John Frederick Peto
American
John Frederick Peto often relished ambiguity, which was made more puzzling by the conventions of trompe l'oeil (or “fool the eye”) painting, a specialized form of still life popular in America at the end of the 19th century. Works in this style are designed to be elaborate visual deceptions that viewers will mistake for actual three-dimensional tableaux.
Born
1854
Died
1907
Do you read online or prefer turning the pages of a book?
In this picture, Peto returned to his favored allegorical subject of books in various states of disarray and decay. One book stands and catches a ray of direct light, only to reveal its peeling, wordless spine; the back cover of another thick and stubby volume literally and figuratively hangs by a thread. The Industrial Revolution was well underway when Peto painted this scene—these neglected objects are shown as remnants of a bygone past left behind in the wake of progress.
Medium
Oil on canvas
Credit
Museum purchase, gift of the M.H. de Young Museum Society and the Patrons of Art and Music
Item ID
72.32
Dimensions
22 1/4 x 30 1/4 in. (56.5 x 76.8 cm)
Date
ca. 1900
Country
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Artist name
John Frederick Peto
Artwork location