American primitive style snow scene painting

I just found this interesting American primitive style snow scene.

It's painted on a board and on the back you can see it is very aged.

I believe painting on panel goes back several hundred years. I'm not so sure about what kind of panel this is

There is some repaired damage on the lower left.

I'm having problems creating this thread. I will have to add more photos later.

 

That appears to be manufactured board so not going to be terribly old. Painting may well be the same age as the frame. 1960s to 1970s to my eye.

Debora

 

It smells too dusty be from the 1960s or 1970s

"March 16, 1958 was an auspicious day if you were a telephone subscriber in the Seattle-metro area. On that date, telephone numbers changed from 2 letters + 4 digits to 2 letters + 5 digits"

http://www.uneeda-audio.com/stuff/tel_pfxs.htm#:~:text=March 16, 1958 was an,later had yet to appear. via a Google search

This means that the five digits on the back shows that it was framed after 1958.

Another question is when did phone numbers stop using the alphabetical characters.

 

I'm not sure if its cloth backing or that is the back with canvas or something different on the front.

I asked AI:

Did old American primitive painting panels have a thread of cloth on the back

Short form:
Backing for Support:
Sometimes, a piece of fabric or other material was used on the back of a panel to provide additional support, especially if the panel was large or thin.

Long Form:
AI Overview
No, it's not typical for old American primitive painting panels to have a thread of cloth on the back. While some early paintings on wood panels might have had simple backing elements for support or hanging, they were not usually covered with cloth.

Here's why:
Panel Paintings:
Before the widespread use of canvas, wood panels were the primary support for paintings, including many American primitive works.
Panel Construction:
Wood panels were typically made from a single piece of wood, sometimes joined with a groove and tongue or other joinery techniques.
Backing for Support:
Sometimes, a piece of fabric or other material was used on the back of a panel to provide additional support, especially if the panel was large or thin.
No "Thread" Typically:
While a simple backing might have been used, it wouldn't have been a thread or cord sewn onto the back. Instead, it would have been a piece of fabric or another backing material attached to the back of the panel.
For more information on the construction and materials used in painting, you can explore resources from institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the National Gallery of Art.

 

Zip codes were introduced in 1963.

Debora

 

AI says "Canvas boards, where canvas is glued onto a paper or hardboard backing, were introduced around the late 1870s. Specifically, George Rowney & Co. began listing them in their catalog in 1878. Prior to that, "mill boards" (paperboard with a primed canvas glued on one side) were already in use, with some references to even earlier manufacturers, according to the MFA Cameo wiki. In 1863, Albert G. Collins patented the use of canvas applied to pasteboard.

• Canvas board - MFA Cameo
  May 18, 2022 — Cardboard or Paperboard with a primed canvas glued on one side. In 1863, a patent was issued to Albert G. Collins for ...
  MFA Cameo
  
  
  
• The Utrecht Guide to Artists' Canvas
  * George Rowney & Co. introduced a canvas board in 1878, and there are references to even earlier manufacturers. Canvas panels are..."

 

Looks like a Medieval fortress in the background. Do you have many of those in America?

 

Ditto.
Overhere this rustic style painting was sold in a furniture shop in the village where I used to live.

 

It's Masonite board. We used to paint on it for student projects because you could get a huge board cut down at the hardware store for almost no money. They don't sell it in art supply shops as it's meant for cheap cabinets. You'll see it on craft/hobbiest arts and student works.

I agree 1960/70s.

I would never ask AI any question as it is completely unreliable, amongst other things.

 

Ditto.

 

I'm a bit concerned about the execution of the fir trees which is typical of decorative paintings.



And the execution of the figures, as well. They're sketchy at best.



Debora

 

It does appear that Custom Framing sold decorative art.



https://estatesales.org/online-auctions/lot-33-games-16197981

 

I like it. I like the theme, of taking care of each other, oneself, one's family, in the dead of winter. I realize it's not the painting itself that is in question really, just the age. I also like the painterly quality of it.

I'm concerned about the damaged area. How did that happen? Why is there that lessening of the gesso (?) area at the edge.

 

Eh Masonite is a really crap medium for painting because it's not meant for it. It's pressed pulp with a smooth finish on top so it doesn't absorb and paint doesn't really stick. That's additionally why this can't be that old. Paint flakes off it eventually. Some paint came off and someone else tried to touch it up.