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John Baker
"An Evening at Chess", contemporary, red, orange, acrylic, collage, mixed media

2017

$4,500
£3,383.64
€3,929.22
CA$6,284.16
A$6,969.59
CHF 3,660.09
MX$85,591.57
NOK 46,333.25
SEK 43,692.88
DKK 29,316.33
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About the Item

John Baker’s “An Evening at Chess” is an acrylic painting on canvas with collage 50 x 40 x 1.5 inches in cadmium red-orange, lime greens and deep and lighter blues. The king’s crown on the lion-form cloak, the knight’s insignia on the boy’s coat and the chessboard itself give surface coherence to the narrative, but the painting’s deeper meaning is expressed in the relationship between man and boy. Youthful innocence contrasts with an aristocratic aggression limited only by the aggressor’s slight weariness. (Does the man’s arm on the boy’s shoulder imply nurturing support or mere exhaustion?) Here is expressed the paradox of a tender, even loving support encouraging the boy’s maturation to an adult life of violent power. The painting is framed and is signed and dated on the reverse. John Baker is a widely exhibited painter based in Boston and New York whose solo exhibitions have been favorably reviewed in the Boston Globe (his paintings demonstrate that the human figure as a source of fresh ideas still endures), Art New England (Baker’s collages raise a bunch of interesting issues) and American Art Collector (John Baker’s wonderful and worthy project). A native of New York City, Baker was a pupil of Donald Judd for two years. The sculptor’s constructivist method remains an influence on Baker’s collage process, but Baker’s artistic results are more sensual and emotional as he adds the elements of subtle color harmony and reliance on impulse. Baker is represented by Fountain Street Gallery in Boston, MA.
  • Creator:
    John Baker (1944, American)
  • Creation Year:
    2017
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 50 in (127 cm)Width: 40 in (101.6 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Natick, MA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: Baker_An Evening at Chess1stDibs: LU500312614412

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