 John Haberle (United States, 1856–1933), Reproduction, circa 1867, oil on canvas, 10 x 14 inches. Gift of Walter B. Goldfarb, M.D. | John Haberle: American Master of Illusion September 18 through December 12, 2010 Combining a masterful technique with sly, witty historical and personal references to American life from 1870 to 1910, today John Haberle (1856–1933) is considered one of the most accomplished American trompe l’oeil (meaning to “fool the eye”) painters. This exhibition will feature approximately 16 paintings and drawings from the New Britain Museum of American Art. Alluding to the moral and political issues of the time, Haberle’s paintings juxtapose newspaper clippings, tickets, and money with objects such as a pocket watch, playing cards, and rosary beads. The slight but ingenious details make each of Haberle’s paintings exceedingly complex. He spent most of his life in or near his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, where he worked as an engraver, draftsman, lithographer, and as a custodian and preparator at Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History. |