Thursday, August 12, 2010

mystery solved

click to enlarge
It must be the artist in me that draws me to the human face. Given the choice of a landscape, still life, or portrait, I will always pick a portrait, hands down.  So, it's no surprise several are scattered here and there about the manor.  (Click here and here for previous portrait posts.)  Last month, when my daughter was visiting, we took a little excursion to our favorite antique center.  I came home with an quirky unsigned 1960s era portrait of a young man.  I was drawn to his melancholy expression and soft earth tones.

Sara Carr, 1960
on the roof
of the Trautman Building
This week, when we took the in-law gang antiquing, I happened onto a stack of portraits in the same vendor's booth where I found the young man, and obviously by the same artist.  Most of them were signed by Sara Carr.  I chose a lovely dark haired woman, dated March 25, 1958.  After the family left, and the manor was quiet again, my investigative juices took over, and I did a bit of online sleuthing.  As it turns out, Sara Carr was a local Columbus, Ohio impressionistic artist who graduated in 1930 from the predecessor of the Columbus College of Art & Design.  She had a studio in the five story Trautman Building at 203 South High Street. In exchange for the use of a rural cottage owned by Warner Trautman, Carr painted a 25 foot panoramic mural of downtown Columbus, for the lobby of his building, in 1960.

Now that I know the background of the artist, it makes her paintings even more special. It's nice to think I have some of Carr's work, as well as a bit of Columbus history, sprinkled about the manor.  I've got to take a little trip downtown to see if I can find her mural.  Stay tuned.
detail of Carr's mural
Sara Carr, 1963, in her Columbus studio

50 comments:

  1. This is a great story. So fun to find a random painting and then be able to find out more about the artist. I'm right there with you but you are a much better investigator.
    I'll take a portrait over everything else. When I was in school (photo degree) I turned every assignment into a portrait of some sort. My teacher would always say "of course" when he saw my pieces but I'm not an artist so I don't know where it comes from.

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  2. Finds like this are so precious! Once I found an old sepia photo of the Minneapolis / Mississippi river front ~ laying in a dusty corner of an antique shop in Roswell, GA! I cleaned it up, framed it and it too is priceless.

    PS ... my nephew and my sister's stepson both act at CATCO in your city.

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  3. How fun! I'm sure Sara would be thrilled to know how much her paintings are appreciated by you.

    As you know, I love faces too. The artist has a pretty interesting one herself.

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  4. Stevie, I thought of you, when I wrote this post. I adore your faces.

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  5. Oh my. I love finds like this. Can't wait to see what further sleuthing turns up! Wonderful.

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  6. Really rather amazing that you found work by a known unknown. I have always loved paintings of people or with figures in them the best and when i painted that was what most of my paintings were. I always thought it was the writer in me, interested in character and story, coming out in my interest in portraits and the figure.

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  7. A wonderful story, and some later recognition for the artist, how nice....

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  8. I love the word sleuthing. Nice finds. Sounds like fun.

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  9. How nice for Sara Carr that you discovered her!

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  10. The young man's hair and jacket style suggest he might have been a Beatles fan! I used to have a collarless jacket! So nice that you could discover more of the artist, Willow.

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  11. How lovely to have found out a bit about the artist. My previous husband painted my portrait when I was seventeen - I have it on my wall and often wonder what future generations will make of it.

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  12. Weaver, you must post your portrait on your blog! I'm intrigued! My family is encouraging me to paint a self-portrait. I think it's going to be my fall project.

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  13. Knowing about the artist gives such a new feel to the work. I'll bet the mural is stunning!

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  14. fabulous! so nice to have the back story - really like the young man's portrait :)

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  15. I LOVE this Willow!!! Good job, you are such a good researcher.

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  16. I sometimes forget that Ohio has it's share of artists, muscians, writers, and dream chasers. What a wonderful find Sara Carr is. While sleuthing, did you find out if she's living? Wouldn't it be lovely to talk with her?

    Faces are indeed fascinating.

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  17. Just as Derrick commented, I first thought of the early Beatles and those collarless coats! Yes, your young man does look so quietly sad and distant.

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  18. Teresa O, unfortunately, Sara Carr passed away in September, 1988. I would have loved to have been able to chat with her!

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  19. wish you could get a bigger picture of the mural...them are some great finds. i'm feeling a little inspired...

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  20. Wonderful portraits & good detecting! Will look forward to your discovery of the actual mural.

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  21. There is something surreal about those paintings. I kinda like them

    And ofcourse supported by such a gripping story. Made a good read

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  22. How very interesting! And good detective work on your part.

    I think it is exciting that you are considering doing a self-portrait in the fall. You'll share it on your blog, won't you?

