The Cleaners
Artwork Description
Jean-Francois Millet would certainly never have conceived of works like Gerhard Richter’s Abstract Painting series. Painted over 100 years earlier, Millet’s seminal work, “The Gleaners,” classically representational as it is, was then regarded as “cutting edge” because its subject, poverty and class, were placed so front and center before the viewer. The first impressionist salons, over-the-top in their “radical departure” from realism at the time, were still a decade away.
Yet through the mind of Ben Steele, Millet and Richter join seamlessly. “I have a friend who had mistaken the title of “The Gleaners” for “The Cleaners.” My first thought was how easily, given the position of each of the women in the Millet painting, the act of cleaning-up does comes right to mind. I immediately saw these classic, representative figures as having the job of tidying-up the studio of one of our modern artists.”
And which form of art will stand the test of time? Who will be cleaning up after whom? Only time will tell and Ben doesn’t mind that being a debate he sparks as well. Certainly, you can brighten any room with this wonderful blend of classic and modern art paradigms. This Limited Edition Canvas of Steele’s “The Cleaners” gives you the opportunity show off your knowledge and appreciation of art without having to take sides in the Classic vs. Modern Art debate.
