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Lot Description

Carl Rudolph Krafft

(American, 1884-1938)

Triad of Life: Highlighting Labor, Business, Athletics and Education, 1926

oil on canvas

signed Carl R.Krafft and dated (lower left)

62 1/2 x 82 inches

This lot is located in Chicago.

Provenance:
The Artist
Oak Park Municipal Building, gifted by the Artist, 1955
Private Collection
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Exhibited:
Chicago, Austin YMCA, 1927

Literature:
"Karl R. Krafft's, 'The Triad of Life,'" Association Men, August 1927, Vol. LII, p. 548, illus.

A prolific Midwestern artist, Carl Rudolph Krafft was born in Reading, Ohio, but lived most of his life in Chicago, where he moved with his family in the early 1900s. Primarily a painter of impressionistic landscapes, Triad of Life: Highlighting Labor, Business, Athletics and Education, 1926, stands as a distinctive example within his oeuvre. According to his daughter, Lal (Gladys Krafft) Davies, the YMCA had a profound significance on the artist’s life, finding its physical activities and companionship with other men to be of great value. The present painting was executed as an homage to the organization’s triangular symbol of Spirit, Mind, and Body, and in 1927, it was exhibited at the Austin department of the YMCA in Chicago. An article in the Association Men magazine, published by the YMCA, describes the composition in detail:

"In the painting are three groups, the principal figure representing Idealism. The group on the right, mother and boy, represents Mind and the three figures on the left represent the physical phase of life. The main figure, Spirit, or Idealism, holding the torch of Light and Truth, is placed above the mother who represents the Education and Experience…Carrying out the idea of the triangle in the group of three as Spirit, Mind, and Body in the technical side of the composition, the shape of the triangle is embodied in various parts of the painting…This element of composition should add to its artistic value and should give the picture a more lasting appeal." ("Karl R. Krafft's, 'The Triad of Life,'" Association Men, August 1927, Vol. LII, p. 548, illus.)

Condition Report

Framed: 69 1/2 x 89 inches.
Significant deposits of surface dirt, dust, accretions, and liquid spills throughout, as well as white stains along lower edge and browns stains throughout the reverse; canvas is not lined; network of craquelures throughout; stretcher bar lines around image perimeter and through the vertical center, with associated rubbing to paint; holes scattered throughout, with largest in diameter approximately 1 x 3/4 inches; small paint losses scattered throughout, primarily concentrated along the left edge of the central figure's dress and in the lower right corner; heavier applications of varnish are significantly discolored. Under UV light: no apparent inpainting is visible. Please request images.

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