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  23. Great snooping...I'll be ready for more updates on this artists work!
    I especially like the boy's expression!

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  24. I once picked up a box of turn of the century oil portraits without their frames, just wonderful flat pieces of canvas with chippy pieces of flesh-toned paint tumbling off each of the old classic models...I sold them all for a tidy profit and have regretted it ever since...that won't happen again!!!

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  25. Great detective work. I don't know that name, but like the work. I have been watching Bentley Square series.
    Do you know that BBC series? About 3 nannies in London. I love it.
    QMM

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  26. Great discovery! i agree it is wonderful to have heritage pieces from the region where you live. You have a "good eye." barbara

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  27. Hey...hi from Brazil..great blog..great story..;)
    intenses draws...

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  28. cool find willow. i am not very good with painting people or photographing them. i like them to be unaware so as to find what is really there. have a lovely evening at the manor. steven

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  29. I will stay tuned!
    I can see why you were attracted to her work, she was a fabulous artist!

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  30. How wonderful that you know the artist, too--I love her work! And the photo of her with that awesome portrait in front of her is great. I imagine it would please her so much to know you're enjoying these, too.

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  31. What fun! I love a good mystery that requires research...especially when the research turns up a sweet goldmine of information.

    - Dina

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  32. I'm the same, Willow. I am lover of portraiture and I suppose this is because I am fascinated by human emotion and thought. A face can say so much. I am always astonished by the way which a master artist, with merely a stroke of their brush, can express such deep human feeling. A look in the eyes, the way lips are formed, the skin complexion - all portray meaning in such a subtle and profound manner.

    I eagerly await the results of your sleuthing, Carr sounds like a brilliant artist :)

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  33. It is interesting to find out the history of nice artwork. I hope you do find her mural. I too like the look on the boy's face.

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  34. I like these portraits too, they will mean so much more now that you know who the artist is.

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  35. What a find. And how fabulous is she in those glasses in that last photo?

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  36. Beware, this could become an obsession. Having two of someone's work becomes a 'collection'. You may find yourself drawn to buying more!

    Tried your salmon last night. I was a little frightened by the 'equal quantity of chilli powder', but it was delicious. Thanks. Bisou, Cro.

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  37. that is a great little tidbit about the art you picked up.
    and it is funny how you are drawn to portraits.
    ...it got me to thinking...

    anyway, i lived in columbus (at age 16) for a year and i loved it.

    xx

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  38. Nice portraits... I enjoy observing how important it is when painting to ever keep focused as to the direction of light source..
    nice write-up on the artist to, my dear! :) The Bach

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  39. How inspiring. I'm impressed with how you found the art and pursued information and now have a gallery of your own, of a local historical artist.

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  40. Fabulous find Willow, all the better with the history information along with it.

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  41. You have such fun with your sleuthing. You should have gone into forensics.

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  42. Hi! Willow,
    The paintings are beautiful...portraits.

    Being an artist of course, that would be my response to artwork.

    By the way, I'am looking again at Romaine Brooks, because my art professor, breeze through her work in a WOMEN ART HISTORY course.

    Thanks, for sharing...this Sunday morning.
    DeeDee ;-D

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  43. I love stories of 'finds' and 'sleuthing'. I think it's fabulous that you have this local history in your home. You will be the perfect caretaker, Willow.

    Catherine

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  44. The photos of her remind me of Midge in "Vertigo".

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  45. Junk Thief, she does! Change the hair color and add those cute glasses and you have Midge!

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  46. I know you posted this quite a while ago, but I wanted to say thank you! I was searching for Sara Carr in Columbus, Ohio, as she is my great-great aunt. I stumbled upon your awesome blog!

    We (my family and I) believe one of the pictures has a sketch of my mom in the background (Mom has it at home now), and another is of Sara's neice, Julia (deceased).

    I would love to see what paintings you have! Please feel free to email me :)

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  47. Jill, I would love to talk! I don't have your email. Mine is:

    tesscaid @ gmail

    Please contact me!

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  48. Sara Carr was my grandmother and my family still has many of her works. The ones you have seen were those that didn't have special memories for us, i.e., the models who had posed for her or sketches for commissioned works. My sister has the entire mural, rescued in fall of 2008 before the Trautman was renovated. I have wonderful memories of taking kids' art classes from Grandma, and also posing for adult classes she taught. It's thrilling to see that her legacy is continuing on. I'm visiting in Columbus now, but when I return home I can send you scans of other works.
    p.s. I inherited my grandmother's red hair but not her brown eyes.

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  49. Jennie, I would love to correspond with you about your grandmother. Please contact me at:

    tesscaid @ gmail

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)