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“Can’t You Talk” Artist: George Augustus Holmes |
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This highly sought-after work of art was originally painted by the famous 19th-century British artist, George Augustus Holmes (d. 1911). He was the brother of the landscape, marine, and portrait painter Edward Holmes. George Holmes was one of the few prominent painters of children who recognized the importance of the role they had to play in art during the Victorian era, and he displayed beautifully the bond between children and their pets. He enjoyed tremendous popularity in his day. His works were much-loved by his clients and increasingly gain widespread recognition throughout today's international market. Purportedly, the story behind the painting is that one warm, summer day the mother of this fine, healthy baby took off his shoes and stockings and all other clothes except a slip and put him down on the cool, bare floor in the kitchen to play with the kitten while she was busy with her household duties. The baby was not old enough to walk, but he could creep very fast. While his mother was absent from the kitchen, he made his way across the threshold to the clean old flagstones where his friend, a border collie, was meditating in the sun. The dog sat up when he saw the baby coming, and this picture shows the moment when the two friends looked into each other's eyes. Neither child nor dog can say, "Can't you talk?" and no more can the half-grown pussy-cat that is taking in the situation from the doorway. The picture is painted in love and sympathy, not only with the child, but with its playmates. The cat and dog are very satisfying because they are not represented as endowed with powers of intelligence beyond their species. They are like the domestic animals that we know. |
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