The artist that created this is Eric Enstrom who took the photo in 1918. Mr. Enstrom lived in Minnesota, which doesn't surprise me; a bunch of my Norwegian ancestors ended up there as well. Looking at the photos in our family tree this elderly man, with the bowed head, would easily have fit right in. He certainly calls to mind my Great, Great Grandfather who also lived in Minnesota but well before this portrait was created. The man in the photo is actually named Charles Wilden and he was a door-to-door salesman. Mr. Enstrom used to take photos and embellish them with colors. That is why it has a painted quality to it. The photo is actually now the State photo of Minnesota and was made such in 2002. The name of this portrait is, "Grace," by the way. I never knew it even had a name....
A print of it used to hang in my childhood home and I always loved it. It now hangs in my own home at the landing on the third floor. It is amazing how often I still look at it and contemplate the simplicity of the picture and the message. I was raised to say Grace before dinner, but we never seemed to do it for any of our other meals; that is something I adopted a few years ago (now that I am an old fart and inclined to thank God for every morsel that goes into my mouth.) Maybe it is the wisdom that comes with knowing that people all over the world, including children, are going to bed hungry. Social media brings that sad reality to our eyes every day. Maybe it is the fact that I have been in situations where I don't know where my next meal is coming from. I can tell you that is a very humbling experience. It would be nice if it hung in everyone's home, young and old, to remind us to be grateful for the blessings that we have.
Thanks Mr. Enstrom for this extraordinary piece of art. It is as relevant today as it was in 1918.
Have a peaceful week.
Mare
A print of it used to hang in my childhood home and I always loved it. It now hangs in my own home at the landing on the third floor. It is amazing how often I still look at it and contemplate the simplicity of the picture and the message. I was raised to say Grace before dinner, but we never seemed to do it for any of our other meals; that is something I adopted a few years ago (now that I am an old fart and inclined to thank God for every morsel that goes into my mouth.) Maybe it is the wisdom that comes with knowing that people all over the world, including children, are going to bed hungry. Social media brings that sad reality to our eyes every day. Maybe it is the fact that I have been in situations where I don't know where my next meal is coming from. I can tell you that is a very humbling experience. It would be nice if it hung in everyone's home, young and old, to remind us to be grateful for the blessings that we have.
Thanks Mr. Enstrom for this extraordinary piece of art. It is as relevant today as it was in 1918.
Have a peaceful week.
Mare
No comments:
Post a Comment