(Eugenia Greinert, 1954)
Reflecting on my new directions, it took me a while to realize the importance of these old portraits, painted in a garret of the old MacDonald Hotel in Edmonton back in 1954. I have vague memories of the sittings, mainly of a sense of wonder, mystery and discovery. It may have been my first time ever in an attic, which may have influenced my later interest in archives and antiquities. It was also perhaps my first exposure to an artist.
When asked recently what I was going to do with the rest of my life I knew that I would continue my life-long search for the boy in these pictures, and let myself be guided by his innocence and curiosity.
When asked recently what I was going to do with the rest of my life I knew that I would continue my life-long search for the boy in these pictures, and let myself be guided by his innocence and curiosity.
(Eugenia Greinert, 1954)
10 comments:
Time oh good,good time.
Where did you go?
I have an oil painting signed E. Greinert dated 1951. I think it may be done by your portrait painter. Do you have any information on her?
The "Artists in Canada" database at http://daryl.chin.gc.ca:8015/Webtop/Searchapp/ws/aich/user/wwwe/SearchForm has the following information on her:
Greinart, Eugenia
Technique: Painting
Sex: Female
Born: 05 March 1914 Plock Poland
Died: 31 July 1997 Vancouver British Columbia Canada
Remarks: Immigrated to Canada in 1949
File Location: Vancouver Art Gallery - Library
National Gallery of Canada - Library and Archives / Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
Art Gallery of Ontario - Edward P. Taylor Research Library and Archives
I too had my portrait done by E. Greinert -- in 1955. I love it. I have copies of the photographs that she took that day of my brother, sister and myself with my mom trying to control the wriggling toddler (me).
The three portraits hung in our dining room until my mother passed away and then we siblings each took our own portraits to our respective homes. My sister immediately gave hers to one of her daughters; I'm not ready to part with mine!
My dad had the MacDonald Pharmacy in the Annex and I'm told I spent happy times running loose in the Mac before I attended school (under 6). The staff all loved me! LOL
I did not know that the sitting might have been in the Mac-- I have always assumed that it was in her home.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Audrey
I too have an oil portrait done by E Greinert from 1960. It was done when I was a year old and I've always wondered about the artist as all I knew was she was living in Vancouver. I'm glad I stumbled on to this website.
I have a 11 1/4" by 14 1/2" painting signed E. Greinert dated 1951 that I received from my Grandfather's estate. It is of a bouquet of roses and tulips inn a white ceramic pitcher. It was framed by Richardson Bros. Art Gallery at 332 Main Street in Winnipeg.
My painting by E. Greinert was a wedding gift from my husband's aunt. It was 1967. She's gone, the aunt's gone, and he's gone. A vase of apple blossoms on a branch against a sheer turquoise background. It hasn't aged (I have.)
I have a print (?) of a charcoal porttrait (?)dedicated to my mother in February 1960.
The subject is Frederic Chopin.
I remember MS Greinert as my Mom drove her around for a while seeking still life life subjectsfor her to paint
I knew her as a child and all of my family paintings were done by her in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I was her favorite so she painted me when I had an ear ache. She was really a talented, gracious starving artist. She did portraits to survive. I have a collection from my family.
I have this woman's entire life. I won a storage locker and hit the Eugina time capsule. She was Born in Warsaw in 1914, studied for 6 years at the academy of arts, she painted a portrait of the polish president Ignace Moscicki and he gave her a studio in his castle. Until Poland got occupied and her paintings burnt with the castle. She was a polish Jew so they arrested her and forced her to paint portraits of them. She was released and ended up in Winnipeg in 1949, then Edmonton, she became very integrated into the catholic church and painted all of the high priests. She was almost obsessed with the royal family (she had to hide her royal family ephemera hidden in fear she would get in trouble in Poland) when the prince Phillip and Andrew visited Canada she threw some roses at them to take a photo to later paint them (and he queen), she's got a lot of paintings of high political leaders hung in the government house and all over. She painted JFK and was at Grace Kelly's wedding and was always somewhere that royalty/government people/celebrities were. She was pretty cool. I have a lot of her portrait paintings and i have the black and white photos and negatives of the photos all you guys are talking about in the comments. I even have the giant easel that's in the photos and the letter from the man who gave it to her. Her studio in Vancouver was just a couple blocks away from where i live now. She passed away in the hospital just down the street from me. What a Gem.
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