Self-Portrait with Five Muses
1880
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Henry Church
Henry Church was an American writer and patron of the arts.
See the richer artist page1880
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Self-Portrait with Five Muses is a 1880 unspecified by Henry Church, a American Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
Here’s a man standing in the middle of five tiny winged women. Each one holds a different tool—paintbrush, hammer, chisel, lyre. Church was a blacksmith by trade, not a trained artist. He painted himself as the center of creativity, even giving a muse a blacksmith’s crown. It’s rare to see everyday work celebrated like this in 19th-century art. If you like this mix of skill and imagination, look up artist: Henry Church (American, 1836–1908) for more of his self-taught scenes.
Lifelong Chagrin Falls resident Church is considered one of the great self-taught artists of 19th-century America. A painter, sculptor, and musician by passion, he offered his appearance and enthusiasms in this highly imaginative self-portrait, surrounding himself with a squadron of miniature winged muses. These figures represent not only the traditional arts of painting, sculpture, and music, but also Church's profession of blacksmithing (identified as a crowned figure holding a hammer and anvil). A savvy entrepreneur, Church launched the first commercial art gallery in northeast Ohio:…
Church "spoke" at his funeral via an Edison phonograph recording he made for the occasion.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Henry Church was an American writer and patron of the arts.
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