1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Street Singer and Child is a 1704 unspecified by John Opie, a Neoclassicism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a ragged woman singing while a child clings to her skirt. The woman holds a basket, likely for selling small goods. Street singers often did this to make money. Opie grew up poor. He painted working people with real care. Most British artists of his time avoided such scenes. Look for another Opie painting at The Cleveland Museum of Art.
John Opie's working-class roots made him sympathetic to the plight of the laborer. This painting demonstrates his interest in an honest portrayal of British street life, a sympathy rarely seen in the work of other British artists of his generation, who often presented lower classes more coldly. Much of Britain's population at this time was poor, but beggars and street vendors had a particularly low status. Street singers were often sellers of goods. By focusing the composition tightly on the woman and not including any wares, Opie makes the viewer recognize her humanity; moreover, he…
Read the full account in the museum source.
John Opie (16 May 1761 – 9 April 1807) was a British painter whose subjects included many prominent men and women of his day, members of the British royal family and others who were notable in the artistic and literary careers.
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