State Fair Scene With Horses and Merry-Go-Round by Edmund Brucker (American, 1912–1999)

Description

Large and dynamic, this 1947-vintage painting depicts a shirtless man handling a high-spirited Percheron horse that won a blue ribbon … more Large and dynamic, this 1947-vintage painting depicts a shirtless man handling a high-spirited Percheron horse that won a blue ribbon at the Indiana state fair. The young men watching the scene, the fairgoers walking by, and the merry-go-round in the distance all bring great color and energy to the scene. The painter was Edmund Brucker, a Midwestern painter through-and-through: he was born a Hoosier, exhibited widely across the Midwest, painted a number of portraits in Indiana, and taught for almost 50 years at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis. The painting is gouache and watercolor on paper; it is signed in the lower righthand corner. The reverse side includes copies of a long and detailed letter from Brucker to the painting's owner in the 1980s. Dimensions include matte and frame. Area with old, white mold is evident on the main figure's left shoulder, probably dating to the 1940s when the gouache paint was still damp. less