Sitting fireside, a Mother shares the story of the blue and white tiles that surround their hearth with her young son. The soft glow of the fire's light highlights the faces of the figures, the pattern of the woven rug and carved chair rails, expertly focusing attention to the contextual element of the composition while showcasing the masterful execution of the work by the artist. Signed lower left corner. Measures: 24 x 20 in, 32 x 28 in framed.
Enoch Wood Perry Jr. (1831 - 1915) was a 19th century American painter known for his thematic and stylistic works, including many portraits and landscapes. He was trained at the Dusseldorf Academy in Germany by the artist Emile Luetze, author of the painting Washington Crossing the Deleware (1851). Perry also studied in Paris with Thomas Couture, where he was classmates with Edouard Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Puvis de Chavannes. Perry returned to the United States, and in 1865 moved to Utah where he was commissioned by the Church to create portraits of early LDS leaders, such as Brigham Young, John Taylor, and Wilford Woodruff. During his year-long stay in Utah, Perry cofounded the short-lived Deseret Art Union, based on the American Art Union, a subscription-based organization whose goal was to enlighten and educate the public about art. He left Utah in 1866 for New York, where he took over the studio of his life-long friend and fellow painter, Albert Bierstadt, and taught at the American Academy of Art. Enoch Wood Perry’s paintings can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian, and Boston Museum of Arts.
