then begs the question: what’s the story behind this painting and the artist?
I happened upon this painting in an antiques store just north of Poughkeepsie (which I’m going to leave as unnamed, in case I decide to go back and buy this painting), and it struck me immediately as something a bit better than the usual antique (or thrift store) painting. The tag on it just identified it as a “MCM Mountain Painting,” which – after looking up “MCM,” would seem to suggest the dealer is referring to it as “mid century modern.”
So why does this painting grab me? The waves and water are painted really well, the way the light hits the water and the shadows around the cresting waves makes for a realistic depiction of water. The rocks in the foreground and the sloping hill are also well painted, and while the glare from the lighting hinders a good look at the sky, the clouds appear to be well done. But what is that sloping and very-angular rock? It doesn’t appear to be anything naturally shaped, the lines are too clean and the surface is so flat, and the way it’s painted with the rounded top-left edge, I keep seeing it as a visual reference to a sofa or something like that. When have you ever seen anything out in nature with two flat angled edges like that? Do you think that this part of the mountain is just poorly painted by the artist? Or did the artist make it somewhat unnatural in order to add a surrealist element to it? I’m really confounded by this element of the painting.
I talked about the possibility of going back to buy it – if it’s still there. I wish I knew something about the artist – there’s no signature on the front, and the fact that the tag didn’t mention an artist by name, leads me to think it’s unsigned. I’d still consider buying it, even without knowing the artist, just because I like it as a weird but well-done painting.
I know this is a long shot, but if anyone recognizes the painting or has any thoughts on that mountain, please share in the comments section below.