The Lesmeister Art Collection

Lesmeister Guesthouse features some interesting art on the walls, including reproductions of masterpieces from around the time the Lesmeister Building was constructed, plus a few original contemporary creations by local artists.

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Art In The Laurel Apartment
The Old Guitarist Reproduction, hand painted oil on canvas. Original is oil on panel. Artist: Pablo Picasso Painted in 1903 when the Lesmeister Building was 1 year old The painting depicts an old, blind, haggard man with threadbare clothing, weakly hunched over his guitar, playing in the streets of Barcelona, Spain. It is currently on display in the Art Institute of Chicago. At the time of The Old Guitarist’s creation, Modernism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Symbolism had merged and created an overall movement called Expressionism, which greatly influenced Picasso’s style. Furthermore, Picasso’s poor standard of living, and the suicide of a dear friend influenced Picasso’s style at the time, which came to be known as his Blue Period. X-rays, infrared images, and examinations by curators reveal three different figures hidden behind the old guitarist. This painting hangs in The Laurel apartment’s dining area.
Theodore Roosevelt Official Presidential Portrait Reproduction, hand painted oil on canvas. Original is oil on canvas and hangs in The White House. Artist: John Singer Sargent Painted in 1903 when the Lesmeister Building was 1 year old President Theodore Roosevelt’s official portrait was originally commissioned to Théobald Chartran in 1902, but when Roosevelt saw the final product he hated it and hid it in the darkest corner of the White House. When family members called it the “Mewing Cat” for making him look so harmless, he had it destroyed and hired John Singer Sargent to paint a more masculine portrait. Sargent followed Roosevelt around the rooms of the White House, making sketches looking for the right lighting and pose, but was unhappy with them. When Roosevelt headed toward a staircase to try the rooms on the second level, both of their patience was running thin. Roosevelt suggested that Sargent didn’t have a clue what he (Roosevelt) wanted. Sargent responded that Roosevelt didn’t know what was needed to pose for a portrait. Roosevelt having reached the landing, planted his hand on the balustrade post, and turned to Sargent angrily demanding “Don’t I!” And the perfect pose had been found. Roosevelt, always active, only agreed to stay still for half an hour a day, after lunch. But the portrait was eventually finished, and adored by Roosevelt. This painting hangs over the staircase in The Laurel apartment.
The Garden Parasol Reproduction, Giclee Print. Original is oil on canvas. Artist: Frederick Carl Frieseke Painted 1910 when the Lesmeister Building was 8 years old Original hangs in the North Carolina Museum of Art Frederick Carl Frieseke (April 7, 1874 – August 24, 1939) was an American Impressionist painter who spent most of his life as an expatriate in France. An influential member of the Giverny art colony, his paintings often concentrated on various effects of dappled sunlight. He is especially known for painting female subjects, both indoors and out. This print is in The Laurel apartment’s bedroom.
The Lantern Bearers Reproduction, archival print. Original is oil on canvas, mounted on board. Artist: Maxfield Parrish Painted 1908 when the Lesmeister Building was 6 years old. Original hangs in the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Widely regarded as one of the most popular American illustrators in the first half of the 20th century, Maxfield Parrish (1870 – 1966) was renowned for his idealized neo-classical imagery, meticulous craftsmanship and luminous, richly saturated colors. In his lyrical nocturne The Lantern Bearers, a group of Pierrot or clown figures ascend a set of stairs. The golden lanterns they hold create a strong diagonal composition offset by a single sphere – the moon? – on the right. The clowns appear to be identical, suggesting the employment of simultaneous narrative, where multiple scenes from a sequence in time are presented in a single image. The Lantern Bearers was originally created as a frontispiece for the December 10, 1910 issue of Collier’s magazine. This print hangs in The Laurel apartment’s living area.
Dramatic Abstract Impression of Spanish Matadors An original oil on canvas. Artist: Enrica Barré, Pocahontas, Arkansas Painted in 2011 when the Lesmeister Building was 109 years old. This painting hangs in The Laurel apartment’s bathroom.
Art In The Julia Dean Apartment
Portrait of a Young Woman Reproduction, Giclee Print. Original is charcoal on parchment. Artist: Gustav Klimt Drawn 1896-97 five years before Lesmeister built his building. Now in a private collection Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects. Klimt’s primary subject was the female body. This drawing hangs in The Julia Dean apartment’s living area.
Jessica Penn in Black with White Plumes Reproduction, archival print. Original is oil on canvas. Artist: Robert Henri Painted 1908 when the Lesmeister Building was 6 years old. Original hangs in the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art This painting demonstrates the control the artist has with depiction of his subject. Jessica Penn was a woman who grew up poor and became an artist’s nude model. Her acting aspirations led her to become a chorus girl in Broadway shows. She is not the ideal early twentieth century woman, but Robert Henri shows her as proud and intelligent. A different painter might have emphasized her struggles in life and made her look haggard and immoral, unappealing and unrelatable. Because of the way Henri painted Penn, the viewer tends to admire her command and think highly of her. This print hangs in The Julia Dean apartment’s living area.
Italian Poppy Bouquet Draped On Roman Marble Slab An original oil on canvas. Artist: Enrica Barré, Pocahontas, Arkansas Painted in 2010 when the Lesmeister Building was 108 years old. This painting hangs in The Julia Dean apartment’s dining area.
Child In Red Cross Blanket Drawn on illustration board with graphite pencil. Artist: Jan Rogers, from near Pocahontas Painted in 2005 when the Lesmeister Building was 103 years old. Based on an image from National Geographic Magazine. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. The organization was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human suffering, without discrimination based on nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious beliefs, class, allegiance, or political opinions. This drawing hangs in The Julia Dean apartment’s bathroom.
The Thatcher Drawn on illustration board with graphite pencil. Artist: Jan Rogers, from near Pocahontas Painted in 2005 when the Lesmeister Building was 103 years old. Based on an image from National Geographic Magazine. Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge, rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates. Thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries, usually with low cost, local vegetation. This drawing hangs in The Julia Dean apartment’s bathroom.