If I had a link, I would post it - but then again, if I had a link, I wouldn’t be here wondering who painted it in the first place.
It’s been driving me nuts for YEARS. Some people grow up, some people have families, some people pay their income tax – but I have been sitting, pondering, wondering…
Now that the suspense is built, here’s a description of the painting:
suburban or city street - COMPLETELY deserted except for one small girl, wearing a dress, with her back to the viewer and I think her hair in pigtails or braids bouncing a ball.
The first thing you notice is the total absence of other people around in the picture.
The second thing you notice is the shadow of a man (cast from the viewers perspective - almost as though you, yourself, are casting the shadow) that is looming ominously over the girl.
Anyone? Anyone?
I have surfed the web for hours endlessly doing searches on art, dark, girl, ball, shadow, etc. or some variation on that search string with no results…
The girl is playing with a hoop. Actually, it’s the shadow of a girl. I’m looking for a link for you.
It was one of the first de Chiricos I saw as a kid; damn if I can remember the name of the painting. Most of his titles didn’t have much to do with the subject matter.
Okay, definitely doesn’t seem to be a Chirico (sorry, Ukulele Ike!). But similar to what Waenara posted…
remember the perspective - It’s like the viewer is casting the shadow - I can’t remember if it overlapped the little girl playing or not. At first glance this seems like a ‘nice’ painting because of the initial normalcy of the girl playing, and the houses lining the street (suburbia utopia, or somesuch) until you notice that every house is exactly the same, then you notice the shadow (again, a threatening shadow).
It has obviously been stuck in my head - it has been, literally, 10+ years since I saw this printed in a book somewhere…
