The Lesson (1907). Hugo Ballin (American, 1879-1956). Oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art M
The Lesson (1907). Hugo Ballin (American, 1879-1956). Oil on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum.Ballin loved music and liked to play the piano when he was not painting. In this image the teacher plays a portative organ and her student follows on a flute. Before the ruptures of the WW I, middle-class American families still aspired to a 19th-century ideal of gentility. Children, particularly girls, were encouraged to study art and music as part of their upbringing. The dark, richly patterned background of this painting evokes a luxurious tapestry, reflecting the cultivated life of young ladies at the turn of the 20th century. -- source link
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