九色视频 鈥 Inside the Troika Gallery, an exhibit gives local artists the chance to display their own takes on some of the most well-renowned pieces of art.
Twenty-two works make up the 鈥淔abulous Forgeries,鈥 an annual tradition where artists choose a historic work to model on their own canvases.
The artists of the original works must be dead for at least 100 years, and the recreations have to be two inches smaller or larger to avoid copyright issues, said Troika Gallery owner Laura Era.
鈥淚t brings back memories because most of them are beloved pieces,鈥 Era said.
Era and gallery manager Peg Fitzgerald say Fabulous Forgeries is Troika鈥檚 most popular exhibit. Fitzgerald notes that it鈥檚 educational for adults and kids interested in art history. Plus, it鈥檚 an artist favorite.
鈥淭he artists that do it, love it,鈥 Fitzgerald said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e probably even thinking right now for next year.鈥
Some like John Eiseman have a personal connection to their works.
As a kid, one of Eiseman鈥檚 favorite paintings was an 1872 work by French painter Claude Monet titled 鈥淎rgenteuil.鈥 It is kept in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Eiseman, 66, spent his childhood years between St. Michaels and the nation鈥檚 capital. Monet鈥檚 depiction of a town and river near Paris reminded Eiseman of the Miles River.
鈥淚t reminded me of a placid day somewhere on the Miles,鈥 Eiseman said.
But something was always missing. More than 40 years after falling in love with the painting, Eiseman got to add that missing piece: his granddaughter鈥檚 late American retriever. He placed the dog on a long, empty road that leads toward a castle in the background of the painting.
Era herself has four works in the forgeries collection.
Her favorite is a recreation of an 1873 self-portrait by German painter Anselm Feuerbach. She saw it online and couldn鈥檛 miss the opportunity to recreate it.
鈥淚 just kept coming back to it because he was doggone handsome,鈥 Era said.
Era says Fabulous Forgeries is all about studying the history of art. Modern artists can learn from the technique, brushwork and color combinations used by the original painters, she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a nice exercise, and it鈥檚 certainly a learning exercise for any artist,鈥 Era said. 鈥淎nd many times, if you go to museums nowadays, you鈥檒l see people, there鈥檒l be artists that will be copying the old masters with their easel.鈥
The exhibit was judged by Dan Weiss, former president and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Palden Hamilton was awarded judge鈥檚 choice award for his work, 鈥淩oses,鈥 after Abbott Handerson Thayer.
Other awards and honorable mentions were handed out to Era, Eiseman, John Davis Held, Christine Drewyer and Lynne Lockhart. The exhibit is open through Aug. 30. Voting for the people鈥檚 choice award remains open.
Some of the works model the originals as closely as possible. Others add their own twists.
Drewyer drew inspiration from an 1888 flower pot painting by Vincent van Gogh. She added a cat, which tore up some of the flowers, and titled it, 鈥淰incent鈥檚 Bad, Bad Kitty.鈥
The unique flair of each artist has cemented Fabulous Forgeries as a fan favorite each year, Fitzgerald said.
鈥淭hey just love it,鈥 she said of gallery鈥檚 viewers. 鈥淭hey just love to see how it鈥檚 interpreted, how the artist decides to do their painting.鈥
The Troika Gallery, located at 9 S. Harrison St., is open on Mondays and Thursdays to Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.