“Interlude” by Maxfield Parrish
For today, a dreamscape…
“Interlude”, sometimes referred to as “The Lute Players”, is an oil on linen canvas painting by the American artist, Maxfield Parrish, from 1922. George Eastman, of the Eastman Kodak Company fame, commissioned Parrish to create a painting to hang in his new Eastman Theater he was constructing in Rochester, NY. “Interlude” was placed in the foyer of the grand balcony, in the north stairway.
After receiving the final painting in August 1922, Eastman wrote to Dr. Rush Rhees, who was the President of the University at Rochester, and said that “Parrish’s picture has arrived. I went up to look at it with Lawrence White this morning in the room where it is stored in the Music School. White pronounced it a “peacherina” and I echo his sentiments. I hope you can translate this into real art language. It is very strong, simple and forceful.”
In the painting, Parrish depicts the theme he is known for, beautiful women in classical clothes lounging in paradise. Two of the women are holding lutes, while a third appears to be asking them to play some more. In a portrait view, the women are at the very bottom of the painting. The majority of the picture is taken up by large trees, with leaves with an amber color, that contrast against a magnificent blue sky. The blue, of course, is Parrish blue.
This painting hung at the Eastman Theater for decades. After concerns about unstable temperatures and unregulated humidity at the Eastman Theater, in 1997, the painting was moved to the Memorial Art Gallery at the University at Rochester. This facility could provide better conditions for long term storage. A full-size replica of the painting was installed in its commissioned spot in the Eastman Theater. The original is on permanent loan to the Memorial Art Gallery at the University at Rochester.
“Interlude” is currently on display at the Memorial Art Gallery, at the University at Rochester in New York, the United States.
For more on Maxfield Parrish, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
