I ran across these somewhat creepy portraits recently in a forgotten box of old family photos and mementos.Painted by my uncle, likely in the early 1970s, these 3" X 5" oil sketches on canvas board appear to be of my sister and I. Aside from the ethereal, black velvet-like look about them they're also unusual because the probable date they were painted ( assuming they were done at the same time, which seems likely ) doesn't match our chronological ages ( my sister was born in '72 ), my sister and my age difference ( three and a half years ), or the fact that my sister didn't have long hair until the late 70s.
Unfortunately my uncle was of no help in filling in the missing information on these artistic anomalies as he doesn't recall them at all. He gave up painting soon after these ( an omen, perhaps? ). So I'm left with these possibilities...
1. Not paintings of my sister and I ( but why would we have them then? )
2. Not painted at the same time ( but the canvases, materials and amount of wear all seem the same. As well my uncle had moved across the country by the time my sister would have been the age she appears to be in her portrait ).
3. My uncle invented a time machine and went forward to the late 70s to paint my sister so that he could give us a matching pair.
I'm leaning towards #3.
2 comments:
"Somewhat creepy" indeed!
Hmmm, reminds me of some photos from a small party where in the middle of the roll of film there are photos of several of us with "another person". No one remembers this other person, knows who they are, etc yet there they are at the this small private gathering of 10 or so people. Freaky.
Post a Comment