Old(?) painting of girl w/flowers - help with indistinguishable signature?

I found this at a thrift store today - and paid $80 for it (the manager told me he was going to price it at $150 but I could buy it now for $100 - I offered $80 and he accepted.
Can anyone tell me if this is a good painting?
How old it is (has wood spacers in corners on back but frame has a stamped 'Hecho en Mexico')?
Who is the artist's signature?
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

 

Can you see if the canvas is attached to the frame with nails or staples?

 

"Hecho en México" is a red flag that it's a decorative painting.

Debora

 

JMHO but you ask if it’s a good painting. I like the vase and flowers, the girls face is quite sweet but she looks as if she has a very short neck if you follow her shoulder line. Her hands are sketchy and partly obscured, this is often done on purpose by artists who struggle painting hands. Also the dancers foot in the painting above her looks as if it’s kicking the girls head.

 

Yes staples - dang!

 

2 more thoughts:

1. The frame design doesn't appear pre-ww2. IMO also looks artificially distressed.
2. The white pigment appears too bright/light to be lead white.

 

Very pretty-like a Hallmark Card.It looks like the painter was paying a small homage to Degas (the large dancing feet in the background). Try a Google Image search-'19th Century Impressionist Painting,Girl With Flowers'. You can hone this down to specific artists-Degas,Cassatt,Renoir,Corot (and second tier,but excellent painters too). The more paintings you look at,the more your eye will become trained & educated.You'll become more like a trained Cardiologist evaluating MRI's-he gives a more educated opinion than I,because he's looked at thousands of them.
You can train yourself to be a pretty decent 'Art Doc',even if you can't memorize 10,000 signatures-you can develop an 'instinct' or sixth sense about what's really fine,what's a noble attempt/gifted amateur and what stinks.Not a put-down for anyone who finds joy in painting-we simply judge Van Gogh to be more impactful than Grannies china painting but would never denigrate Grandma's enjoyment of making art.Hell-she's actually doing it and it's enhancing her life !...plus you'll get a pretty teapot for Christmas one off these days.

 

It may be inspired by a 19th century painting but... She does appears to be wearing contemporary clothing. Peter Pan collar, dirndl skirt.

Debora

 

It's worth the $80 I paid right?
I think it reminded me of my daughter and the wood stretchers on back just sealed the deal!

 

It is a charming subject and a sweet girl, but the painter should have left the 'dance painting' out.
Take it from someone who used to dance 15 hours a week, that dancer is not a ballet dancer. She is wearing a ballerina/romance skirt, but her legs are dancing the chachacha, and not very elegantly.

 

Yes, partial figure in frame within frame very distracting. Looks like she's about to deliver a patada not a plié. Nothing like Degas, of course. He was known for his unusual perspectives which were often tilted, a technique he borrowed from the Japanese to create depth. A cropped Degas dancer would look like this.

Debora

 

IMHO-The 2 premier draftsmen of the 19Th century-Degas,Ingres (sure there's others,but these two always come to mind).
Study,study,study-look at lots of art.

 

Personally I'd list it for auction on Ebay with a $10 reserve plus shipping. Like some on the forum say, "there's a seat for every butt".

 

For that kind of dough,why eat the shipping ?

 

I got out of Ebay when all my $50+ Items started going for $10-20 (2008 housing bubble).