The Harpist (Joueuse de Harpe)
Maker
Kurt Seligmann
(Swiss, active in U.S.A., 1900 - 1962)
Date1933
MediumOil on board
DimensionsBoard: 32 1/4 x 41 1/4 in. (81.9 x 105.1 cm)
Framed: 33-1/4 x 42-1/4 x 1-3/8 in. (84.5 x 107.3 x 3.3 cm)
Framed: 33-1/4 x 42-1/4 x 1-3/8 in. (84.5 x 107.3 x 3.3 cm)
Credit LineThe Mary and Earle Ludgin Collection
Object number1981.78
Object TypePaintings
On View
Not on viewThe Harpist dates to Kurt Seligmann's Paris period, when the Swiss painter developed his distinctive Surrealist manner. In this enigmatic picture, Seligmann conjures up a surreal image in which harp and musician have become one. Punning references to a head in profile, a listening ear perhaps, or arms reaching out to embrace the instrument resist precise interpretation, while infusing an apparently inanimate object with signs of life.
Other elements including the red-trimmed curtain, harp strings, tuning pegs, and the dangling switch of hair or feathers coexist in an uneasy unity. The two banners add a note of pageantry, as though our hybrid harpist might be performing in a medieval military parade.
Other elements including the red-trimmed curtain, harp strings, tuning pegs, and the dangling switch of hair or feathers coexist in an uneasy unity. The two banners add a note of pageantry, as though our hybrid harpist might be performing in a medieval military parade.
