Sunday, December 12, 2010

Painting of the Day, “The Disturber Detected,” by George Cruikshank, 1850

The Disturber Detected
George Cruikshank, 1850
Purchased by Prince Albert
The Royal Collection
Though better known for his satirical and sometimes scathing political cartoons and drawings as well as his many illustrations of Mr. Punch, George Cruikshank was quite an accomplished painter. Here we see a rare oil painting by Cruikshank. Painted in 1850, The Disturber Detected captures a precise moment in time. During a church service, a boy has dropped a metal spinning top onto a “monumental brass” (the metal cover over a tomb in the church’s floor), making a horrible racket.


We can see Cruickshank’s mastery of expression in this work. The faces are priceless and show the same flare for depicting emotion that Cruikshank displays in his drawings. It’s a treat to see this unusual work of art.



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