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Harnett returned to Philadelphia in 1876 to paint and exhibit, resuming his studies at the Pennsylvania Academy where he befriended John F. Peto. He would influence Peto, John Haberle, and others with his precise brushwork and his dark-toned subjects arranged on shallow tables or shelves. To enhance the illusion, Harnett would often project one object forward into the viewer's space; usually it was a newspaper, sheet music, or, as in the Banker's Table, an envelope. This compositional "trick" would also play an important role in his vertical still lifes: the shallow space forced objects out of the picture plane, making them real to the viewer, not once-removed painted representations. |
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