The Music Teacher and His Wife
1854
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1854
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Music Teacher and His Wife is a 1854 by Unknown, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting shows a music teacher and his wife. They're dressed in their finest clothes, and the teacher holds a tuning fork, showing his occupation. The woman's dress and the man's suit suggest they wanted to present themselves as respectable and prosperous. Check out the technique of chiaroscuro to learn more about how artists use light and dark to create depth in paintings like this one.
Although portrait sittings were directed by the photographer, sitters had some input in shaping their identities by choosing their pose, clothing, possessions, and sometimes backdrop. People came to the studio dressed in their finest outfits, and they often brought objects to represent their interests or occupation, such as the tuning fork held by the music teacher. Hand painting could draw attention to luxury items, as in Young Woman with Pantalettes, where her jewelry is dabbed with gold paint and the lacy cuffs of her pantalettes are enhanced with white paint. Most people had only a few…
Read the full account in the museum source.
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