Father’s Art: Works of Billy Charles Duvall [2]

“Two on the Aisle” (detail)

Three Paintings as Reproductions

By André Duvall

The following three works are studies that my dad painted as “reproductions” of the works of other artists, working from photographs of them in art magazines. Dad had purchased several antique magazines at annual book sales at local libraries and estates sales, etc. Studying such magazines was one way he continued to learn about painting, expand his skill set, and refine his technique. Dad says, “I forced myself to get as close as possible to the painter’s original colors and brushstrokes,” based solely on his own “observations, experimentation, and trial and error.” He did not sign his name on these. He did not feel it was proper to do so, and he did not want anyone to misinterpret his intentions.

Study on “A Sunlit Afternoon” by Emilio Sánchez Perrier (Spanish, 1855-1907), painted from a magazine photograph:

Oil on canvas board, 16" x 10".
Exact date unknown, probably early 1980’s.

Signed on the right

    Dad notes that his reproduction is larger than the original painting (and the original painting is larger than the image in the magazine). The hardest part was replicating the large tree in the foreground. He felt he got close enough for his own satisfaction, but he recognizes that the result is not as accurate as other parts of the painting. This painting of Dad’s is one that I can remember being on display in my parents’ living room through most of my childhood and teenage years. It was sometimes placed on an easel. When I see it, I am immediately taken back to that room.

Study on “Two on the Aisle” by Edward Hopper (1882-1967), 1927:

Oil on canvas panel, 10" x 12½". Definitely 1979 or later,
most likely in the early ’80s (the magazine was published in Nov. 1979).

The original painting by Edward Hopper

The magazine caption

    There may be more information about those first two studies behind their back covers. Dad had both paintings professionally framed and, since it is difficult to remove a backing without damaging it or the work, we did not do so. If Dad decides to remove the backings and have the works re-framed, and additional information is discovered, we will revise this post.

Study on “The Garden Door” by Childe Hassam (1859–1935), 1927:

Oil on canvas panel, 9" x 12". January 1980.

    On the back is attached the following note, in all-caps: “Painted by Billy Charles Duvall for his dear mother in January 1980, after a painting by F. C. Hassam entitled ‘The Garden Door’.”
    We do not have the page from the magazine my dad used for the study, but the original painting can be found online. For example, here is an image from the Frederick Childe Hassam website:

    Dad’s painting hung for many years in the bedroom of the dedicatee – my grandmother Florine Voss Duvall. I remember seeing it there. When Grandma died, in the autumn of 2004, Dad removed the painting from her bedroom. He thinks it had hung there ever since he gave it to her, and we recall it hanging on the left wall as you enter from the living room. When I view this painting, I feel connected to the memory of my grandmother, knowing it was in her view every morning, and a part of her everyday sensory world. Dad added flowers to the bottom of the painting that were not in the original, a choice he regrets. Looking back at the original online, he noticed that certain color tints were different, namely the roof in the background, and an overall reddish tint in the original. Perhaps this is due to the magazine photo having different tints from what we see online.

Copyright © 2020 by André Duvall & Billy Charles Duvall