A Little Deductive Reasoning Music Please

[tabs]

Here are 2 oil paintings on canvas, do they look like they are from the same artist? The top one is 12 X 14 the bottom one is 12 X 16. Tabs wants to know what YOU think, and equally important is the reason why you came to your conclusion. This will require a little deductive reasoning.

[Flatbutt1]

wouldn't inductive reasoning be better? For instance in one painting the colors are more vivid particularly of the water. The more vivid one is under a sky that appears to be overcast while the one with less vivid coloring is under a sky with fair weather clouds. If the same artist paintedthese shouldn't the color scheme be more consistent? So this alone would convince me that there are two artists involved. But then again I don't know **** about art.

[Dottore]

OK. Need to digest long lunch - so I'll play.

Different styles.

Different eras.

Different perspectives.

Different use of color and texture.

In short: different artistic vernacular.

Also different signatures.

All of above suggest different artists.

However, my wife, who is a brilliant copyist - could copy both of these to perfection - and her copies would then be from the same artist. Similarly, these could also be from the same artist in different stages of life and career, or from an artist with a broad repertoire, or from an artist suffering from schizophrenia, or from another copyist etc.

In short, it's impossible to tell with 100% certainty from these computer images. It would be very much easier to tell with the canvasses in hand.

That said - and assuming no one is deliberately trying to pull my plonker - my money would be on different artists.

[HardDrive]

Very different.

I would guess the first is French, the later American, and painted 50 years later.

[dan79brooklyn]

Signatures are different, looks like different names entirely.

[DARISC]

Were there two Frederick J. Mulhaupts?

Second doesn't have the vibrancy of the first - maybe not Mulhaupt, maybe bad photo or needs a cleaning. Brushwork doesn't look like Mulhaupt's (sky in particular).

[Gogar]

I'll try:

The second picture to me appears to be in a frame.





But really, I think the first is of sailing boats, the second of mechanically powered ships. As mentioned above "different eras."

Art wise, the first seems to have much more detail in the background, away from the subject matter. the second, not so much.

So I say "different artists".

[Shaun @ Tru6]

"The Morning Hour" is a particularly nice piece.

[futuresoptions]

Looks to be from different artisits...

[911Rob]

My Mom says I'm not allowed to play with you Tabs!

[sammyg2]

I say nope, different artists. Reflections in the water, clouds, colors and brush strokes, blending, etc.
May be from the same era, region, etc.

[tabs]

OK here is another example..

.

[kstar]

Originally Posted by tabs

OK here is another example..

.

Same artist as the top photo of your original post, yes?

Best,

Kurt

[tabs]

YES...Painting #1 and #3 are by the same artist. Number 2 is the subject of the question...are they all done by the same artist?

Fredrick Mulhaupt was known as "The Dean of the Cape Ann School" As far as I know all his work is signed with the distinctive "Mulhaupt" signature. The Steamship paintings signature is as near as I can tell is "Mul NA." The "NA" might be short for National Academy, of which Mulhaupt was a member. Artists who were members signed their work with the "NA."

Here are some things to take a look at and compare.

The colour pallet is the same in all 3 paintings. Pay paticular attention to the Burnt Oranges, the deep blues and Green Blues. Every artist has a distinctive colour pallet, which is basically not duplicated by any other artist.

Mulhaupts work was known to have bare spots show through in the area of sky. Two of the three paintings share that same characteristic. The 3rd painting shows very little sky.

Brush strokes are not to readily visible in the Steamship painting. However the width, and length of the brush strokes is similar in all 3 paintings The Steamship painting has a choppy sea and the other 2 have calm water.

The 2 Mulhaupt paintings are of Glocester Harbor, probably done in the 1910 to 1937 period. The Steamship painting is on NY Harbor circa 1895-1910. I place it earlier in time because of the frame, which appears to the orginal one. It was a rather delux frame. Also the Steam ship painting is on canvas which has been relined to conserve it. Someone went to a fair amount of expense to have that done. The Steamship painting came from an upstate NY estate.

So let me know what ya'll think and why ya think so.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by tabs

The Steamship painting is on NY Harbor circa 1895-1910. I place it earlier in time because of the frame, which appears to the orginal one.
So let me know what ya'll think and why ya think so.

This doesn't sound right to me.

I would put the steamship painting much later - possibly as much 20 to 40 years later. Look at the shape of the bow of the main vessel - and the bridge. Look at the streamlined rake of the funnel of the vessel in the background. Vessels didn't look like that at the turn of the century. That doesn't look like 1895 -1910 to me

[DanielDudley]

When you look over at the sky above the bow of the ship in the second picture, you can see some evidence of a similar texture to areas in the other two paintings. I would say it is quite possible that all three were done by the same artist. Technique and style tend to change over time for some artists.

[MRM]

NA might mean Naval Academy. It's hard to tell from photos on the internet but they don't look like the same artist to me. The styles are too different. The top one is a deliberately quiet scene of peaceful sailboats. Quite continental, but that doesn't mean it's European, just that it is of that style. Could have been painted any time, any where since the late1800 or so. Very nice, by the way. Very much a style I like.

The second one is clearly American and is clasic American School. It is a heroic depiction rather than a peaceful painting. The stillness of the boats is supposed to contrast with the power of the ships' engines. American School paintings like to contrast peaceful with powerful in the same scene, like nature scenes where the sunset could be good weather but the clouds look more like a storm brewing, contrasting the peacefulness and power of nature. The same thing is going on in the second painting with the sea and moored ships - the ships and sea look like they're at peace but the power of the engines and sea are barely restrained and are bursting to be let loose.

I don't think the person who would paint number two would paint number 1.

[Dottore]

So Tabs - what's the story here? Inquiring minds want to know. One artist or two?

[tabs]

Mulhaupt was a NY artist who went on vacation to Glocester, MA and basically never went back to NY. Mulhaupt was an American artist, and they are all American paintings. I believe all three were by Mulhaupt. The specfic colour pallet, the same bare canvas showing through, the same brush work and the clouds that are similar in other Mulhaupt paintings. The signature that looks like an abreviate MULhaupt. The fact someone put some money into conservation. Painting technique does change over time. Its a dead ringer for Mulhaupt all except the signature? I wanted some opinions.

I think in spite of Dottore that the painting is around 1910. Maybe as late as the 20s?


I was looking through the paintings on E-bay late one night, while looking through the latest issue of American Art Review, while the pictures were downloading (I had dial up in those days). That paticular issue had an article on Mulhaupt, thinking I'd love to have one of his paintings. When I stumbled across the Steamship painting. I looked at it and looked at the paintings in the article an thought...Oh my Gawd! Wound up paying $500 for it. The seller said he got it at an estate auction in upstate NY, and had never heard of Mulhaupt before.

The top painting just sold last weekend at Shannons for 40K + buyers premium of at least 15% and the 3rd painting sold for 26K + at the same auction.


The Steamship painting is Ashcan School the other two are more sentimental.

[tabs]

I know the leading art conservator in LA. He doesn't even look at signatures, he is able to pick out an artists work just by sight. Colour, brush strokes etc are all like fingerprints.