At some point I want to replace the painting that is currently hanging above the fireplace in my library. The work that’s up there now is kind of fun, but it gets a bit lost in the room. It is a bit too small. As I sit here looking at it now, I really do like it. It’s called “Peach Trees” by Doris DeWitt Pogue. It appears to have been painted in Alabama in 1949. (If you’d like to see what I am talking about and to see the setting for the painting you click here. The painting appears in the “before” pictures of the library.)
I’m always on the look out for a replacement. I doubt I could afford this painting by Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler even if the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was willing to sell it.
It just seems appropriate for a contemplative room like a library. If Trollope and Brookner had had a baby together he might have looked like this. For me the somber quality of the figure is offset by the lightness of the setting and the sprigs of green popping up at his feet. As if to point out that no matter the fate of man, life is eternal.
hogglestock 
Loved your comment about Trollope and Brookner buddying up. What a combination!
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Cunard is selling off a bunch of art from the Queen Mary 2, for charity. Don’t have the link at hand, but perhaps you’d find something to suit there. Not terribly challenging stuff, of course – but an amusing provenance, no?
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I tend to like a landscape myself – if I’m inside surrounded by books, I find it adds another element!
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Your library is stunning. I loved this post, which combined two of my favourite things: books and interior decorating. Your existing painting is absolutely gorgeous; what about taking it to a framing shop and having a large mat and frame added to give you the dimensions you are seeking? The bold colours would be a nice constant to the soothing colour of the architectural elements in the space. Just my two (completely unsolicited) cents!
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*contrast
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Dear Thomas
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Wouldn’t you like to hang this painting in your gorgeous library?
R. B. (Ronald Brooks) Kitaj’s painting of “The Novelist (My Neighbour, Anita Brookner)”, the image of the painting is available in this following website – image number 6.
http://www.marlboroughgallery.com/galleries/new-york/artists/the-estate-of-r-b-kitaj
Best wishes, ASD
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PS. It was painted in 1993, the year when she published her novel, A Family Romance.
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The Hodler is beautiful.
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I especially love his expression and the treatment of the black robe.
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How about an image of one of my favorite paintings in the Musee D’Orsay – The Floor Scrapers (or Parqueters??) by Caillebotte.
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Still somber in tone like the one shown in your blog post. Love the light coming in from the window with the ornate grillwork, beautifully highlighting the men working on the floor. This almost looks like it could be happening in your library – classic molding and similar trim color.
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