A Graduate of Pomona
A5 Detail of William Henry Hunt's Blowing Bubbles
The depiction of the pants worn by the boy in the authentic Hunt watercolor of Blowing Bubbles is greatly superior to the painting of the pants in the copy. The folds of the cloth and the variety of colors used make this area of the authentic watercolor much more interesting. Hunt's use of scrumbling -- the dragging of a loaded brush over a dry surface -- and scraping with a knife to roughen the surface, simulates the appearance of the heavy cloth of the pants. The bunching of the cloth above the cuffs adds a great deal of interests, as can be seen by comparing the dull pants legs in the copy.
Hunt did not hesitate to make changes in his watercolors. Such a change can be seen in what appears to be a shortening of the pants legs, which he originally seemed to be shown without the bunched up cuffs.
Perhaps the most telling difference between the two watercolors is the presence of a redish brown earthenware jug in the bottom right of the authentic Hunt. Hunt painted a number of compositions in the 1830s which showed children with such jugs. The jug, which is so easily visible in the real Hunt, is missing in the copy. A reason for the omission will be explained shortly,
A5 Detail of William Henry Hunt's Blowing Bubbles
The depiction of the pants worn by the boy in the authentic Hunt watercolor of Blowing Bubbles is greatly superior to the painting of the pants in the copy. The folds of the cloth and the variety of colors used make this area of the authentic watercolor much more interesting. Hunt's use of scrumbling -- the dragging of a loaded brush over a dry surface -- and scraping with a knife to roughen the surface, simulates the appearance of the heavy cloth of the pants. The bunching of the cloth above the cuffs adds a great deal of interests, as can be seen by comparing the dull pants legs in the copy.
Hunt did not hesitate to make changes in his watercolors. Such a change can be seen in what appears to be a shortening of the pants legs, which he originally seemed to be shown without the bunched up cuffs.
Perhaps the most telling difference between the two watercolors is the presence of a redish brown earthenware jug in the bottom right of the authentic Hunt. Hunt painted a number of compositions in the 1830s which showed children with such jugs. The jug, which is so easily visible in the real Hunt, is missing in the copy. A reason for the omission will be explained shortly,